Author Archives: Ziad K Abdelnour

About Ziad K Abdelnour

Ziad K. Abdelnour is President & CEO of Blackhawk Partners, Inc., a New York based private equity ”family office” that focuses on originating, structuring, advising and acting as equity investor in management-led buyouts, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations, buildups, and growth capital financing's in companies and projects based both in the US and emerging markets.

Want to Build Your Empire – Start Developing These Habits

Want to Build Your Empire

Being your boss and taking control over your life is something that millions around the globe wish for. And it does seem easy to look at the world’s most successful people and think that if they can do it, so can you. Like watching Lionel Messi playing football – when he starts dribbling and passing other players like a knife through butter, he makes it appear like a piece of cake. But it’s not.

Building an empire requires time, persistence, creativity, some luck, and good habits. If you aren’t destined to inherit an empire that you can continue to maintain and grow; you can build your own from scratch. Starting out, you need to set in place some habits that will help you reach your goal.

 

1. Get Inspired

Find different ways to refuel yourself. Nothing can work non-stop at maximum performance. If you need to complete a critical task, get prepared for it. Shut down your computer and smartphone and get out in nature, play some basketball, or grab your camera and take some photos. It’s essential to leave your routine and do something just for the sake of enjoyment. It will help you disconnect for a while, and at the end of the day, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to get back to work.

 

2. The Importance of Getting Disconnected

No, you don’t need to check your emails all the time or respond to them right away. If you can take your work with you, then you won’t need to do it in the same room or building every day. I find that I can do my best work while in hotel rooms or airplanes. Book a hotel room and put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door. There, you can sleep when you want to, order room service when you need to, and no one can distract you.

 

3. Find Your Rhythm

Getting out of routine is the best for generating new ideas. But for reaching long-term goals, having a routine or daily rhythm is crucial. Rise, brush your teeth, eat your favorite meal, and have a cup of coffee. Then, start working. There’s no requirement to make a complex daily pattern. After a few hours of work, go to a local riverside or park for a run. Grab a meal and get back to work. After another 3-4 hours, take a break to decompress and relax in the evening. Find what works for you and establish a daily rhythm.

 

4. Fight the Distractions

Everyone will want to reach out to you when you’re a leader. People need to know your decisions and guidelines. But you’ll need to fight for your right to be unavailable at times. All that matters is for you to be able to do your masterful work without distraction.

 

5. Reward Your Successes

You’re a Spartan – for some time, it’s been mostly your personal development and craft, fitness, and family. Whenever you make a win and complete a day successfully, relax and indulge in things that you like. Eat an excellent meal, see an episode of your favorite show, get out to see an art exhibition, or whatever feeds your mind and curiosity.

These five habits are great to develop if you’re trying to build your business empire. Remember that this should help you find your formula. You want to differentiate yourself, and you can’t do it by following other people’s footsteps.

Successful business leaders understand that the greatest asset to any new business is expert advisors, such as us at Blackhawk Partners. Our team is comprised of experienced leaders, managers, executive professionals, and investors.

Believe that you’re destined to do great work, step up and start making history.”

TURNING BACK THE CLOCK

I guess you have no idea how old you are; yet, you know the number of years you’ve been alive. Your true age is equal to the amount of years you have left.

Let me explain:

If you’re 26 and you’re going to die next week, you’re older than an 80 year old person who has a couple of years left to live.

People sit on two sides of the fence when it comes to life. Some say it’s a time for exploration. Others say it’s a time to get serious about your path going forward.

I say it’s time to get serious about your path going forward regardless of how old you are.

Here are my tips for a full life I experienced and which I am still experiencing every day.

If I could travel back in time, here’s what I would tell the young 21 year old version of myself

PERSONAL

1. Do not ever make the mistake of thinking that you can, or will, or have ever arrived.  Whether it is to a state of happiness, income, or mindset.  I had this mentality during crucial stretches of my twenties, to my own detriment.  Thinking you’ve ‘achieved’ is a static worldview and stunts your growth.  Come to terms with the fact that if you want to achieve, you can never stop trying.  If you’re not learning something every day, you’re stagnating or regressing.  The best companies in the world need to improve every day or be taken over by competitors, and I think there is something analogous in the human sense.

Read More Info:https://ziadabdelnour.net/turning-back-the-clock/

5 Essential Elements to Your Success as a Real Estate Developer in NYC

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Surely you’ve heard that if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. And if you’re aiming to make it big in real estate in the Big Apple, then you’re hoping to take a bite out of a multi-billion industry.

But what does it take to fall into the ranks of the richest New York real estate developers such as Stephen Ross, Richard LeFrak, Donald Trump, and Jerry Speyer? Here are 5 essential elements to becoming a successful real estate developer in New York:

1. Personality and People Skills

Not everyone is cut out to be a real estate developer as it’s one of the most complex professions. You need to be a problem solver, know your numbers, communicate effectively, manage a team, negotiate deals, and so much more.

You need to develop relationships with general contractors, architects, civil engineers, bankers, attorneys, brokers, inspectors, appraisers, and more. You’ll be working with the city to secure approvals and seeking out capital partners if you’re not financing the project yourself. And beyond that, you must think creatively about every development project while also taking calculated and measured risks.

 

Read More:http://www.blackhawkpartners.com/blog/5-essential-elements-success-real-estate-developer-nyc/

Middle East Christian Conundrum and the Need for a US Awakening

It is a fact that we are witnessing today a major metamorphosis in the makeup of Islamic powers in the Middle East that threatens to destabilize the region and the world.  After WWII, the Middle East emerged from imperial rule giving rise to self-rule by the individual countries.  Unfortunately, many of these countries were not ready for self-rule, and quickly became dictatorships that abused their people forcing many of them into the arms of religious zealots.

Trillions of Petrodollars have been spent to spread the Wahhabi radical Islamic teachings over the past four decades, tolerated by the West for too long as a means to counter Soviet Influence in the region. This process has also contributed directly and indirectly to the rise of the Mullahs in Iran. However, the radicalizations process did not stop with the down fall of the Soviet Union, but rather accelerated with weakening of the dictators, leading to the global threat we face today.

In a nutshell, the Middle East today is made up of unstable autocratic regimes that can collapse at any moment, and populations that are by and large highly radicalized.  With ISIS losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the zealots will seek refuge among hardline Islamic communities in other countries. It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine a scenario where many of the Gulf monarchies start falling one after the other and get replaced by openly Islamist rule and Sharia law.

Radical Islam, is arguably the most insidious of ideologies our planet has ever faced.  Like other threats of the past including Nazism, Communism and Fascism, they are not content to just rule, but aim to eliminate in the most brutal ways anyone who does not agree with them and will not rest until they impose their ideology all over the world or be fully eradicated.

Unlike political ideologies, Radical Islam invokes the will of God and addresses a population that is indoctrinated to obey that will. This allows the movement to reach deeper into society than any other, silence the majority, and bring brutal retribution towards any detractors.

Moderate Moslems are hard pressed to counter the extremely well-funded, armed and determined zealots. But religious minorities are the ones at real risk of annihilations as we have seen in Iraq and parts of Syria.

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Read More:http://ziadabdelnour.org/middle-east-christian-conundrum-and-the-need-for-a-us-awakening/

 

GOING TO WAR AGAINST NORTH KOREA – POSSIBILITY, OUTCOME AND RESULT

To make a long story short, I strongly believe that any war between the United States and North Korea would result in the collapse of North Korea’s government and a massive flood of refugees into China and South Korea. This is likely the reason (along with North Korea’s nuclear weapons) why the US has not toppled the North Korean government yet.

In fact, it’s very likely that behind the scenes both South Korea and China have been sending North Korea subtle signals that regime change is not a desired option. This would explain why the North Korean government hasn’t collapsed considering that it doesn’t and hasn’t been meeting the needs of its people.

Who would win such war?

It all depends on what you mean by “winning”, the circumstances in which the conflict begins, and whether North Korea uses nukes/WMDs.  If we ever engaged North Korea, I don’t see the U.S. using nukes because our conventional weapons are effective enough.

First, discussing the circumstances, if North Korea attacked the South, it would take longer than if the South/U.S. attacked North Korea.  The reason is that you would have to stop their offensive before moving back north, account for casualties/battle damage, etc.  If the South/U.S. attacked the North, we would be able to neutralize a lot of their military power right off the bat, which would make things go much more quickly.

If intelligence allows for forces to mobilize early before the conflict begins, it would be faster than if they attacked by surprise and we had to spin up logistics.

If North Korea used nukes or WMDs, it would significantly complicate things both militarily and politically.  It could be slower due to significant damage to our forces, or it could be much faster due to the rest of the world coming together to “take care of” North Korea.

One important factor… drones. Drones can indeed make their carefully dug in positions very vulnerable, and judging by how they are building up their military, that’s a big problem for them.  I think we would also easily maintain air superiority.  Given that it’s a small, extremely mountainous country, it would seem to be relatively easy to use drones and air strikes to completely disrupt their supply lines.  There simply aren’t that many places where rail lines or significant roads can run, especially across the river.  And we have become very good at using drones, helicopters and so forth to spot units moving and take them out from a distance.

I think there is a not insignificant possibility of North Korean collapse once the war goes on for any length of time.  They may have many men under arms, but they cannot feed them in peacetime, much less in war.  If they can’t accomplish a blitzkrieg and get at South Korea’s food supplies they will quickly run out of food.  They also have very limited supplies of other things because they have been at famine levels for years.  Outside of a few zones where they cooperate with the South (and maybe China) their industrial base is small and aged.  They have few natural resources and even now have less ability to exploit them at the level that a modern industrial nation can.

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More Info:http://ziadabdelnour.net/going-to-war-against-north-korea-possibility-outcome-and-result

The Drag Race of Digital Progress… Are You Belted In?

You are cordially invited on behalf of the Financial Policy Council’s Board of Directors, to our next Financial Policy Council power summit featuring a panel discussion covering what the changing digital landscape, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Information on Demand mean for digital media, its investors, and content creators.  You don’t want to miss this!

  • TOPIC : The Drag Race of Digital Progress…Are You Belted In?
  • DATE : Friday, April 7, 2017
  • TIME : 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
  • LOCATION : The Graduate Center / CUNY at 365 Fifth Avenue at The Elebash Recital Hall – On the main floor of the building and on the left as you enter into the main lobby

Moderator:

Ziad K Abdelnour is a Wall Street Financier, Author, Philanthropist, Activist, Lobbyist, Oil & Gas Trader & President & CEO of Blackhawk Partners, Inc., a New York based private equity “family office” that focuses on originating, structuring, advising and acting as equity investor in management-led buyouts, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations, buildups, and growth capital financing in companies and projects based both in the US and emerging markets and the trading of key physical commodities.

Mr. Abdelnour is also Founder & Chairman of the Board of the Financial Policy Council ; a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization designed to give its select group of supporters the opportunity to have direct face-to-face dialogue with the nation’s quintessential powerbrokers and policymakers.

Since 1985, Mr. Abdelnour has been involved in over 125 transactions worth in aggregate over $10 billion in the investment banking, high yield bond and distressed debt markets and has been widely recognized for playing an integral role in those three key market sectors.

Mr. Abdelnour is an astute market player who also serves on the Advisory board of DPG Investments, a recognized premier multi strategy global merchant banking, alternative investment, management and advisory firm.

On a more personal level, Mr. Abdelnour, former President of the Arab Bankers Association of North America, is the author of “Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics” ; a best seller manuscript written for investors that need to navigate the troubled geopolitical waters of the post-crisis world and a prolific writer for 100+ entrepreneurial and financial publications advising and educating investors in private equity, hedge funds, crowdfunding, Sovereign Wealth Funds, fund-of-funds, angel networks, venture capital and family offices.

Mr. Abdelnour is also a regular speaker on Private Equity, Physical Commodities trading and Middle East geo-political analysis at industry conferences & TV outlets nationwide including but not limited to Fox News, Newsmax, etc…and a key “influencer” in his own right having a hard core constituency of over 2 million viewers having read his blog postings and analyses since January 2014.

Mr. Abdelnour holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Economics, Summa Cum Laude, from the American University of Beirut.

The Panelists:

Jason Cherubini, CPA is CEO/Founder of Seraphim Associates and has over 15 years experience in international development, strategic planning and reorganization of start-up to mid-stage companies. He has specialized in capital raising and maximizing shareholder return through operational efficiencies. He has worked across a variety of industries including media, manufacturing, real estate, government contracting, and renewable energy, but his core area of focus has been in the technology industry, specifically focusing on education and entertainment.

Mr. Cherubini has a passion for education and currently holds a tenure track appointment in the Business Management Department at Goucher college in Baltimore, MD and is an occasional visiting professorship at Nordakademie in Hamburg, Germany. He is an active researcher in the field of accounting education innovation and its application in the classroom. His recent publications include “IFRS In The General Business Curriculum: Why Should We Care? ” in the CPA Journal, “User Oriented IFRS Education in Introductory Accounting at U.S. Academic Institutions: Current Status and Influencing Factors” in Issues in Accounting Education and “IFRS in Introductory Financial Accounting Using an Integrated, Comparison-Based Approach” in Advances in Accounting Education.

Mr. Cherubini holds a CPA license from the state of Maryland. He is a graduate of the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University having earned a Master of Business Administration Degree, concentrating in Finance and International Business; a Master of Accounting Degree; and a Bachelor of Science in Management Degree.

for more: http://www.financialpolicycouncil.org/speaker-bios/speaker-biosdrag-race-digital-progress-belted/
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Making Money in Real Estate Today: Challenges and Opportunities – Financial Policy Council

financialpolicycouncil-org_event-nov-2016
You are cordially invited on behalf of the Financial Policy Council’s Board of Directors, to our next Financial Policy Council power summit featuring leading experts in Real Estate who will discuss where the opportunities lie and how to make money from them today and in the future.
Topic: Making Money in Real Estate Today: Challenges and Opportunities
Date: Monday, November 7, 2016

Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Location: The Graduate Center / CUNY at 365 Fifth Avenue at The Elebash Recital Hall – On the main floor of the building and on the left as you enter into the main lobby

Applied Artificial Intelligence Power Summit | With Ziad K. Abdelnour

Topic: Applied Artificial Intelligence Power Summit
Financial Policy Council – September 8, 2016
Sponsor: Software Nation
Panelists: Guruduth Banavar, Mark Minevich, Lucy Wang, Long Phan, Heiko Schmidt, Bruce Gallager
Moderator: Ziad K. Abdelnour­

The mission of the Financial Policy Council Inc. (FPC), a research think tank and educational institution, is to formulate and promote sound public policy based on the principles of free enterprise and wealth creation as envisioned by the ideals of the American Founding Fathers.

Our goal is to ensure that America, the land of opportunity where freedom and prosperity have flourished, is not derailed by poorly formulated and reactive economic, fiscal and tax policy. In addition, our goal is to retain and reclaim America’s leading role in the global economic community.

Las Vegas Event Freedom Fest – Ziad K Abdelnour

Join us in Las Vegas July 13th-16th for a 3-day power conference at Planet Hollywood with our friends from FreedomFest

 

Featuring our Chairman, Ziad K Abdelnour with over 60 speakers including keynotes from:

 

Steve Forbes, Publisher Forbes Magazine
George Foreman, Former Heavyweight Champion of the World
Judge Andrew Napolitano, Senior Judicial Analyst, Fox News
Senator Rand Paul
Jennifer Grossman, CEO, Atlas Society
Brent Bozell, Founder and President, Media Research Center
Larry Elder, Author and Talk Show Host
Lisa Kennedy, Talk Show Host, Fox Business News
Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Stephen Moore, Chief Economist, Heritage Foundation

 

for more: http://www.financialpolicycouncil.org/events

Event – FPC at Freedom Fest – Las Vegas

Join us in Las Vegas July 13th-16th for a 3-day power conference at Planet Hollywood with our friends from FreedomFest
Featuring our Chairman, Ziad K Abdelnour with over 60 speakers including keynotes from:
Steve Forbes, Publisher Forbes Magazine
George Foreman, Former Heavyweight Champion of the World
Judge Andrew Napolitano, Senior Judicial Analyst, Fox News
Senator Rand Paul
Jennifer Grossman, CEO, Atlas Society
Brent Bozell, Founder and President, Media Research Center
Larry Elder, Author and Talk Show Host
Lisa Kennedy, Talk Show Host, Fox Business News
Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Stephen Moore, Chief Economist, Heritage Foundation
Thank you,