Jason Anello on Making a Positive Contribution Each and Every Day

In Chapter 3 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and marketing agency co-founder Jason Anello answers "On a Daily Basis, What Does It Mean to Contribute in the Work That You Do?" Anello shares how he looks contribute each day by making a positive impact in the lives of those around him. If he is cooking, it may mean to make a memorable meal that will make the person he is eating with happy. If he is working, it may mean to add a creative insight or suggestion to a brainstorming conversation that makes an idea hole.

Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at Manifold Partners, an award-winning marketing agency. Previously, Anello worked in creative leadership roles at Yahoo!, Ogilvy & Mather, and Digitas. Passionate about food, friendship and travel, Anello also runs the Forking Tasty food blog. He earned a BFA from University at Albany. 

Phil McKenzie on Why Accountability is a Two-Step Process

In Chapter 8 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What Approaches Do You Use to Hold Others Accountable For Their Actions?" McKenzie shares how he has learned from experience that accountability is a two-step process. First, it is his responsibility to clearly define project objectives and communicate this to his team. The second step is to provide space and structure to measure performance against those goals within a given timeframe. This helps keep his team on track as they work on a project and helps McKenzie provide coaching and support to make changes if things do not go as planned.

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.

Phil McKenzie on When to Stop Comparing Yourself to Peers

In Chapter 14 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What Role Does Living Up to the Expectations of Others Play into the Way You Live?" As an entrepreneur, McKenzie pushes himself to stay away from peer comparisons because those comparisons are rarely apples to apples with the same circumstances. His approach performance assessment and motivation is more individual and stems from his days running track in college at Howard University.

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: Having a Baby and Selling a Business in the Same Year

In Chapter 1 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "Since We Spoke a Year Ago, What Has Been the Most Exciting Thing to Happen in Your Life?"  In the year in between his last Capture Your Flag interview and this one, Year 5 in his career documentary, Germano shares what it was like starting a family - becoming a first-time father - and selling his business Carrot Creative to VICE Media in the same year. On top of it all, he and his business partner also invest in a pizza restaurant, Forino, giving him a place to celebrate all the positive news.

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: What MBA Programs Don't Teach About Selling a Business

In Chapter 8 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "What Did You Find Most Educational About Going Through the Process of Selling Your Company?" Germano shares what he learned selling his business Carrot Creative to VICE Media. He notes how it is something you are not likely to learn in business school. He finds the process is about self-realization and embracing challenge of taking a mission to another level, in this case a global-level with a billion-dollar digital media company.

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 How Aspirations Change As Experience Grows

In Chapter 9 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing as Your Experience Grows?" Germano shares how his aspirations have grown by multiples after his startup social media agency was acquired by VICE Media. He shares how it is both daunting and exhilarating to be working with a billion-dollar media company making an impact around the world.

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 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 Knowing When to Concede and When to Confront

In Chapter 18 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "What Has Experience Taught You About How to Better Manage Confrontation?" Germano shares how he is better at working through larger confrontations. He struggles with smaller confrontations, where he often gives in to appease the other side. Larger conflicts, however, motivate him to stand up for his team and work to win for his side. 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. 

Jullien Gordon: 3 Ways to Define and Measure Personal Achievement

In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "How Do You Define and Measure Success in What You Do?" Gordon defines and measures success, personally and professionally, through his alignment of purpose, passion, and profit. He shares how tools such as a gratitude journal keep him aligned with purpose and self-aware of how he embraces his passion in his work. He measures profit by assessing not only financial statements but also how he stays in touch with friends.

Jullien Gordon is a business coach and consultant to organizations, individuals and teams who want to increase performance, motivation, engagement and retention. Gordon is also a public speaker on career planning for colleges, conferences, and corporations. He earned a BA from UCLA and MBA and M. Ed degrees from Stanford University. 

Matt Curtis on Creating Impact in a Sharing Economy Job

In Chapter 5 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About Working a Job in the Sharing Economy?" Curtis shares how working in government affairs at HomeAway in short-term vacation rentals has opened his world to the sharing economy, also known as the collaborative economy. Working in a new industry that includes companies like HomeAway, Uber, Lyft, Car2Go, and Airbnb, among others, Curtis is able to contribute by working to design win-win sharing economy government solutions to benefit local communities.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Bijoy Goswami on Rethinking What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur

In Chapter 10 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "What is a Journey Entrepreneur and How is One Different Than a Traditional Entrepreneur?" Goswami shares two definitions of what it means to be an entrepreneur. The first is the opportunistic entrepreneur who sees a strategic opportunity to make money and pursues that by starting a company. The second is what Goswami terms a "Journey Entrepreneur" who seeks to express himself or herself in the most clear way possible while fully embracing a motivating passion. He shares how Christian Louboutin, Steve Jobs and Richard Branson all represent journey entrepreneurs who stay true to values and seek to express themselves by following their passion.

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software. Goswami graduated from Stanford University. 

Hattie Elliot on Learning Work Ethic Studying Least Favorite Classes

In Chapter 2 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" As a creative child, Elliot has a difficult time with science and math in school. She learns a work ethic by studying hard to do well in these subjects that do not come naturally to her. Elliot uses this approach later in life an entrepreneur, investing time to learn hard subjects like budgeting and financing that also do not come easy but, once learned, help her be a better business owner.

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.

Hattie Elliot on How Finding Love Changes Entrepreneur Aspirations

In Chapter 5 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "How is Your Long-Term Perspective on the Future of Your Business Changing Over Time?" After finding someone special and getting into a committed relationship, Elliot rethinks her long-term goals for her business. Whereas in the past she was patient, she now looks at more aggressive ways to ramp up her business and position it to be sold in coming years.

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.

Hattie Elliot on Testing a Destination Event Company Business Model

In Chapter 8 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "What Has Been Your Approach to Testing and Iterating Your Company's Business Model?" Running a membership-based destination event business, Elliot learns to focus her energies more after taking on an outside investor. The investor pushes her to be more accountable to the profit and loss statement of the business and to manage the metric levers, including member acquisition and retention, to make her business successful.

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.

Matt Ruby on Running a Profitable Online Entertainment Startup

In Chapter 14 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "What Does It Mean to Be a Leader in What You Do?" Ruby compares what he is building at Vooza with an entrepreneur story about starting a lawn care business. The lawn care business grows slowly and makes money but does not receive attention because it is not glamorous. In the same way, rather than raising venture capital and measuring success by whether or not a major network picks up his show, Ruby takes a nontraditional route, building a profitable online business selling branded content episodes for a web series.

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City. He also founded Vooza, on online comic strip web series that makes fun of tech startup culture. As an actor, director, writer and producer, Ruby leads the creative direction for the team. Before his comedy career, Matt was employee #1 at 37Signals. He graduated from Northwestern University. 

Anatole Faykin on Career Benefits of Interdisciplinary Job Skills

In Chapter 6 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Has Your Interdisciplinary Education Proven Valuable in Your Development?" As an internet marketing consultant who has started multiple businesses, Faykin finds a blend of hard and soft job skills, from online marketing and analytics to effective communication skills, essential to succeeding in both startup and corporate work environments.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Anatole Fayking on Testing Product Market Fit for a New Startup Idea

In Chapter 9 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Are You Learning to Better Develop Products and Build Companies Around Them?" Faykin shares how he and a friend pursued their passion for tennis and started an e-commerce company catering to people passionate about tennis. By testing product/market fit, Faykin and his partner realize there is not sufficient consumer demand for their product offering. After testing multiple channels, Faykin and his partner decide to shut down the business.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Anatole Faykin on Why Meaningful Work is More Than Accomplishments

In Chapter 13 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" Now mid-career and having experience working at corporations and starting companies all over the world, Faykin realizes aspirations are less about accomplishments and more about doing meaningful work.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.