Matt Ruby on Why to Work Hard to Be the Best at What You Do

In Chapter 1 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Ruby shares that his comedy work has taught him to work hard so you can be proud of your work. Working hard gives you a chance to be the best you can be and also avoid embarrassment by being the worst. He learns to be mindful of where to apply this approach in his life and to set priorities accordingly.

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. 

Matt Ruby on How to Build Workplace Relationship Trust

In Chapter 2 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" Ruby finds building trust in the workplace comes down to communicating honestly and openly with others, from editors to clients, in a way he also would like to be treated. For him that means getting and giving constructive feedback that comes across not as criticism but as a sincere way to help others improve their work.

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. 

Matt Ruby on Handling Work Pressures of Making People Happy

In Chapter 15 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "What Does It Mean to Perform Under Pressure in the Work That You Do?" For Ruby, work pressures from writing and producing a web series comes down to making people happy. This encompasses both client relationships and keeping them happy with the branded content and product placement advertising he creates as well as audience relationships and keeping them consistently entertained.

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. 

Matt Ruby on How to Build an Online Community for a Web Series

In Chapter 16 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "What Has Your Experience Developing Vooza Taught You About Building an Online Community?" Ruby finds two things are key to building audience relationships: having a consistent frequency of contact and staying open and approachable to communicating with his audience. The challenge with these online marketing initiatives is to find the time for them amidst the many other parts of the business.

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. 

Matt Ruby on Monetizing Web Video With Branded Content Advertising

In Chapter 17 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "How Did You Decide to Make Branded Content and Product Placement Central to the Vooza Business Model?" By talking to advertisers, Ruby learns they are more interested in product integration into web series episodes than in running pre-roll advertising. Ruby finds this also benefits his audience, who is more accepting of branded content and product placement than of 30-second block pre-roll commercials.

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. 

Matt Ruby on How to Find Branded Content Advertisers for a Web Series

In Chapter 18 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "In television, we see the big automotive brands making big plays and obviously there is an Apple computer in every HBO show, but you also tailored your branded content and product placement to your audience with Vooza. So how did you go about finding the right fit for potential advertisers to put on a show?" Ruby shares how finding advertisers for his web series starts with reaching out to people to start a conversation. From there he has been able to find people doing similar projects and websites and look at who is advertising with them. As he has built audience and advertiser relationships for branded content and product placement, Ruby returns to existing relationships - people who understand his business - for new campaigns and projects.

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. 

Matt Ruby on How to Improve a Web Series Business Model

In Chapter 19 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "How is Your Company Business Model Evolving as You Gain Experience?" Ruby finds he is evolving his business model by simplifying it. He reduces the number of options he offers potential clients so when writing a one-page proposal, it is even more clear what the client gets and how much it costs. As the company grows, Ruby and his team experiment with viewer subscription options to complement advertiser revenue streams.

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 What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder

In Chapter 2 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?" Faykin shares how over time he is learning to better understand himself and be more accepting of himself. He finds it harder to engage with corporate recruiters as his career path has been anything but traditional.

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 How to Work With People Who Do Not Think Like You

In Chapter 4 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Are You Learning to Work More Effectively With Different Personality Types?" Faykin shares how he has learned to listening to and observing others to understand how they perform best. He finds there are many ways to be successful and keeps an open mind to embrace these different approaches on a team.

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 Career Benefits of Interdisciplinary Job Skills

In Chapter 6 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Has Your Interdisciplinary Education Proven Valuable in Your Development?" As an internet marketing consultant who has started multiple businesses, Faykin finds a blend of hard and soft job skills, from online marketing and analytics to effective communication skills, essential to succeeding in both startup and corporate work environments.

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 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 Leaving a Cushy Corporate Job to Start a Company

In Chapter 8 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Do You Consider the Milestones to Be in Your Online Marketing Career?" Faykin shares his biggest moment: leaving a cushy, secure corporate marketing job to start a company. He shares how much he had to learn about online marketing going through a trial and error process while building a startup company in China. Over time, by testing online marketing campaigns on Google ads and Baidu ads, he finds success as an entrepreneur running his own business.

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 Fayking on Testing Product Market Fit for a New Startup Idea

In Chapter 9 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Are You Learning to Better Develop Products and Build Companies Around Them?" Faykin shares how he and a friend pursued their passion for tennis and started an e-commerce company catering to people passionate about tennis. By testing product/market fit, Faykin and his partner realize there is not sufficient consumer demand for their product offering. After testing multiple channels, Faykin and his partner decide to shut down the business.

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 How Academic and On-The-Job Learning Compare

In Chapter 11 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Does Learning in an Academic Setting Compare and Contrast With Learning on the Job?" Faykin shares how on-the-job learning focuses more on achieving incremental steps rather than thinking big about how things work. He contrasts this practical learning with the freedom of an an academic environment, where thinking is less about making money and more about giving yourself space to think more deeply on subjects.

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 Why Meaningful Work is More Than Accomplishments

In Chapter 13 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" Now mid-career and having experience working at corporations and starting companies all over the world, Faykin realizes aspirations are less about accomplishments and more about doing meaningful work.

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 Finding Career Direction in Your Thirties

In Chapter 1 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing as Your Experience Grows?" Olsen shares how his aspirations are less about achievement in his 30s than they were in his 20s. They are less about comparing himself against others and more about understanding himself better. He finds returning to graduate school helpful in this regard and uses the time to personalize a career path in line with not his younger aspirations but instead his current aspirations.

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. 

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.