Cathy Erway on What It's Like to Work as an Advertising Copywriter

In Chapter 12 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Is It Like to Work as a Copywriter at an Advertising Agency?" Erway shares how she has worked in editorial advertising copywriting jobs since after graduating college. Working on product writing - product descriptions and web copy - provides her freelance creative writing work to complement food writing and freelance journalism pursuits.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Mike Germano on Working for a Boss After Being Your Own Boss

In Chapter 13 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "What is it Like Having a Boss?" Aside from answering to his wife, Germano shares what it has been like transitioning from running a company as CEO to working for executive leadership at his new company, VICE. Working for a team who has invested so much to build a company, Germano is mindful and respectful to work hard to earn the respect of his bosses while he learns the ropes in a new company culture.

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 on Shifting Priorities to Put Family First

In Chapter 2 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "How Are Your Personal Priorities Changing As You Get Older?" Gordon shares how being married for over two years has taught him the importance of putting his wife first and prioritizing family over work. Building the bonds of marriage with his wife opens Gordon's eyes to be less independent and to serve his wife as a husband.

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. 

Jullien Gordon on Identifying Sources of Strength and Struggle

In Chapter 19 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "At This Moment in Time, What Are the Sources of Strength and Struggle in Your Life?" As an expecting father, Gordon shares how his wife is a source of strength for both business and family. Gordon struggles with the isolation and loneliness of entrepreneurship. He looks to how thought leaders such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Jay-Z have benefitted from the power of two. He turns his attention to finding a business partner who can provide accountability and motivation to raise his game and bring out his best.

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. 

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. 

Audrey French on Setting Aspirations as a New Mother

In Chapter 4 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "To What Do You Aspire as a New Mother?" French shares how her aspirations as a new mom are about being present to her newborn son and trusting the path that develops rather than forcing a particular path upon the child. She and her husband remind each other to empower their son to make his own choices and find his own path.

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. 

Hattie Elliot on Ways Childhood Play Teaches Entrepreneurial Spirit

In Chapter 1 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?" Elliot grows up with supportive parents who encourage her to be creative, focusing less on TV and more on arts and crafts projects, baking, cooking and finger painting. Growing up around boys teaches Elliot to be tough. Time spent climbing trees, building sandcastles, and wrestling shape her creative entrepreneurial spirit she later embraces as a 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.

Matt Ruby on Being Comfortable Not Getting Asked For Advice

In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Ruby shares how he is not often approached for advice. He finds it may be due to coming across as unapproachable or doing work that is not fully understood by others. While Ruby does not try to avoid people, he shares that not being asked for advice is fine with him and allows him to be left alone.

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. 

Rachel Lehmann-Haupt on Starting a Storytelling Production Business

In Chapter 7 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing as Your Experience Grows?" After twenty years working in media and publishing, from writing books to editing magazines to producing events, Lehmann-Haupt decides to go out on her own and start a business, StoryMade, a storytelling studio that creates new media content solutions for businesses.

Rachel Lehmann-Haupt is a writer, editor and multimedia content strategist. Previously, she was a founding editor and multimedia producer at TED Books, designing TED Talk content for tablet computers. She is the author of "In Her Own Sweet Time", published in 2009. Lehmann-Haupt earned a BA from Kenyon College and a Masters in Journalism from UC-Berkeley. 

How to Reinvent a Media and Publishing Career

In Chapter 13 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "What New Challenges Are You Facing in Your Media and Publishing Career?" Lehmann-Haupt finds traditional 30-year careers in media and publishing are going away. To succeed in media and publishing, she finds it critical to have a willingness to reinvent herself by building new skills and adapting to new publishing mediums. Further, Lehmann-Haupt gains career momentum by being more entrepreneurial in how she approaches her writing career.

Rachel Lehmann-Haupt is a writer, editor and multimedia content strategist. She is the owner of StoryMade, a storytelling studio that creates new media content solutions for businesses. Previously, she was a founding editor and multimedia producer at TED Books, designing TED Talk content for tablet computers. She is the author of "In Her Own Sweet Time", published in 2009. Lehmann-Haupt earned a BA from Kenyon College and a Masters in Journalism from UC-Berkeley. 

Ramsey Pryor on Adapting Parenting as Children Start Grade School

In Chapter 5 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, product management executive Ramsey Pryor answers "How is Your Parenting Approach Evolving As Your Children Have Started Grade School?" Raising a daughter in 3rd grade and a son starting kindergarten, Pryor finds the transition of raising grade school kids more about teaching independent thinking and confidence rather than security. He finds it is less about telling his kids what to do and more about helping his children develop and do things on their own.

Ramsey Pryor is a product management executive at IBM focused on cloud-based collaboration and security software products. Previously he was VP Product Marketing at Outblaze, acquired by IBM. Pryor earned an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and a BA in Economics and Spanish from Northwestern University.  

How to Develop and Retain Your Best Salespeople

In Chapter 14 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "What Has Your Experience Taught You About Developing and Retaining Your Best Sales People?" Hamm sees developing and retaining top sales performers as a top sales leader responsibility. He does this by setting career path expectations and listening to employees so they feel heard. As a leader, he uses a style focused more on coaching than high-touch managing to give salespeople room to work while also setting executive team expectations why this is critical to sales success.

Geoff Hamm is a business development executive and VP Strategic Alliances at mobile marketing platform start-up Applovin in San Francisco, CA. Previous to Applovin, Hamm held senior sales management positions at Tapjoy, Scribd, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Orbitz, IAC and Excite where he built deep relationships with advertisers and brands. Hamm graduated from the University of Illinois.

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.

Simon Sinek on How to Fight Loneliness When Working Alone

In Chapter 21 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "How Do You Fight Loneliness When You Spend Large Spans of Time Working Alone?" Sinek recognizes working alone can be difficult and remedies this first by asking someone to be with him while he works. He finds this "babysitter" helps him focus and get things done. When he is alone, he tries to fight stress by staying connected with friends and making it a point to openly share his feelings. 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.

Fabian Pfortmüller on Managing Millennial Employee Expectations

In Chapter 6 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "How Are You Learning to Better Cultivate and Develop Millennial-Generation Talent?" As a millennial managing millennials, Pfortmüller learns ways to understand his employee feelings via feedback loops. This helps him stay connected to his team, maintain a balance of job independence and structure, and better manage millennial employee expectations and set clear job goals. Fabian Pfortmüller is co-founder of Holstee, a socially conscious online marketplace, and Sandbox Network, a global community for young entrepreneurial people. Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University.

Yoav Gonen on Gaining Job Responsibility in a Reporting Career

In Chapter 11 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City reporter Yoav Gonen answers "How Are Your Responsibilities Changing As Your Career Evolves?" As he gains experience, Gonen shares how his bosses trust him more and give him more independence. The additional responsibility pushes Gonen to take more control of what and how beat reporting topics get covered and frees up his editors to focus on other pressing needs. Yoav Gonen is a reporter and City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Post daily newspaper. Previously he spent nearly six years covering the education beat for the New York Post. Gonen earned a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Journalism from New York University.

Michael Margolis on Learning Work Ethic After Graduating College

In Chapter 4 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Margolis notes he did not develop a hard work ethic until after graduating college, when he knew he had to find work and decided to create jobs and businesses to make an impact. He finds motivation in the process of proving to himself and others his work is meaningful. Margolis notes how he 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.

James McCormick on How Summer Camp Can Teach Responsibility

In Chapter 2 of 21 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, legal search and consulting firm executive James McCormick answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?" For McCormick, it was about growing up in a very steady and stable family environment. He shares how going away to Sanborne western boys and girls summer camp in Colorado taught him responsibility while opening his eyes to the world of the mountains and great outdoors. James McCormick is a Partner at Empire Search Partners in New York City. Previously, he practiced law as an employee benefits and executive compensation attorney for Proskauer Rose and Jones Day. He earned a JD at Tulane Law School and a BA in History at the University of Michigan.