When you need help, help another. When you need compassion, be compassionate. When you need love, give it freely. When you crave connection, reach out. When you can't go on any longer, encourage someone. When you need understanding, listen. When you're angry, try to understand.

It's been a remarkably awful year. A global pandemic, unscrupulous politicians, biased media pundits. You can be comfortable with being uncomfortable, but 2020 has been insanely difficult to motivate even the most resilient among us.

I don't pretend to have all the answers. But lately I've been implementing a little trick that has helped me. I think it can help you too. My agency is growing. We have amazing clients. We also produce a world class conference. The conference and the clients are synergistic events on paper. In execution they are at odds. One takes from the other in time, energy and sweat equity. I needed to clone myself, or find a solution.

What a Year. A look back at 2014 for the Silverback Social team - Westchester Digital Summit, Baltimore Digital Summit, & clients like Legendary Pictures.

I've been an entrepreneur for seven years. Midway through the fourth year, things were coming to a head. I wasn't getting enough sleep. I wasn't exercising, and I wasn't keeping my mind clear with meditation. In the middle of what felt like my most stressful month of my life, my most senior employee resigned. While I was complaining about the debacle to an entrepreneur friend, he called me out: "Get comfortable with the feeling that you have right now." Confused, I asked, "What feeling?" He replied, "Feeling uncomfortable. Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable." He stopped me in my tracks. He was right. We all need to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable. We're soft! Here are 7 ways to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, according to one of the toughest and most resilient people I know, Green Beret Jason Van Camp.

Everyone has different methods that to lead to their success, especially entrepreneurs. For me, the most important daily quality is being flexible. There have been times where I’ve had to fly to a different continent on a moment’s notice, extend a trip for weeks at a time, or drop everything to solve a time sensitive issue. It’s being able to address these unexpected turns that has allowed me to become the entrepreneur I am today. I guess you can say my “rhythm” is embracing the unexpected and being flexible in times of uncertainty. I work better at night, so I generally go to bed at around 1am and start the day around 9am, answering emails in bed. Working from home has its advantages.

Todd is a confident guy. He's continued to be confident throughout his career. He's built one of the most successful companies in Maryland. Which is why I thought he's be a perfect candidate to profile in these success interviews. Please welcome, Todd "Doc" Marks.