Phil McKenzie on Choosing Work That Aligns to Best Life Purpose

In Chapter 10 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "How Are You Learning to Better Balance Service and Self in How You Live Your Life?" McKenzie shares how he has blended service and self in his life and work, choosing a path building a global conference series that he believes is his best life purpose. In his work, he helps frame more positive and less destructive conversations around influencer culture and how they can make the world a better place.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Mike Germano on Taking a Company From Basement to Boardroom

In Chapter 10 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "Reflecting Back, What Do You See As the Defining Stages of Your Entrepreneurial Journey?" Germano shares what he learned from starting a digital media company in a basement through growing Carrot Creative into a social media agency leader and selling the business to VICE Media. He discusses failures, including having a Middle East office expansion not work out, and successes, building a team and now, as an entrepreneur who sold a business, to mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on Setting New Career Goals Working at VICE Media

In Chapter 23 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "What Goals Are You Setting as You Look to What Comes Next in Your Career?" Germano shares how after nine years building Carrot Creative he is now shifting his attention to help VICE become a world leader in digital media and news reporting.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Audrey French on How New Parents Handle Living Up to Expectations

In Chapter 12 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "What Role Does Living Up to the Expectations of Others Play into the Way You Live?" French shares how living up to parent and societal pressure has become more visible after having a baby and becoming a mother. She and her husband decide to focus on what they feel is best for their child's wellbeing and to push aside pressure to conform to or compromise on what looks better to others.

Audrey Parker French is a new mother living with her husband and son in Austin, Texas. Before leaving work to focus on family, French co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She graduated from Wake Forest University. 

How Startup Develops Product to Solve Customer Problems

In Chapter 17 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "How Are You Learning to Identify Potential Customers for Your Technology Product?" Geller shares how his team builds problem solving into the product development process. By understanding education customer needs, he and his team build relationships with education customers and more successfully sell observation and feedback video platform solutions to improve teacher training.

Adam Geller is founder and CEO of Edthena, a video platform enabling online teacher coaching, peer review, and group learning. He is a recent Education Ventures fellow at the Kauffman Foundation and the founder of Teach For Us, a network connecting Teach for America corps members and alumni. He earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a MA from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis.

Louise Langheier on Doing What You Love With Those You Love

In Chapter 1 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "When Are You At Your Best?" Langheier finds she achieves her best when she is doing something she loves around those she loves or admires. Finding this place allows Langheier to give more and also get the most out of the experience. She notes family influences and experiences that informed her perspective.

Louise Davis Langheier is founder and CEO of Peer Health Exchange, a non-profit that trains college students to teach health education in public high schools. Louise was selected as a member of the 2011 class of Aspen Entrepreneurial Education Fellows, and was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2012. She graduated from Yale University.

Louise Langheier on Essential CEO Leadership Skills for Success

In Chapter 14 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "What Leadership Skills Are Becoming More Relevant as Your Career Progresses?" She finds leading and managing people progressively important as she grows her non-profit Peer Health Exchange. To Langheier, that leadership is about building meaningful employee connections into the organization that leave team members fulfilled and keep them motivated to make an impact in their work.

Louise Davis Langheier is founder and CEO of Peer Health Exchange, a non-profit that trains college students to teach health education in public high schools. Louise was selected as a member of the 2011 class of Aspen Entrepreneurial Education Fellows, and was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2012. She graduated from Yale University. 

Louise Langheier on What Marriage Teaches About Teamwork

In Chapter 19 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "What Has Marriage Taught You About Teamwork?" Langheier shares that teamwork comes with getting to a mutual understanding what each person wants out of relationship to best give and receive support.

Louise Davis Langheier is founder and CEO of Peer Health Exchange, a non-profit that trains college students to teach health education in public high schools. Louise was selected as a member of the 2011 class of Aspen Entrepreneurial Education Fellows, and was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2012. She graduated from Yale University. 

Simon Sinek on Managing by Turning Followers into Leaders

In Chapter 13 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage and Motivate Teams?" Sinek shares what he has learned about management from retired Navy submarine captain David Marquet, author of "Turn the Ship Around." Sinek learns the importance of turning followers into leaders by supporting them, trusting them, and encouraging them to make decisions and take ownership. Sinek notes how the approach is more parenting than managing and results in greater employee engagement. Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. Sinek is the author of two books, "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Come Together and Others Don't" and "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He is a public speaker, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a Brandeis University graduate.

Michael Margolis on Learning to Motivate and Develop Employees

In Chapter 12 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage and Motivate Teams?" Margolis shares two ways he is building these skills as he grows his small business. The first is how getting to know each employee personality allows him create a workplace better suited for employee learning and development. The second is having a company mission and vision employees embrace and putting an intentional culture in place to reinforce each of them. Michael Margolis is founder and president of Get Storied, an education and publishing platform dedicated to teaching the world how to think in narrative. He earned a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Tufts University.

Clara Soh on Getting Your Parents to Support Your Career Choices

In Chapter 2 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, health economist Clara Soh answers "Where Has Your Family Been Most Supportive in Your Career Development?" Soh shares how her Korean parents have often had a hard time understanding her career decisions, from joining the Peace Corps to working in non-profit and public policy jobs. Over time, Soh shows her parents that not going to medical school is okay and her parents learn to accept her choices and give her emotional support. Clara Soh is a health economist and Senior Director of Policy and Research at a pharmaceutical trade organization in Washington, DC. Previously, Soh held senior roles at Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (KPCHR) and Health Policy Research Northwest (HPRN). Soh earned her Masters of Public Administration (MPA) in Policy Analysis and Healthcare Public Finance from the NYU Wagner School and a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.

Courtney Spence on Performing Under Pressure and Facing Fear

In Chapter 9 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "What Does It Mean to Perform Under Pressure in the Work That You Do?" For Spence, performing under pressure starts with believing in the mission for the work that you do. Believing in her mission is fundamental and mission confidence will enable performance even in the face of adversity or fear. If the performance pressure is more personal, then she finds it needs to be addressed quickly or it will hinder her performance. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Audrey French on How to Be a Better Mentor to Young Women Professionals

In Chapter 10 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "How Are You Learning to Be a Better Mentor to Young Women Professionals?" After selling the company - CLEAResult, she co-founded, French is able to get space and be a more engaged and useful mentor to young women professionals trying to better navigate their careers. Her own entrepreneurship experience teaches her the importance of not needing to have all the answers before moving forward on a big decision. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on Why to Stay True to Your Values When Seeking a Spouse

In Chapter 12 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "What Role Do Values Play in the Work That You Do?" French why values, especially integrity, have been fundamental in her professional pursuits and also central to her personal journey. She notes how she has refused to lower her bar or lower her standards and how it has often resulted in waiting until the right match is found. She shares an example of this stubborn conviction from dating and looking to find the man she would marry. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Jason Anello on Being a More Confident Creative Leader

In Chapter 8 of 20 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and Manifold ad agency co-founder Jason Anello answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in What You Do?" Anello takes heart in author Malcolm Gladwell's message that confidence is leadership. When running his company and when presenting to clients, Anello understands there is a time and place to be assertive and project confidence to communicate a point.

Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at Manifold Partners, an award-winning creative advertising agency.  Previously, Anello worked in creative leadership roles at Yahoo!, Ogilvy & Mather, and Digitas.  A passionate foodie and traveler, he runs the Forking Tasty food blog and supper club series.  He earned a BFA from University at Albany.

Mike Germano on Why Culture Comes Before Community

In Chapter 10 of 20 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, Carrot Creative social media agency CEO Mike Germano answers "What Steps Are You Taking to Maintain a Strong Company Culture in Your Growing Business?" Germano differentiates culture from community.  Culture is about what employees understand the company to be about.  He defines Carrot Creative culture as "hustle, team, adventure".  He promotes an underdog culture set by its founders, built on hard work and fun, and maintained by its employees. 

Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO Brooklyn-based social media agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

Mike Germano on Why Not to Outsource Software Development

In Chapter 12 of 20 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, Carrot Creative social media agency CEO Mike Germano answers "Why Does Your Company Choose to Keep Development In-House and Not Outsource It?"  Germano keeps his software development team in-house to maintain respect for the development process, to integrate the feedback more fully into the creative project process, and to maintain an innovation culture.  It comes at a cost; however, he finds the benefits outweigh the costs. 

Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO Brooklyn-based social media agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

Hattie Elliot on Behavioral Traits For Entrepreneur Success

In Chapter 15 of 19 in her 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, female entrepreneur Hattie Grace Elliot answers "How Do You Balance Experimentation and Commitment in the Projects That You Pursue?"  Elliot notes that to be a successful entrepreneur one must be stubborn - almost delusional - yet open-minded enough to be flexible and try out new options or let old ones go at the right time. 

Hattie Grace Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, a social networking company that creates destination events and experiences to forge lasting personal and professional connections across its young professional members. Elliot graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: How do you balance experimentation and commitment in the projects that you pursue?

Hattie Elliot: Balancing experimentation and commitment is a balance within itself, it’s—I, by no means, am perfect at it at this point, I think though that whether it is, for instance, we’re re-tweaking the Grace List offering at the moment, and I’ve kind of had to roll with the punches, if you’re gonna be a successful entrepreneur, you have to be partly really stubborn and steadfast, like when you think something’s gonna fail, you kind of, again, have to be partly delusional and partly brilliant, and just partly stupidly, like blindly stubborn to just stick things out, but then there’s also moments when you have to realize you have to wave a white flag and call a spade a spade, and realize that something’s not working, and that’s really part of I think experimentation, really being open to what’s working and not working in the business, and experimenting, maybe with new things that could be beneficial, whether it’s new employees, or something that a lot of entrepreneurs, including myself, struggle with, trusting someone and allocating them, like letting go of some of the responsibilities, and having a business is an experiment, like it’s a work in progress, I wish, you know, it’s not for people who thrive off of stability, it’s not—I mean, ultimately, you strive for that, but the journey along the way is never that. It’s full of—there’s plenty of glorious potholes, bumps, meteorites, like everything you can imagine, like a cow thrown in there through a tornado, whatever crazy images that your head conjures up, like that is the story of the journey to being an entrepreneur but it’s always laughable and like, you know, what can you do but laugh? It’s kind of hilarious, like there’s never a dull moment. 

However, you know, it’s really important not to have ego, it’s important to, you know, know when to stay strong, and when to, you know, to stand your ground, and you know, when to own something, even when you kind of have to fake it before you make it, like those moments, and also when there’s moments that you have to let something go, you know, where you just have to let it go, and—it sounds simple but it just—let it go. Because we hold onto so much, you know, with our businesses. We thought that, you know, the business is gonna go this way and this was our goal, or, we were really, you know, gung ho on the name of this new product, but guess what? Consumers aren’t being perceptive to it, so maybe we have to, you know, reevaluate it. 

So it’s—it’s, you know, making things less personal, and a lot of that just hap—you know, experimenting as part of that process, but it’s really what ultimately I believe really leads to success. Something just sticks, you know what I mean? When you trying out a bunch of different options within your company, if you didn’t experiment, you would never know that.