How Expat Experience in China Reshapes Career Aspirations - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 15 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Andrew Hutson answers "How Has Working Abroad in China Shaped Your Ambition for What You Do Next?"  Hutson reframes the question around not ambition but aspiration.  Working in China teaches Hutson to appreciate where he is from.  He notes that while he will likely work internationally often on short and medium term assignments, being a lifelong expat working abroad is not something he will pursue.  Hutson compares and contrasts several abroad experiences and how each overseas living experience has affected his life and trajectory, personally and professionally.  Hutson is a senior project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where he advises corporate partners such as Wal-Mart on sustainable supply chain initiatives.  Hutson holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MEM from the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment.  He earned his BA from Michigan State University. 

How Entrepreneurs Differ From Small Business Owners - J.T. Allen

In Chapter 2 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, education entrepreneur J.T. Allen answers "What is the Difference Between Being an Entrepreneur and a Small Business Owner?"  Allen frames his answer in aspirations and scale.  He compares and contrasts small business examples with what he sees as entrepreneurial focused ventures.  As an entrepreneur J.T. Allen is the CEO and co-founder of myFootpath, a company that provides higher education online resources and call center services to help high school and adult learners choose academic programs in line with career goals.  Before myFootpath, Allen worked in strategy consulting for Ernst & Young.  He earned his BBA and graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

How to Improve an Entrepreneur Support Network - J.T. Allen

In Chapter 13 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, education entrepreneur J.T. Allen answers "Is It Important for an Entrepreneur to Have Great Cheerleaders?"  Allen notes while encouragement helps, he finds the most value from supporters who are more about engagement than enthusiasm.  By having engaged supporters who understand the business, Allen receives advice that helps him prove his business model and grow his company more profitably.  J.T. Allen is the CEO and co-founder of myFootpath, a company that provides higher education online resources and call center services to help high school and adult learners choose academic programs in line with career goals.  Before myFootpath, Allen worked in strategy consulting for Ernst & Young.  He earned his BBA and graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Author Nina Godiwalla on How to Pitch a Book More Effectively

In Chapter 5 of 22 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, author Nina Godiwalla answers "What is Your Advice to More Effectively Pitch a Book?"  She notes how pitching is but one element and that aspiring authors must embrace the process.  The process includes advice and feedback and learning how to filter this by staying open-minded, especially when statements repeatedly come up.  Godiwalla is the author of "Suits: A Woman on Wall Street". She is also a public speaker on workplace diversity and founder and CEO of Mindworks, where she teaches mind-based stress reduction techniques to help organizations improve employee wellbeing.  Godiwalla holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, an MA in Creative Writing from Dartmouth University and her BBA from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  What’s your advice to aspiring authors in how to more effectively pitch a book?

Nina Godiwalla:  Pitching is just the beginning of it.  You have to love, love, love your topic, really enjoy it, because the process is quite extraordinary.  It’s so long and you have to live behind it.  One of the things I see with some authors is they’re very stuck on, ‘this is exactly what I want to do and I’m not going to budge at all’ and I found when I was pitching my book initially I started – I pitched it as fiction because I didn’t want to deal with the whole non-fiction aspect of it.  There are real people in there, my family was in there.  People I worked with that I still talk to, they were in there.  I didn’t want to deal with the whole ramifications of it but I was very open-minded about the process and when I pitched it, a lot of people would come back to me and say, “You know this doesn’t look like fiction to me, it reads like a memoir.  It reads like its non-fiction.”  And it was.

And I, you know, the first few people that said it, I was like whatever you know it’s – I'm not going to put it out as non-fiction so and I kind of ignored the advice that I was getting and my advice to people is you’re going to get an incredible amount of advice when you’re pitching and you don’t need to listen to all of it but certain things I heard probably about 20 times, you know, I heard it a lot.

And in the end I had to sit with myself and decide, is what they’re saying true or not true and the reality is, is yes, the whole book that I’ve written reads like a memoir.  It reads like a memoir because it is a non-fiction book and I think for people being a little bit more open to taking some feedback from people actually can make you more successful.  There are certain changes I made along the road to make the book a little bit more marketable but they were not things that I couldn’t – that were killing me.  They were things I felt comfortable with.

Nina Godiwalla on How Selfless Leadership Creates Virtuous Cycles

In Chapter 15 of 22 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, author Nina Godiwalla answers "What Does It Mean to Be a Leader in What You Do?"  Godiwalla notes the importance of conviction in leadership - believing in what you do.  She compares and contrasts leading and managing.  Godiwalla notes how shared passions and beliefs complement selfless approach to serve others that creates virtuous cycles, or positive feedback loops.  Godiwalla is the author of "Suits: A Woman on Wall Street".  She is also a public speaker on workplace diversity and founder and CEO of Mindworks, where she teaches mind-based stress reduction techniques to help organizations improve employee wellbeing.  Godiwalla holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, an MA in Creative Writing from Dartmouth University and her BBA from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  What does it mean to be a leader in what you do?

Nina Godiwalla:  One the main things about that is believing in what you do.  I think there’s a difference between a manager and a leader and a leader is you’re going through and you’re inspiring people and it’s so important when you are inspiring people that you embody and love and enjoy what you do.  So being a leader, you’re able to take people along with your vision. You have a sense of what people want to do and you have a sense of what your goal is and you have to be able to marry those so that people are doing what they want to do too and I think that’s very challenging.  Managing is telling people what they need to do you know and that it should get done but you’re not really bringing in kind of their spirit with – along with that.  You need to bring in, you know what you want, you believe in it and how do you get the people below you to really believe in that as well.

Erik Michielsen:  And how is that translating into what you do and how you see yourself in the world?

Nina Godiwalla:  Well, part of it is I have a little more flexibility but it’s surrounding yourself I think by the people where you have that shared passion.  You have that shared belief and going back to what you said about networking is, the people that have helped me along the way, I am definitely there to help them as well and the people that haven’t necessarily helped me, I am there to help them because it doesn’t matter.  It’s like it’s not about you did this for me and I did this for you.  It’s kind of you just see it as larger community.  We’re part of this larger world and the more I give to other people, the more things will come back to me.  I mean it’s karma.  It just works that way.  It’s a natural thing. 

So when I’m talking to somebody I mean I have this really this young woman who is just like bursting with entrepreneurial energy and she’s kind of stuck in this, this world where she is not able to use it but she does it a lot in her personal time and I – she's the kind of person that she just wants to connect with me every now and again.  She sends me emails.  She just needs that connection and I don’t think about it as “well, what am I going to get from her, or later on what it’s going to be.”  It’s you’re putting that energy out into the world and I know that later on when she gets herself down and she gets what she wants, she will be helping that other person and it’s that feeling, that feeling that we’re all just looking out for each other and when you’re in this entrepreneurial world, I really feel that people are doing that.  Not everybody but I think the majority of the people and some people they’re not going to help you.  You reach out to some people and they won’t help you or every now and again, you might have to turn someone down but that’s just part of the process.

How to Control Comedy Voice Entertaining Audiences - Matt Ruby

In Chapter 12 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, standup comedian Matt Ruby answers "Why Do You Choose to Write Comedy for Yourself and Not Other People?"  Ruby prefaces his answer with understanding that satisfying the audience is a huge goal.  He notes, however, that it not always about giving the audience what it wants because they may not know what they want.  Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City.  He co-produces the weekly show "Hot Soup", co-hosts the monthly show "We're All Friends Here", and manages a comedy blog "Sandpaper Suit".  Ruby graduated from Northwestern University. 

How Practice and Rehearsal Learning Differ - Conrad Doucette

In Chapter 6 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, musician and Takka Takka drummer Conrad Doucette answers "As a Musician, What is the Difference Between Practice and Rehearsal?"  Doucette notes how practice is about sharpening skills both as an individual and as a collective.  Rehearsal differs in that it is specific to a performance or event.  He notes how bands often confuse the two and why they are both valuable in their respective ways.  Doucette is the drummer for the Brooklyn-based band Takka Takka.  He also performs with The National, Okkervil River, and Alina Simone.  When not performing, Doucette works as a copywriter, blogger, and digital media producer.  He has worked at Blender, Fuse TV, and Heavy.com.  Doucette earned his BA in History from the University of Michigan. 

How to Record a Better Album - Conrad Doucette

In Chapter 21 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, musician and Takka Takka drummer Conrad Doucette answers "What Do You Find Most Challenging About Recording an Album?"  One unique challenge Doucette finds recording an album is knowing when to stop.  He notes that great artists know when to stop and leave some space for the listener to use his or her imagination.  Doucette is the drummer for the Brooklyn-based band Takka Takka.  He also performs with The National, Okkervil River, and Alina Simone.  When not performing, Doucette works as a copywriter, blogger, and digital media producer.  He has worked at Blender, Fuse TV, and Heavy.com.  Doucette earned his BA in History from the University of Michigan. 

Where to Draw the Line When Doing Business With Friends - Hattie Elliot

In Chapter 6 of 16 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, The Grace List founder and entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "How Do You Approach Doing Business With Friends?"  As someone connecting people for a living, she finds ways to help others out by hiring them or working with them.  However, Elliot makes a distinction between doing business with and going into business with friends.  The former she embraces; the latter she avoids.  Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, which is redefining the dating world by creating opportunities for singles to revitalize personal interests and find intriguing people who will influence their lives.  Before founding The Grace List, Elliot worked as a social entrepreneur and business development consultant.  Elliott graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.

Using Entrepreneur Experience in Business Strategy Research - Ben Hallen

In Chapter 9 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, business school professor Ben Hallen answers "How Has Your Own Entrepreneurial Experience Informed Your Academic Development?" Hallen notes how it has given him a great appreciation of what entrepreneurs do each day. As an academic, Hallen embraces his ability to take the time to research different entrepreneurs and learn optimal behaviors shaping positive outcomes. Hallen is an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Management and Organization at University of Maryland. Hallen earned his PhD from Stanford University and its Stanford Technology Venture Program (STVP). He has been a startup CTO and graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Computer Science.

Why Networks Matter Pairing Entrepreneurs and Investors - Ben Hallen

In Chapter 21 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, business school professor Ben Hallen answers "Why are Networks So Important for Pairing Entrepreneurs With Investors?" Hallen notes networks act as information pipes. When seeking investment, entrepreneur networks signal to investors who commands attention. This addresses character issues and turns the focus to the business and the classic and more recently developed networks that impact fundraising. Hallen is an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Management and Organization at University of Maryland. Hallen earned his PhD from Stanford University and its Stanford Technology Venture Program (STVP). He has been a startup CTO and graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Computer Science.

Stacie Bloom on Getting a Post Doc Lab Job Working for a Nobel Laureate Scientist

In Chapter 8 of 19 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, Stacie Grossman Bloom answers "How Did Working for a Nobel Laureate at the Rockefeller University Shape Your Science Career?" After earning her PhD, she looks to return to New York City for her post doc. She applies to Rockefeller University and gets an opportunity to work for Paul Greengard, who goes on to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine five months later. The Rockefeller lab experience shows her the best of science and what is like to be in a world renown successful laboratory where funding is not an issue. Ultimately, she finds the lab environment was not for her and decides to choose something different.

Stacie Grossman Bloom is the Executive Director at the NYU Neuroscience Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center. Previously, she was VP and Scientific Director at the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). She earned her PhD in Neurobiology and Cell Biology at Georgetown University and did a post-doctoral fellowship at Rockefeller University in New York City. She earned her BA in Chemistry and Psychology from the University of Delaware.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: How did working for a Nobel laureate at The Rockefeller University shape your science career?

Stacie Grossman Bloom: So, that was a pretty serendipitous event in my life. I knew I wanted to come back to New York City and I was applying to post doctoral positions in New York City and a friend of mine at the time who was in New York City said to me, “if you are going to go and do your post doc there, you should go to the best possible place you can go and that’s The Rockefeller University.” And, for people who are not familiar with it, The Rockefeller University is one of the most unique universities you will ever come across. It doesn’t have an undergraduate program; it has a graduate program and an MD-PhD program. It’s small, it has no departments, it has no silos, it’s unbelievably well funded, it’s an amazing intellectual place.

And I applied and got an interview in this guy, Paul Greengard’s, lab. I was interested in the stuff that he was doing. I went on my interview and gave my presentation, went out to dinner with him and got the offer, and five months later he won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. And, I never could’ve known that that was going to happen when I accepted my position in the lab. And I always joked with him that it’s good that I got in before he won the Nobel Prize because after he got it, the applications to the lab were skyrocketing and I always thought I would never get in and he always said, “yes, you would still get in, you would still get in.” But that experience showed me the best of science - what’s it like to be in one of the most world-renowned successful laboratories,  what’s it like to be a scientist in a lab where funding isn’t the biggest issue, like it is in most labs.

And for me, even in that environment, I knew I didn’t want to stay in the lab. The fact that I chose a different path, even though I was in this amazing environment was really emblematic of the fact that that environment wasn’t for me and I needed to get out of there and choose something different.

How Learning to Say No Helps CEO Grow Business - Slava Rubin

In Chapter 7 of 12 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, IndieGoGo co-founder and entrepreneur Slava Rubin answers "Where Has Learning to Say No Been Most Impactful in Your Growth as an Entrepreneur?" Rubin notes that between his Year 1 and Year 2 Capture Your Flag interviews, his company has grown and press, new business, and investor opportunities are abundant. He needs to make sure he is managing company growth, evolving a working product, and managing client relationships while choosing to engage new opportunities. Rubin is co-founder and CEO of IndieGoGo.com, a crowdfunding startup whose platform helps individuals and groups finance their passions. Before IndieGoGo, Rubin worked in management consulting for Diamond Consulting, now a PWC company. Rubin founded and manages non-profit Music Against Myeloma to raise funds and awareness to fight cancer. He earned a BBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  Where has learning to say no been most impactful in your growth as an entrepreneur?

Slava Rubin:  Well, especially going from our previous interview to now, there is just so much more opportunity at IndieGoGo whether it be new press opportunities, new clients, new business development opportunities, new investors, new interviews, new anything, and you can really go crazy trying to follow all of these opportunities but you also have to build your company and have happy clients and make sure that the product works really well and improve it.  

So it’s really around balancing what you should say yes to and what you should say no to.  I lean towards saying yes, but the focus and the execution requires no’s, and I think it’s just really important to be confident in when no is the right thing to say.

When is Convertible Debt Preferable to Equity Financing a Startup - Slava Rubin

In Chapter 8 of 12 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, IndieGoGo co-founder and entrepreneur Slava Rubin answers "What Factors Informed Your Decision on Whether to Use Convertible Debt or Equity Financing?" Understanding money source - sophisticated vs. non-sophisticated - is a fundamental first step. Sophisticated investors, which includes angels and venture capital firms, tend to have more valuation experience. Non-sophisticated investors, which includes friends and family, tend to be less valuation savvy. Rubin notes convertible debt financing offers valuation flexibility good for working with non-sophisticated investors. Given the lower startup costs and increasing number of non-sophisticated investors entering the financing pool, many early stage startups are choosing this over equity. Rubin is co-founder and CEO of IndieGoGo.com, a crowdfunding startup whose platform helps individuals and groups finance their passions. Before IndieGoGo, Rubin worked in management consulting for Diamond Consulting, now a PWC company. Rubin founded and manages non-profit Music Against Myeloma to raise funds and awareness to fight cancer. He earned a BBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Transcript: 

Erik:  What factors inform your decision on whether to use convertible debt or equity financing?

Slava:  Yeah, I mean I think it’s really important, especially today, as you’re able to accomplish a lot more with your business and prove a lot more with less money, it’s really important to decide where your money is coming from, whether that be coming from institutions, or from angels who are sophisticated, or maybe just friends and family, and as you do that, what you don’t wanna do is get stuck with evaluation from people that don’t really, should we say, have an understanding of your business and aren’t really experts in doing evaluations.  So it’s really important to know how much money you’re trying to raise and where you’re at in the life cycle of your business.  I think you’re seeing a lot more people using convertible debt these days because it comes much quicker, there’s a lot less terms, and you’re finding a lot more money from folks that aren’t official, sophisticated VCs.  So with all that new money on the table, you don’t want to lock yourself down with evaluation that might not be appropriate whether it be too low or too high, so convertible debt is definitely interesting for folks in the earlier part of their process.  From a VC investment perspective or equity, there comes a point where folks need to know exactly how much they own, and they like to know their percentages and how much they’re gonna be involved in the company.  So as you get further into the life cycle, I think that becomes really important.

How to Manage Personal Bandwidth and Be More Effective - Matt Curtis

In Chapter 9 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, public affairs and communications strategist Matt Curtis answers "Where Has Learning to Say No Been Most Impactful in Your Own Professional Growth?" Over time he learns to help people in the most effective way possible. This includes saying "no", especially when asked to volunteer time for non-profit board activities. By limiting his commitments, Curtis finds himself making a more substantive contribution in the causes and groups he does support with his time. Curtis is the communications director for Austin mayor Lee Leffingwell. Curtis' charity work includes affiliations with Capital Area Food Bank, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Students of the World, the Rainforest Project and the Art Alliance. In 2011, Curtis won "Austinite of the Year" in the Austin Under 40 Awards. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas.

How Passion for Studying People Develops - Hammans Stallings

In Chapter 3 of 12 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings shares what keeps him curious about learning new things. Stallings constantly looks for gaps and sees them as opportunities to improve. Always comfortable as an outsider, Stallings embraces studying human behavior and learning from it. Stallings is currently a Senior Strategist at frog design. Previously he worked in business strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

How Creating Products Motivates Software Engineer - Chris Hinkle

In Chapter 5 of 12 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, product designer and software engineer Chris Hinkle shares how he uses technology as a means to an end to solve problems and create positive consumer experiences. Hinkle enjoys getting to results quickly, and as a result is drawn to software engineering. He notes he is not the type of coder that enjoys solving big scalability issues nor is he the pure creative coder. Instead, he falls into the middle and reconciles the tedious nature coding often presents with the ability to create products and associated user experiences. Hinkle currently designs products and develops software for The Barbarian Group digital marketing services company. Previously, he worked at HUGE and R/GA digital advertising agencies. He has also founded a product incubation laboratory, The Hinkle Way.

Joe Stump on How Startup Evaluates Potential Seed and Series A Investors

In Chapter 11 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur and SimpleGeo CTO Joe Stump shares his approach to evaluating both Seed and Series A investors. In the early days, Stump looked for investors who had names and who understood the value proposition. He compares this to dating. Now, after two years, Stump looks for ex-entrepreneurs who invest their own money. He sets an investor cap at roughly $250,000, which at $50,000 per investor means about five angels. Stump is the co-founder and CTO at SimpleGeo (www.simplegeo.com), a San Francisco-based mobile location infrastructure services company. Previously Stump was Lead Architect at Digg. He programs in PHP, Python, Django and enjoys scaling websites. He earned a BBA in Computer Information Systems from Eastern Michigan University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  What criteria did you use to evaluate potential investors?

Joe Stump: That’s a great question and I think it’s something that I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about recently. In the beginning, to be totally frank, in the beginning of the seed round I was totally new to the game.  I didn’t know any of the terminology.  I didn’t know how any of this shit worked, and I literally said, “If you have money and I don’t totally hate you, let’s get this on!” It’s kind of like when you’re a fifteen/sixteen year old guy and you’re getting ready to finally enter man hood, you’re like, “Anything will work at this point!”  And as you get older you’re like, “Well, I have very specific needs and very specific things that I look for.”  And I think that my attitude has changed a lot recently.  

So, in the early days I looked for obviously people that were top tier investors that had wins that I could point to and say, “Clearly these guys have helped entrepreneurs win in the game.”  That was probably the first thing that I looked for.  And I also looked for people that I could get along with.  There are investors that you’ll sit down with and it’s clear, just like when you go out with dinner with a girl for the first time.  Within ten minutes you know whether or not you’re going out on a second date, right?  It’s the exact same thing with investors, you walk in and you’re like, “Here’s my idea.”  And they’re like, ”Eh.”  And you’re like, “Well, no second date!”

So, I think really finding – those are the two things that I looked for.  I looked for investors that got the idea, got the value of the proposition, were passionate about it and I looked for people that had funded companies that won and funded really good companies that I respected.  That’s changed totally since – now, uh, I don’t like the whole super angel, seed kind of thing.  I think what I look for in investors now are people that use to be entrepreneurs, and invest with their own money and normally don’t invest more than 200K. And that’s the first round – after that – Because I really think you can build almost any product on the face of the planet for 250K or less, and I think 250K is at the very high end these days.  

So, in that reality, at most you need is five angels, right?  So I think the big thing that has changed for me is in my future companies I don’t think I would pitch a seed round, I would pitch a couple of investors that were investing their own money. I think there’s a very big difference in the dynamics between people that invest their own money and people who don’t invest their own money.  And I think there is a very big difference in the insight and advice that you’re going to get in somebody who has worked in startups verses people who have started startups.  

Erik Michielsen:  And how has that – what you’ve learned from looking at investors at in the early stages applied to how you’re making decisions reflecting on your Series A and looking forward to your Series B?

Joe Stump:  Well, it’s really different, right?  Because each stage of the company and each stage of funding requires a different set of skills. So, now that we’re a twenty-something person company and we’re turning around revenue and we’re starting to negotiating big deals with big clients, we fundamentally need different insight and different money.

I don’t need that at this stage in SimpleGeo, I don’t need the guy that was the first angel investor in Instagram or the guy that founded something like that.  I need the guy that was a late stage investor in TeleAtlas.  That knows how to grow a big business and turn it into a billion dollar company.  So, I think as you progress through those stages of funding you need different investors with much different experience funding much different companies.

Erik Michielsen:  So, you’re dating different types of chicks?

Joe Stump: Indeed.