From the Hallways
Lessons from 40 years inside the hallways of KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Saatchi and VaynerX, now passed on to entrepreneurs and small business leaders. New posts whenever a lesson is worth sharing.
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Articles
Sasha: And the last shall be first…
The launch of The Sasha Group, built to move businesses with $1 to $100 million in revenue to the front of the line.
Oct 21, 2026 · 2 min read
You’ve got to have heart
The everyday phrases we use about the heart, and a case for leading with kindness. Dedicated to Claude Silver.
Oct 21, 2026 · 2 min read
If This Bag Could Talk…..
A leather satchel, 25 years and 26 countries, and a matching bag for a son starting his first job.
Oct 21, 2026 · 3 min read
End Short Term ism / SARBANES OXY-MORON: Wall Street should cut some slack!
Why punishing companies for missing estimates by a penny invites the very behavior Sarbanes-Oxley was written to stop.
Oct 21, 2026 · 3 min read
What baseball taught me …. From the stands!
A son’s last college game, and what nearly 20 years in the stands taught about failure, patience and second chances.
Oct 21, 2026 · 3 min read
Process Before Speed
In a culture of impatience, why a proven process is what makes speed possible.
Oct 21, 2026 · 3 min read
Don’t Delegate… Facilitate
A morning at the 108th precinct and an afternoon closing a $10,000 charity gap: why facilitating gets more done than delegating.
Oct 21, 2026 · 3 min read
Create Your Own Job, Don’t Send a Resume
Travis Kalanick’s exit from Uber, and why the best jobs are often the ones you create for yourself.
Oct 21, 2026 · 3 min read
Amazon does not talk back
A weekend of unfriendly local shops, and why the people at the counter are a store’s real edge over shopping online.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
I saw God long before I found God
A tribute to a 97-year-old plumber, World War II veteran and father, buried on Veterans Day.
Oct 21, 2026 · 2 min read
Every article here lives in the James Orsini Blog stack on Stacklist. Open the stack
About the author
About James
James Orsini is a CPA and operator with 40 years in finance, advertising and media, from KPMG and Goldman Sachs to 11 years helping Gary Vaynerchuk grow VaynerX from $42 million to nearly $350 million in revenue. Today he advises entrepreneurs through his firm J&J Consulting Services, as co-founder of vYve and as US chairman of Factotum.
More stacks
James on Full Wattage: Close to the Sun Without Getting Burned
In this episode of Full Wattage, James and Courtney explore the power of the second seat, why being told he was "too nice" to become a CEO didn't change him, and the difference between adapting to your environment and losing yourself to fit in. James also shares how he's approach
Principle in Practice: Character in His Own Stories
Moments of character and integrity that surface inside James' leadership, operations, and scaling stories.
Right Is Right: James's Own Stance on Doing Business Honestly
Where James draws the line between profit and principle, his own words on integrity, and the record of where he actually shows up for people when there's nothing in it for him.
Behind the Curtain: How Operations Really Run
Podcast interviews where James talks specifically about how operations actually get built and run.