Formulating Viewpoint

Cathy Erway on Being Confident by Standing Behind What You Write

In Chapter 10 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?" Erway shares how being confident as a writer means publishing your own words and standing behind what you write. As an experienced freelance writer, Erway learns to be confident about writing knowing that once something is published it cannot be taken down like a blog entry.

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. 

Cathy Erway on Gaining Respect for Exercise Habits and Routines

In Chapter 19 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Role Do Habits and Routines Play into Your Pursuit of Living a More Fulfilling Life?" Erway shares how she is learning to appreciate healthy habits and routines more and more in her early thirties. She notes how it still comes with a balance between good habits and bad habits. Erway puts a priority on getting into healthier routines such as weekly yoga and more regular exercise.

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. 

Phil McKenzie on Adapting to Adversity by Being Resourceful

In Chapter 16 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "How Have You Learned to Adapt When Things Have Not Worked Out as Planned?" McKenzie shares how he works through obstacles by being resourceful and remaining open to scaling down when necessary. As a bootstrap entrepreneur, McKenzie shares how starting the company with very little has taught him to continue his mission in times of challenge and resource scarcity.

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 How Financial Planning Goals Change With Age

In Chapter 19 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "As You Get Older, How Are Your Financial Planning Goals Changing?" McKenzie shares how life in his 40s has shifted his attention from personal financial security to focusing on caring for aging parents, siblings and relatives. He shares how this translates into creating a sense of urgency as an entrepreneur to create focus and structure that creates greater financial stability.

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 on How to Give Better Advice When Asked for Help

In Chapter 20 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Germano shares how advice requests can often be asks for other things, including asking for money. He also learns to know when not to give advice - including unsolicited advice - and instead help others make their own decisions.

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 Aligning Financial Planning Goals to Personal Values

In Chapter 22 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "As You Get Older, How Are Your Financial Planning Goals Change?" Germano shares how after many years putting all his money back into his business, Carrot Creative, after selling his business to VICE Media he is in a position to invest. He looks at nontraditional outlets, such as investing in a pizza business and buying a stake in a minor league baseball team, the Brockton Rox, to complement angel investing and stock market investing.

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. 

Hammans Stallings on The Key to Successful Project Collaboration

In Chapter 15 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "What Have You Found to Be the Keys to Creating More Successful Project Collaborations?" Stallings notes collaborations are simply relationships. He finds he is able to improve collaboration by developing the relationship through sharing, inquiry, and mutual explorer roles of teaching and learning. He tops it off with showing enthusiasm for the excitement that comes through the process of bringing different skills together to solve a problem.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Hammans Stallings on Why Working Internationally is a Good Career Move

In Chapter 17 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Has International Work Experience Contributed to Your Professional Development?" Stallings finds working internationally has been a fundamental benefit to both his personal and professional growth. Working in distant places teaches him to think differently about people, culture, choices and values and then bring what he learns back into his own culture at home in the United States.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Matt Curtis on Building a Hard Work Ethic One Project at a Time

In Chapter 1 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Curtis learns his work ethic by watching his grandfather constantly help others and find projects to do. Curtis takes this own approach in his life, building his work ethic by always finding a project to do where he can help others, including his current work on a urban rail system for Austin, Texas.

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 How to Get Paid by Sharing What You Know for Free

In Chapter 12 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "How is Your Business Model Evolving as You Gain Experience?" Goswami shares how his business model blends giving away knowledge for free with getting paid to help clients solve specific problems. As an author, speaker and teacher, Goswami uses different means to freely share knowledge and create value. Using Google search as a comparable he then looks for ways, specifically management consulting, to scope out work specific to individual customers.

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. 

Bijoy Goswami on How to Turn a Presentation into a Conversation

In Chapter 14 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "How Did You Learn to Give a More Effective South By Southwest Panel and Talk?" Goswami shares how he finds speaking solo or speaking on a panel is about turning that one-way dialogue into a two-way conversation with an audience. At South By Southwest, he gravitates toward more social meetups and core conversation structures. For him it is all about identifying audience backgrounds and interests and tailoring a presentation to meet their needs.

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 The Best Advice to Prepare Yourself for Parenthood

In Chapter 2 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "How Did You Go About Seeking Advice as You Prepared for Parenthood?" French shares how after doing a lot of research she finds the best advice simply observing her best friend and how she raises her three children.

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. 

Audrey French on How Becoming a Mom Puts Life in a New Perspective

In Chapter 3 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "How Has Becoming a Mother Put Your Life in a New Perspective?" French shares how having her first baby has made her appreciate both her parents and the process of life better. After having a baby, she no longer identifies as a child and instead sees herself as a parent generation of a new generation of children.

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. 

Audrey French on How New Parents Handle Living Up to Expectations

In Chapter 12 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "What Role Does Living Up to the Expectations of Others Play into the Way You Live?" French shares how living up to parent and societal pressure has become more visible after having a baby and becoming a mother. She and her husband decide to focus on what they feel is best for their child's wellbeing and to push aside pressure to conform to or compromise on what looks better to others.

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. 

Audrey French on How to Get More Comfortable With Negotiation

In Chapter 19 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "How Are You Using Negotiation Skills in Your Life?" French shares how she has a lot in common with many other women in that she has not been comfortable with the win-lose concept of negotiation. As she negotiates more by selling a condo, buying a house, selling a car and setting a consulting pay rate, she finds seeking win-win negotiation scenarios mae her feel better about negotiating.

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. 

Courtney Spence on How to Tailor a Growth Plan That Fits Your Business

In Chapter 14 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, nonprofit CEO Courtney Spence answers "As Executive Director, How Do You Decide What Time Horizon to Focus on in Work?" Spence shares how working in a fast-changing creative space requires her to keep time horizons short for business planning. She notes how it benefits her organization to stay nimble and quick to adapt to changing technology such as website platforms. She also finds this nimble approach feeds into helping her evolve her business model to embrace higher value projects to support employee salaries and benefits.

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. 

How to Take a New Brand From Market Entry to Market Penetration

In Chapter 10 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "What is the Process of Taking a New Brand From Market Entry to Market Penetration?" Metting shares how he and his team are planning and executing market strategy to build upon new market entry to deepen market penetration and product sales. The team starts by refining target market options. It then invests in event marketing across Steinberg Springs music festivals to the New Orleans Tales of the Cocktail conference. Through the process, Metting and his team hone product marketing and positioning while building the brand.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company.