How Startup Attracts Top Software Executive Talent - Dan Street

In Chapter 18 of 20 of his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, software entrepreneur and Loku founder and CEO Dan Street shares what he is learning about building a software company. The attention to detail and release cycle challenges push Street to seek experienced senior level talent. He finds a veteran software executive who joins via a contract relationship. Over time, the executive becomes CTO, citing how the company team, purpose, and business model align with his life, goals, and experience. Street is the founder and CEO of Loku (previously named Borrowed Sugar) which develops Internet software to strengthen local communities. Previously, Street worked in private equity at Kohlberg, Kravis, and Roberts (KKR) and management consulting at Bain & Co. He earned a BA in music and business from Rice University.

How Consumers Control the Brand Marketing Experience - Mike Germano

In Chapter 13 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares why participation plays such a key role creating a brand experience. He notes brands are no longer tailored by the advertiser alone. Rather, customers and consumers are now taking ownership of how a brand is communicated online and offline. Participation allows advertisers and marketers a means to engage and support customers, in effect collaborating with them to define a brand and establish the aspirational attractiveness that come with it. Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative. Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut. He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.

How to Manage Digital Marketing Campaign Expectations - Mike Germano

In Chapter 12 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares what he is learning about executing on creative marketing campaigns. Building team and client trust is important to set expectations with both. As trust in the relationship and process - rather than the outcome - builds, Germano sees his company shift from a launch early, launch often approach and to a more account management centric philosophy. Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative. Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut. He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.

Why the Biggest Brands Are Not Always the Best Clients - Mike Germano

In Chapter 11 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares what he has learned planning sales strategy at his company. Big brands often get the most attention and top employee wish lists, yet Germano finds smaller or less popular brands to be the best clients. Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative. Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut. He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.

How Learning From Failure Helps Small Business President Lead - Mike Germano

In Chapter 10 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares how learning from failure has made him better.  Failure acts as a motivator and helps Germano learn and better prepare himself and, more importantly, his teams for future projects.  It educates him on how to better plan client strategy and staff client teams.  Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

How Small Business Founder Role Changes as Company Scales - Mike Germano

In Chapter 9 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares how he is adapting his co-founder role to meet the changing needs of his growing small business co-founders, team, and clients.  As the company adds larger clients and staff to support them, Germano hands off responsibilities to a capable team and looks for new ways to grow the business.  He looks into international expansion opportunities in addition to other ways the company can invest in its future.  Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

How to Adjust Talent Strategy as Small Business Grows - Mike Germano

In Chapter 8 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares how his growing small business is forcing management to revisit hiring strategy.  Built upon hiring young passionate talent on potential, company growth now challenges management to reconcile aligning talent decisions with a company culture that meets team and client expectations.  Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

How Hiring Strategy Shapes Small Business Company Culture - Mike Germano

In Chapter 7 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares how talent strategy has shaped his company's culture.  Germano and his management team strike a balance between bringing on young, energetic staff and experienced staff.  He learns that a single poor hiring decision can have a strongly detrimental effect on company chemistry and culture. Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.

How New Office Investment Helps Recruit and Retain Top Talent - Mike Germano

In Chapter 6 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares how investing in a new office space has helped his company attract and develop top talent.  He positions the new office to potential employees like a football coach positions a new stadium to recruits.  The new office space creates a stronger collective company purpose and culture.  The environment benefits recruiting as well as existing employee wellbeing.  Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.

How Lawyers Help a Small Business Grow - Mike Germano

In Chapter 5 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares how his team has learned to appreciate and work with lawyers.  He notes how building a business progressively raises legal issues that determine the success or failure of the company.  As a result, Germano and his team learn the value of investing in legal services.  Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

How to Find Mentors In New Media - Mike Germano

In Chapter 4 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares how the company is developing industry mentoring relationships.  Germano and his team initially identify with a Brooklyn-based new media agency entrepreneur, Mike Lebowitz, after reading a Harvard Case Study on Lebowitz's company Big Spaceship.  Over time Germano and team build rapport with Lebowitz and learn from someone a few years more experienced in the industry.  This relationship, in turn, pushes Germano and his team to identify and mentor younger new media companies in the same way they receive mentoring and advice from Lebowitz and the Big Spaceship team.  Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.

How to Align Business Partnership Interests as Company Grows - Mike Germano

In Chapter 3 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares the challenges associated with managing business partner relations during a period of company growth.  He notes that early days, when the company was struggling, everyone simply worked hard.  After achieving success, it becomes more difficult as different partners have different ideas what the company should do.  Germano finds tremendous value having two other partners so consensus can be reached on difficult decisions.  Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

What are the Challenges Going into Business With Friends - Mike Germano

In Chapter 2 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares the big challenges starting a business with close friends.  He notes how the hardest part is when personal things come up that force you to choose between being a business partner and a friend.  It runs counter to focusing 100% on the business but Germano notes that friends all come first and that long-term it is best for everyone involved.  Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

What Makes a Good Business Partner - Mike Germano

In Chapter 1 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, social media expert and Carrot Creative president Mike Germano shares what he feels makes a good business partner.  Willingness to fully commit to the business tops Germano's list.  This creates security through ups and downs of the entrepreneur roller coaster ride.  He notes the difficulty involved starting a business and shares that if it were easy, everyone would do it.  Germano is co-founder and president of DUMBO, Brooklyn based new media agency Carrot Creative.  Before Carrot Creative, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

How to Cope With Losing a Job - Tricia Regan

In Chapter 2 of 10 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, filmmaker Tricia Regan shares how she has learned to manage her emotions when a potential job falls through. As a filmmaker, Regan has experienced multiple moments when a seemingly sure thing falls through. She learns from friends and experience to release her emotion when the disappointment happens so she is in a position to move on and pursue the next opportunity full steam. Regan is an Emmy-Award winning filmmaker. She directed, produced and shot "Autism: The Musical." When not shooting documentary films, Regan has worked as a director, producer, and writer at ABC, NBC, FOX, and Lifetime. She earned a bachelors from Binghamton University and masters from New York University.

Fabian Pfortmüller on How Sandbox Network Creates Sustainable Leadership

In Chapter 19 of 19 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Sandbox Network co-founder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller shares how Sandbox creates a sustainable leadership model by focusing on the platform and not on individuals.  Sandbox is an international under-30 young leader network.  By curating an environment of young professional leaders, the Sandbox can create a friend network whose bonds last and remain relevant as members enter their 30s, 40s, and 50s.  Pfortmüller is co-founder of Sandbox Network (www.sandbox-network.com).  He also co-founded an innovation think tank, Incubaker (www.incubaker.com), and is part of the group's first spin-off, Holstee (www.holstee.com), an apparel brand for people who would like to wear their passion.  Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University and its School of General Studies. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: How does the Sandbox network model make leadership development sustainable?

Fabian Pfortmüller: I believe that Sandbox and the model that we are leading with our members is a sustainable because we are trying to create a platform and we’re not focusing on the individual so we’re not just trying to teach individuals and try to grow individuals, we’re trying to provide a platform that grows individuals and I think that’s a big difference.

In terms of how it actually shapes out, for us the focus is on creating the environment where those people can really grow and if we do our job right we pick those people who are going to move and shake the world in their thirties, forties, fifties and what more sustainable thing than having those people meet really early and become friends, you know?

Because - yes, they’re leaving with thirty but their going to cut their friendships and they’re not going to leave all their experiences behind that’s only the beginning and obviously we don’t believe that our people are at the peak with thirty we believe that’s just where they really take off and so really focusing on a very early stage and then making sure that those people going to stay in contact and going to keep the relationship to us and to each other, that’s what we hope is going to have a sustainable impact because in the end you’re right, the impact is going to be when a Sandboxer who was part of our program twenty-five years ago meets when he is fifty another Sandboxer and starts something really, really big and have a he impact and one of them, I’m just making things up, leads a country, the other one leads a massive organization decide to work together and have a massive impact in that country, that’s the kinds of things that we really hope to achieve and at the same time we also hope to make it sustainable by plugging those people back into the younger generation.

In the end it’s also about giving back and from the very beginning making clear that what they receive is also to some extent what they should give back to the next generation of young kids who are going to come and want to drive and have the same ambition, the same curiosity and the same excitement that they did when they were twenty.

Fabian Pfortmüller on How Curation Improves Recruiting and Building Community

In Chapter 18 of 19 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Sandbox Network co-founder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller shares why curation matters when building great community.  Curation is about making a choice.  He believes access to people or things is not the issue today; rather it is about the right chemistry that is a result of choosing a team.  In short, it is not quality, but diversity that generates effective communities.  Ultimately, like a mother planning a large birthday party, it is about putting the right setting in place to generate experience based on group goals.  Pfortmüller is co-founder of Sandbox Network (www.sandbox-network.com).  He also co-founded an innovation think tank, Incubaker (www.incubaker.com), and is part of the group's first spin-off, Holstee (www.holstee.com), an apparel brand for people who would like to wear their passion.  Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University and its School of General Studies. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: Why do you feel curation is essential for building a great community?

Fabian Pfortmüller: Curation is about making a choice and I believe nowadays we live in the age when access to things, access to people is not the issue anymore, it’s about picking the right choices and that goes for products, that goes for people, that goes for communities, that goes for schools, that goes for anything.

I would say one of the most important parts is making the right choice in picking together that group of people that come together in a community and really understanding it as curation it means also it’s not just about picking the best, it’s not just quality, it’s also diversity. Making sure you pick a diverse group of people, it’s like from different backgrounds, different genders, different language levels. At the same time also curated in such a way that they feel it’s meaningful and I believe that curation is really, when it comes to community, is the most important aspect and what really makes the base of everything you do afterwards.

It’s like a mom, it’s like a family and a mom you know? I compare diversity with in a family maybe just having ten kids with ten different people and curation is the mom that cares and that really wants to make sure that all the people in the room at her son’s birthday party actually fit together and that has many more levels and dimensions than just having different people there or having different birthday cakes, it’s really making sure the setting is right and that all the different elements fit together.

Fabian Pfortmüller on How to Increase Social Network Value

In Chapter 17 of 19 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, community builder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller shares how to increase social network value.  He believes it is more important to treat a social network as a network of friends than a network of professional contacts.  Friend networks attract interest and curiosity while promoting giving and sharing to a higher degree than professional networks.  As a result, an effectively maintained friend network becomes more powerful when it is time to activate it for support.  Pfortmüller is co-founder of Sandbox Network (www.sandbox-network.com).  He also co-founded an innovation think tank, Incubaker (www.incubaker.com), and is part of the group's first spin-off, Holstee (www.holstee.com), an apparel brand for people who would like to wear their passion.  Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University and its School of General Studies. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: What separates a friend network from a social network?

Fabian Pfortmüller: I believe that social networks are only then valuable if the relationships in it are meaningful relationships. Now I think it’s kind of a – it depends on how you defined friends, where that meaningful relationship starts and where it ends. I believe that treating social networks like friends networks really helps to make them more valuable, because in the end social networks treated as professional networks don’t have much interest for me, they don’t have much excitement for me because they seem very much, you have them to use them for something, that’s not really interesting.

Much more interesting is you have a real connection with the people and as we know networks are there for totally random things that you have no idea why you are going to use them, that’s how I built networks. I anticipate that it’s all about giving and sharing with the network that at some random point in my life, I have no idea when it going to come, I might need to activate my network very quickly and I believe that treating them more as friends and as the very kind of people I want to be with and want to hang out with and want to learn from is essential.