How Michael Margolis Learns to Live and Work on His Own Terms

In Chapter 4 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About What You Do?"  Michael shares what he enjoys about working on his own terms and building a company out of his New York City apartment.  He shares how advisors, collaborators, and partners have helped him build business momentum and grow his team.  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. 

Why the Bio is the New Resume - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 15 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "Why Do You Believe the Bio is the New Resume?"  Margolis goes into depth about the fundamental principles that make your bio or story - a narrative construction of self - more important to job matchmaking than a resume.  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. 

Why NYC is a Young Digital Talent Destination - Mike Germano

In Chapter 9 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "How is the New York City Digital Community Changing?"  He notes how progressively more ambitious college graduates are entering digital and tech and how New York City adapted to attract ambitious young talent pool that wants to create digital products and services and is open to not relocating to Silicon Valley.  Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO, Brooklyn based social media advertising agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

Plotting a Real Estate Development Career Path

In Chapter 7 of 14 in his 2012 interview, real estate development executive Brett Goldman answers "What Have Been the Milestones in Your Real Estate Career?"  Goldman shares how small, detail-oriented project experiences have helped him gain experience and become a better big picture, strategic decision maker.  He finds his acquisition and project management experience builds by working across several elements, including financing, market analysis, construction analysis, approvals, and real estate contract law.  Brett Goldman is a Real Estate Acquisitions Director at Triangle Equities in New York City.  He holds a BA in General Studies from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Real Estate Development from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  What have been the milestones in your real estate career?

Brett Goldman: Well, I started by just doing the details. I mean that's pretty much how you start in real estate business.

Erik Michielsen: What do you mean by that?

Brett Goldman: Real estate is so experience-centric that you can't really learn it in school, though I did go to school for real estate. It's all about making good decisions. There's always two or three or four different paths you can travel, and the more correct paths you travel the more successful you'll be. 

I mean I've been doing acquisitions for a long time but also project management. And you can't really do acquisitions without project management because even in just in acquisition, there's a lot of different things that go into it, there's financing, there's market analysis, there's construction analysis, there's approvals, and, you know all the things, there's law, there's real estate contract law, just to get to an acquisition is a milestone. So each of my acquisitions have been milestones. But then each -- along the path to each one of those acquisitions there's a bunch of littler milestones that are individual successes.

Finding Food Writing Inspiration Reading Thoreau

In Chapter 12 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Have Thoreau's Words 'None can be an impartial or wise observer of human life from the vantage point of what we should call 'voluntary poverty' ' inspired your work?"  These words, from Thoreau's "Walden", inspire Erway to put herself in a place to see things from another person's shoes, which opens a creative channel that becomes her blog and, progressively, her healthy food advocacy platform. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How have Thoreau's words "None can be an impartial or wise observer of human life but from the vantage point of what we should call voluntary poverty," inspired your work?

Cathy Erway:  That's a very interesting quote, isn't it? I thought it was so audacious for him to say that. It's so -- You've never heard something like that. I haven't before, so I thought it was, "Wow, what a bold statement," and that's what really caught me when I saw it, and obviously if we could say it a different way it would make a lot more sense. So you could say, "Altruism is..." you know, "…the best way to get to know about life and people." But he said this kind of shocking, you know, word poverty, voluntary poverty, that's crazy, right? So it did inspire me and it made me feel brave to start a blog called, "not eating out in New York" because that sounds pretty weird, that sounds shocking, a little crazy, and I just knew that it was going to be -- it was going to work because of that, because I liked it. It just caught me.

Erik Michielsen:  And was there sacrifice?

Cathy Erway:  Was there sacrifice? I mean the whole experiment was like a big sacrifice. But I thought, you know, I thought of a lot different names that would sound nicer to you, on the ear, it would just kind of be evocative of, like fruits or something like, you know, something nice, something pleasant, something people like to hear. "Oh, you know, 'juicy tomato,' that sounds great." But that wouldn't really say anything about the blog so I was like just go ahead, just do it, just say, "not eating out in New York." "What?" You know…

Erik Michielsen:  With regard to voluntary poverty, does that come back to being surrounded by so many professionals and a lot of wealth, and choosing to kind of go against that, and then tying that into your choices from a writing and food perspective?

Cathy Erway:  Yeah, I think that that pretty much sums it up. I mean, voluntary poverty means you've taken it upon yourself to see things from another person's shoes. So, you know, going back to -- that's another way of putting that statement, right? So, yeah, I mean we live in the most cosmopolitan, arguably, city in the world. Of course there's a huge disparity of, you know, different incomes in the city, so you can see that all around you, but for the most part, I mean, yes, I mean we have everything at our fingertips, the greatest arts, the greatest food, which is what I was going to focus on, and, you know, Thoreau, his whole thing was he stepped away from society. That quote is from Walden, so he lived in the middle of the wilderness in Walden Pond actually, and survived, and learned how to survive basically on his own devices, so that's what I was comparing myself to doing by feeding myself all the time when there's so much non-need to do that.

How Art Projects Become Creative Careers - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 17 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "How Can Art Projects Lead to Creative Careers?"  By teaching students and running a gallery, Jaeger pushes young creative talent to turn art passion projects into commercial, money making efforts.  He shares how changing tools, from Etsy and Tumblr to Square, are helping lower barriers to entry for young creative talent.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

How Parents Influence Journalism Career Choice - Yoav Gonen

In Chapter 8 of 11 in his 2011 interview, education reporter Yoav Gonen answers "What Role Has Family Played in Shaping Your Career Aspirations?"  Gonen notes how he was a late bloomer and was uncertain where to take his career in the years after college.  Gonen's father sees his passion for writing and suggests Yoav apply to a journalism graduate program.  The rest is history.  Yoav Gonen is the education reporter for the New York Post newspaper in New York City.  He earned a Masters of Journalism degree from New York University and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.

Transcription: 

Erik Michielsen: What role has family played in shaping your career aspirations?

Yoav Gonen: I was a late bloomer. I remember quite vividly when I was on the phone with my - it might have been both my parents, I definitely remember my mom was on the phone, my parents pretty much paid for all of my undergrad college, and I told my mom that I was signing up for a pottery class and she said, "You're gonna be paying for that class, because I'm not." And, you know, they were always - they pressured me a little bit but not too much, I mean, they were trying to help me figure out what to do.

It took me a long time, interestingly, it was my dad who - I don't really know - it seemed kind of out of left field at the time but he's - I was, I think in my mid-20s, and he's like, "Maybe you should go to journalism school." And, you know, I enjoyed writing but I wasn't on my college newspapers staff or anything like that. He kind of threw that out there over dinner one time and it struck me, you know, I don't know why I hadn't considered it but it seemed like a good idea and as soon as I got to journalism school, I knew that was I wanted to do.  

How Julie Hession Turns Cooking Passion Into Food Career

In Chapter 4 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, food entrepreneur Julie Biederman Hession answers "What is the Source of Your Cooking Passion?  As a child, Hession's mom gives Juile the freedom to experiment in the kitchen.  Growing up she gets more comfortable around food by playing restaurant, building 5-course menus with a Sesame Street Cookbook.  Many years later, while in business school, Hession re-immerses herself in cooking, building confidence in dinner parties and food events.  Near the end of business school, Hession finds a mentor in food entrepreneur Sarah Foster, who connects Julie to Patricia Kluge.  Hession goes on to work for Kluge and build a farm shop, launching her career in food.  Julie Hession is the founder of Julie Anne's All Natural Granola Company.  Passionate about food since childhood, Hession has developed her career by food blogging, cooking contests, and starting fine food companies.  Hession earned an MBA in Marketing from Duke University and a BA from UNLV. 

When Can an MBA Degree Help an Entrepreneur - Julie Hession

In Chapter 9 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, food entrepreneur Julie Hession answers "Where Has Your MBA Been Most Useful in Your Career as an Entrepreneur?"  Hession shares how her MBA coursework in marketing and entrepreneurship provided foundation experiences she could build upon as she created her own business.  Over time, experience teaches Hession not to rely on business plans and to more openly embrace change.  Julie Hession is the founder of Julie Anne's All Natural Granola Company.  Passionate about food since childhood, Hession has developed her career by food blogging, cooking contests, and starting fine food companies.  Hession earned an MBA in Marketing from Duke University and a BA from UNLV. 

Jullien Gordon on Building a Teaching Career Outside the Classroom

In Chapter 13 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "How Has Your Professional Experience Directed Your Passion for Teaching?"  Gordon notes how, upon graduating UCLA, he applied but was not accepted to Teach for America.  He pursues teaching experiences outside the classroom, preparing students by providing them tools, systems and processes to use.  This helps Gordon shape into the motivation teacher and public speaker he is today.  Gordon is the founder of the Department of Motivated Vehicles, a personal and professional development company that helps clients identify purpose and map it to successful outcomes. Gordon has written five books and speaks regularly to college students across America.  He earned masters degrees in education and business from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  How has your professional experience directed your passion for teaching?

Jullien Gordon:  So coming out college I originally applied for Teach for America.  I thought I wanted to be a teacher and for some reason they said my application was incomplete and after a while I realized that you know what?  The classroom wasn’t actually where I wanted to be.  So you know I teach -- I consider myself a motivation teacher more so than a motivational speaker because a motivational speaker come in and get you excited for 30 minutes then you leave and they leave and that inspiration fades away after like another 30 minutes, right? 

As a motivation teacher I always try to leave people with tools, systems and processes that they can use and that will carry them on beyond my presence and that’s what I think a teacher does.  They leave you with formulas, tools, processes and ways of thinking about the world and your life that will last beyond their presence.  You can think about some of your most amazing teachers, Luigi Santini, Chip Anderson, Father Marlow. These are people who have touched me in ways that have long outlasted their presence in my life and so when I share messages that’s where I’m coming from.  I’m really trying to share life changing and transformative messages, not just inspiration.

Jullien Gordon on How to Take Action on an Inspiring Moment

In Chapter 14 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "What is Your Process for Designing Career Learning Products and Programs?"  Gordon goes into detail on how he takes action on inspiring moments and creates learning products and expeirences that help others.  Gordon shares the step-by-step evolution of that idea and how he packages the idea and delivers it to an audience.  From this, Gordon, develops an annual framework that allows him to continuously turn new ideas into learning and career education products.  Gordon is the founder of the Department of Motivated Vehicles, a personal and professional development company that helps clients identify purpose and map it to successful outcomes. Gordon has written five books and speaks regularly to college students across America.  He earned masters degrees in education and business from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  What is your process for designing career-learning products and programs?

Jullien Gordon: The first process is for inspiration.  For instance, the Route 66 tour started out of being inspired by a statistic from the National Association of Colleges and Employers in 2009, that only 20% of college grads had jobs on hand at graduation and I had two little brothers who had been through college and that was inspiration.  I was just like, you know what I have to do something about this, this is a huge problem. 

From there I wrote a blog entry called 66 things to do before you graduate then I tried to share that blog entry with as many people as possible so I reached out in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars who I was a member of during undergrad and all I originally wanted them to do was send it out to their membership. When they saw it, they invited me in to come share it as a presentation.  They loved the presentation and we formed a partnership and that became a tour.  So that’s kind of been processes starting with being fully inspired and committed to solving a particular specific problem, from there packaging it or creating some sort of comprehensive way of delivering it. For this instance we chose a book and a presentation and a tour and then from there just going and doing the work. 

So I noticed that I have this rhythm in my life that has been occurring for the past three years, which is in the summer is like my down time when I’m actually in creation mode.  That’s when The Innerview was produced, that’s when 8 Cylinders of Success was produce, Good Excuse Goals, Route 66, those were all produced in this summer type area and then I go out in the fall and I try to test them.  I test them in small places at first and then to see if they work in those test markets and once I get proof that they work then I commit the rest of the next year to actually expanding them and spreading them as widely as possible. 

So I have this rhythm in my life of this creation phase like in June, July, August, this experiment phase towards the end of the year and then this execution phase from January to June of the next year.  So that’s kind of been my cycle and my rhythm of creating the products that I’ve created.

How to Build a Career by Solving Personal Problems - Marc Ferrentino

In Chapter 9 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, cloud computing technology executive Marc Ferrentino answers "How Has Solving Your Own Problems Shaped Your Business Career Path?"  Ferrentino notes how his engineering and technology career has been built by solving problems that affect his life and why living these problems helps him build product to address them.  Ferrentino is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of cloud computing at BMC Software.  Previously, he was Chief Technology Architect (CTA) at Salesforce.com.  Previous to Salesforce.com, Ferrentino worked in mobile and Internet startups and at Goldman Sachs.  He earned a BSEE in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.

What are the Benefits of Working at a Large Company - Ramsey Pryor

In Chapter 6 of 15 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Ramsey Pryor answers "What Value Do You Get Working at a Big Company That You Do Not Get Working at a Small Company or Startup?"  Pryor shares his experience starting his career at Accenture and, after several years working at small companies, now working at IBM.  At large companies, Pryor gets world-class, business-tested ways of doing things.  He finds this is useful and something to compare against working at a startup straight out of college.  Pryor is currently a product management executive at IBM focused on cloud-based communication and collaboration software.  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. 

Career Benefits of Graduate School Research Training - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 4 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Andrew Hutson answers "How Has Your Graduate School Education Helped You Become a More Disciplined Thinker?"  Hutson, an environmental advocate working in the private sector, notes how his PhD research training is useful in his career advising clients and solving industry problems.  He notes how his graduate school and PhD training has given him problem solving methods - structured thinking skills - that have made him a more effective professional.  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 a College Education Increases Lifetime Earning Potential - J.T. Allen

In Chapter 16 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, education entrepreneur J.T. Allen answers "What Has Your Work in Education Taught You About the Value of a College Degree?"  Allen references a study detailing how a college bachelors degree, independent of major, creates significantly higher lifetime earnings than simply being a high school graduate.  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.

Transcription: 

Erik Michielsen:  What has your work in education taught you about the value of a college degree?

J.T. Allen:  A recent study just came out that a bachelors degree, you’ll earn in your lifetime 80% more than you will if it’s you know if you just have a high school diploma and it’s over a broad set of people, it’s – so the sample size is big enough where it’s really meaningful.  The study actually went further on to say, it doesn’t really matter what you major either, right?  It’s sort of all kind of plays out in that, it’s really either bachelors degree or not, right?  There are certainly pockets within that study where and you know how you can get to careers where you’re earning more and that type of thing but in general it doesn’t matter that much. 

So I’m a believer and I believe that study, there are probably six other ones that predate it, that say the same thing, you know in some form or another.  Bachelor’s degree equals more money and I think that that is a critical distinction that it is – that really accounts for the market, right?  Meaning you know the averages, right?  Sure there’s going to be people who will -- don’t need to go to college you know Bill Gates didn’t go to college, right?  You know he dropped out, guess what?  He’s exceptional.  Most people are average.  Face it and you know you want to give yourself the best odds, right?  So the way that you can kind of improve your odds in a known way is to go to college and get your degree.

How Software Engineer Switches to Technical Marketing - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 5 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Did You Decide to Leave Engineering to Pursue Product Marketing?"  After deciding to leave an engineering role at Oracle, Faykin finds an opportunity to do technical marketing in Silicon Valley for an Israeli-based startup and gain access to the adventurous travel that comes with the position.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

What American Express Marketing Job Teaches MBA - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 7 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "As an MBA, What Did You Learn About Product Marketing Working at American Express?"  Working in the American Express, or AmEx, travel division, he learns how large organizations can leverage economies of scale to make big bets on projects or campaigns.  Through this process, he learns lessons on brand loyalty and brand management.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Learning Global Business Working at Intel in Shanghai - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 8 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Did Working at Intel in Shanghai Teach You About the Importance of Global Distribution Networks?" He shares the resource benefits available when working for a larger, global corporation and the advantages these create competing against smaller firms. Additionally he learns the value of international distribution networks and how benefits corporate resources and relationships enable them. Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011. Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures. He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.