Video Interviews — Capture Your Flag

Preparation

Courtney Spence on How to Train Young People to Do Creative Jobs

In Chapter 15 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, nonprofit CEO Courtney Spence answers "How Are You Advancing the Ways You Train and Support Creative Talent?" Spence shares what she has learned over 15 years working with and managing teams of twentysomething creative professionals. She finds training millennials is less about teaching technology and more about teaching accountability and how to work on a project for someone else. These client project skills teach young creatives a structure of how to be professional and meet employer expectations.

Courtney Spence is founder and CEO of Students of the World, a nonprofit empowering a diverse network of student and emerging filmmakers to apply storytelling skills in purposeful work. She is also the Founder and CEO of CSpence group, a creative agency building millennial-focused content and programs for brands. Spence earned a BA from Duke University. 

3 Insider Tips on Finding a Small Business Investor

In Chapter 10 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "What Advice Do You Have for Small Business Owners Considering Taking on an Investor?" A small business owner who brought on an investor over the past year, Elliot shares three ways to improve the investor solicitation process. First, she notes the importance of doing due diligence to hone a business plan and financial model. Second, using the models, calculate the amount of funding you will need and map the use of funds out over a timeline to make sure you raise the right amount. Third, finding an investor comes down to matchmaking and finding the right person with the right motives to be your business partner.

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 to Communicate More Effectively With Others

In Chapter 12 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "How Are You Learning to Communicate More Effectively?" To Elliot, effective communication in both personal and professional relationships comes down to one thing: properly setting expectations. Setting clear expectations allows her to make a promise to another - a boyfriend, a family member, a client - that she can deliver on in the future.

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 Improving Web Comedy Project Collaboration

In Chapter 11 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "What Have You Found to Be the Keys to Creating More Successful Project Collaborations?" To start, Ruby finds it essential to be working with a funny idea and script. If this core is not in place, then no amount of funding or talent will make the comedy program funny. Once the core is in place, Ruby finds building more successful collaborations is about giving creative team members ownership to feel part of creating a good work product.

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 Writing College Application Essays

In Chapter 7 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Skills Are You Working on Right Now to Become Better at Your Job?" Faykin shares how writing graduate school application essays has helped him think more deeply about his career goals and why he is choosing a specific school and a specific field of study at a specific point in his life. He finds this introspective writing process transferable to a business career where asking similar questions can help him grasp bigger picture ideas and potential outcomes.

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 Planning a Career Change into Biotechnology

In Chapter 15 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "When You Think About Where Life Sciences Has Gone in the Last 15-20 Years Since You Started as an Undergraduate, What Gets You Most Excited About Re-immersing Yourself in That Field?" Faykin shares that in the nearly 20 years since graduating college, the worlds of biosciences and technology have come together to create new ways to solve problems. Data sharing and analytics are breaking down silos between disciplines and creating new market opportunities. Faykin prepares himself for a career change from consumer internet to biotechnology by applying for entrepreneur-friendly graduate school bioscience programs.

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.

Michael Olsen on What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder

In Chapter 2 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?" Olsen shares how developing daily habits has made his life easier by making him more productive. Specifically, making daily checklists allows Olsen to do things easily that once were hard. As for what is getting harder, he finds making the transition from his 20s into his 30s presents some big challenges, including decisions around committing to a career path and starting a family.

Michael Olsen is a management consultant at Accenture. Previous to Accenture, Olsen earned dual MBA and MPH degrees at Emory University in Atlanta. Olsen earned a BA in symbolic systems from Stanford University and spent the next five years founding an IT consulting company, Redwood Strategies. 

Bryan Law on Learning Languages in International Business Consulting

In Chapter 10 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business strategist Bryan Law answers "As a Non-Native Speaker, How Did You Overcome Language Barriers Working in Brazil?" Working as a management consultant, Law is staffed on a Brazil project and, as a non-native speaker, learns Portuguese when he finds the work is done in native language and not English. As an international consultant, the experience teaches him the importance of engaging clients in their native languages as best as possible. This helps him on future projects, including one working with the Mozambique government.

Bryan Law is a Principal in the Global Business Strategy Group at Google and a board member at Angola University. Previously, he was a manager at Monitor, management consulting firm. He has worked in consulting roles at Watson Wyatt and Mercer. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business and a BA from Georgetown University. 

Bryan Law on Building Team Trust Working in Consulting

In Chapter 15 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business strategist Bryan Law answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" Working abroad in Dubai, Law learns the importance of spending time getting to know your clients and your project team personally and professionally before conducting business. He finds it helps to sit down with new team member and share backgrounds and goals. The time spent creates a personal connection that adds to the professional relationship. Law finds spending time taking an interest in his project team members and clients ultimately helps him to better help them develop and achieve work goal success.

Bryan Law is a Principal in the Global Business Strategy Group at Google and a board member at Angola University. Previously, he was a manager at Monitor, management consulting firm. He has worked in consulting roles at Watson Wyatt and Mercer. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business and a BA from Georgetown University. 

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 Teach for America Prepares Future Leaders

In Chapter 8 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "How Did Teaching in the Teach for America Program Inform the Next Steps in Your Career?" Teaching disadvantaged students in the classroom inspires Geller to make a career fixing K-12 education or as he terms it "Big E Education." This leads him to build on Teach for America teaching and get a masters degree in education as well as formal teacher certification. He joins Teach for America's national organization to work on strategy and organizational development and learn at more systematic ways to improve Big E Education.

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.

How the Kauffman Foundation Prepares Entrepreneurs

In Chapter 10 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "How Did Your Kauffman Foundation Fellowship Help Prepare You to Become an Entrepreneur?" Geller finds his Kauffman Foundation Fellowship program gave him time and space to jumpstart his business. Leaving teaching to start an education technology company, the Kauffman Fellowship allows Geller to go from part-time focus on the project to full-time while honing his product and business model.

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.

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.

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.

Louise Langheier on Improving Scenario Planning Forecasting Skills

In Chapter 12 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "What Skills Are You Working on Right Now to Become Better at Your Job?" Langheier shares how she is working on middle case scenario planning to complement best case and worst case scenario planning. After years focused on extreme scenarios, Langheier learns to appreciate the middle ground and focus team efforts there.

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 Setting Time Horizon Goals in a CEO Job

In Chapter 16 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "As CEO, How Do You Decide What Time Horizon to Focus on in Your Work?" Langheier shares how much of her strategic planning goals are dependent on the phase of impact the company is in at the time. She also notes how she is proactively trying to delegate shorter term planning to team members while she looks at possibilities associated with longer term time horizons. She does this by creating an entrepreneurial organizational culture that rewards being creative and taking responsibility.

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 Asking For Advice Before Having a Baby

In Chapter 20 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?" Nine months pregnant, Langheier shares how she openly seeks out advice from working parents on how they navigated parenthood and career after starting a family. She shares how she asks working parents and the way she asks follow-up questions.

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 Preparing for Maternity Leave

In Chapter 21 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "How Are You Preparing for Maternity Leave?" Langheier shares how, after pursuing and receiving advice, she works with her team to put a plan in place and set team member expectations for her upcoming maternity leave. She shares how grateful she is to be having an intentional pregnancy with the control that comes with it.

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.