Why Mobile Phones Accelerate U.S. Reurbanization - Dan Street

In Chapter 1 of 20 of his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview , hyperlocal entrepreneur Dan Street reveals his excitement for present day opportunity to evolve how communities interact. Street traces community development post World War II, from factional American communities to suburban sprawl to cable development and the Internet. In short, he traces how American culture has become increasingly isolationist. Until now. Street cites Austin, New York, Houston and Los Angeles as examples where individuals are engaging more in the community. This includes farmers markets, arts events, volunteer events, and Meetups. The missing connection is how mobile phones can connect these pieces, which is why Street formed his hyperlocal Internet company, Loku (previously Borrowed Sugar).

Street is the founder and CEO of Loku 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 to Understand Religion - Bijoy Goswami

In Chapter 14 of 15, leadership philosopher and bootstrap business expert Bijoy Goswami shares how he applies models to understand religion. He notes religion starts with a journey, then enlightenment, then a following. He shares the difficulty sharing inner enlightenment with others who have not personally made that journey. One tool he uses is separating human-based religious entities with the actual teachings. At each core, be it Lao Tzu, Jesus, and Buddha, is a universal simple theme - non-duality - and the resulting institutional packaging differentiates the offerings.

Fusing Leadership, Academics, and Service in Career - Bijoy Goswami

In Chapter 5 of 15, leadership philosopher and bootstrap business expert Bijoy Goswami shares how academics, service, and leadership contribute to his goal of stewarding others to enable their purpose. While attending Stanford University, Goswami learns how mental models apply through his studies in computer science, economics, and history. Service helps Goswami create social capital, which he can disperse or invest in others to improve situations. Over time, he earns leadership by actions and progressively takes larger stages where he affects positive change with individuals, businesses, and communities.

How Stanford Grad Learns Bootstrap Business Philosophy - Bijoy Goswami

In Chapter 8 of 15, leadership philosopher and bootstrap business expert Bijoy Goswami studies the history of Silicon Valley while attending Stanford University. He learns about venture capital and IPOs. He also learns about bootstrapping financing - people who started in garage without investor capital. Goswami graduates and joins a bootstrapped firm, Trilogy Software, an Austin-based enterprise software company. There he learns entrepreneurial skills, including sales and business development, useful in his later career pursuits.

Why Study Economics, History, and Computer Science - Bijoy Goswami

In Chapter 6 of 15, leadership philosopher and bootstrap business expert Bijoy Goswami blends three majors - computer science, history, and economics, to shape his thinking. Collectively, the three perspectives allow Goswami to find multiple answers and make stronger decisions. Computer science is engineering - technical, precise, methodical. History offers many perspectives and serves a reminder that nothing is ever new, be it telephones, Internet or Middle East conflict. It is a repeating cycle, with variance. Economics comes down to efficient resource planning and setting rules and regulations to optimize this allocation of resources.

Integrating Environmental Policy and Business Careers - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 13 of 16, environmental management and green supply chain expert Andrew Hutson shares the formative experiences enabling his transition from a University of North Carolina PhD program into business consulting. While tailoring his PhD program, his curiosity unexpectedly positions him for new business opportunities at intersection of business and environment. Hutson then begins consulting work at Corporate Education Board (CEB) before joining the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

How to Customize a PhD Program to Your Interests - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 7 of 16, environmental management expert Andrew Hutson shares his non-conventional approach to tailor his Public Policy PhD at the University of North Carolina. Hutson identifies a problem - the damage done by non-sustainable supply chain business practices - and fuses multi-disciplinary coursework across business strategy, economic development, sociology, political science, and economics to better understand the problem and fashion a solution.

How Duke Professor Maximizes Mentoring Impact - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 6 of 16, environmental management expert Andrew Hutson shares how his mentor relationship with Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment professor Ronie Garcia-Johnson started and evolved before her sudden death at the age of 34. Professor Garcia-Johnson counseled Hutson to think about things no one else is thinking about. Hutson focuses his energy on corporate sustainability, specifically within the supply chain, at the time an unknown field.

How Dominican Republic Shantytown Shapes World View - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 3 of 16, environmental management expert Andrew Hutson visits the Dominican Republic as a child and is exposed to socioeconomic conditions far different than those present in middle class suburban neighborhood. Shantytown neighborhoods provide a 13-year old Hutson a direct, first look into poverty. It occurs to him poverty is not isolated, rather it is widespread and in many cases the norm, not the exception. The experience motivates Hutson to learn more about causes creating poverty and solutions reducing it.

How Art Education Informs Fashion Stylist Career - Lulu Chen

In Chapter 1 of 13, fashion stylist Lulu Chen shares how her art education has informed how she defines style and applies it in her work. To Chen, style is a personal expression of oneself and one that makes them happy in their own skin. She pushes away from conformity and uses visual details and designs, from colors to silhouettes to patterns, and layers, to help others express their personality.

How Mentor Relationship Helps Artist Develop - Lulu Chen

In Chapter 4 of 13, fashion stylist Lulu Chen details why a longstanding painting mentor proves so valuable shaping her artistic perspective. Beyond learning drawing, painting, and perspective, Chen develops emotionally through consistent focus creating and finishing projects.

How Art History Classes Inform Graphic Arts Education - Lulu Chen

In Chapter 5 of 13, fashion stylist Lulu Chen highlights motivations to integrate art history and marketing classes into her bachelor of fine arts coursework in graphic arts. First, Chen prioritizes a broad education. Second, she references how art throughout history reflects a narrative of the times. Chen specifically cites Edgar Degas and his paintings as periodic social commentary.

How Life Skills Learned in College Help Start Career - Lulu Chen

In Chapter 6 of 13 in her 2010 Capture Your Flag interview, fashion stylist Lulu Chen answers "What transferable skills did you develop as a student at the University of Michigan that you’ve been able to apply to your career in fashion publishing?" Chen lists the life lessons learned while attending college at the University of Michigan that remain important in her fashion career. Specifically, Chen finds setting priorities, time management, follow through, organization, and people skills all relevant college development areas that remain central to her present professional roles.

Transcript:

Erik: What transferable skills did you develop as a student at the University of Michigan that you’ve been able to apply to your career in fashion publishing?

Lulu: I think the college experience is very important for everybody because I think it’s a microcosm of society. I think you’re at an age where your learning how to really integrate who you are and you’re developing your own personality and learning how you fit in. And you’re away from family for the first time and you’re living alone and you’re really becoming an adult and you’re learning how - what your responsibilities are without your family there. I think skills you develop in college benefit you in the future such as learning how to prioritize, time management, organization skills, people skills, communication skills and learning how to follow through.

What to Consider Before Applying to Viticulture School - Hattie Elliot

In Chapter 6 of 16, entrepreneur and connector Hattie Elliot earns a viticulture degree while studying in South Africa and enters the wine industry. While studying viticulture she learns wine is less about big business and entertainment and more about farming and science.

Meeting Rwandan Genocide and Zim Land Reform Survivors - Hattie Elliot

In Chapter 5 of 16, entrepreneur and connector Hattie Elliot learns about genocide and land redistribution from student peers while studying at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She meets classmates who survived Rwandan genocide and land redistribution survivors in Zimbabwe.

Discovering the Raw Reality of South African Poverty - Hattie Elliot

In Chapter 4 of 14, entrepreneur and connector Hattie Eliott attends high school and college in South Africa, starting with a Steiner School program that was integrated during Apartheid. Elliot witnesses class stratification while meeting friends from varied socioeconomic backgrounds. She not only finds poverty much more prevalent than expected but also sees how most middle and upper class residents rarely acknowledge the stark reality present around them daily.

How to Contribute in a Parent-Teacher Association - Kyung Yoon

In Chapter 18 of 18, non-profit executive and spokesperson Kyung Yoon highlights how parents can make a contribution to a Parent-Teacher Assocation (PTA). Not only does Yoon encourage others to apply their skills within a PTA, she also believes, at a more fundamental level, that consistent contribution creates a lasting difference. Consistent enthusiasm, responsiveness, presence, and contribution build trust and earn responsibility.

Why to Join the Parent-Teacher Association - Kyung Yoon

In Chapter 17 of 18, non-profit executive and spokesperson Kyung Yoon discusses why she found working on the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) such a rewarding experience. Upon leaving a full-time job traveling the world for the World Bank, Yoon immerses herself in her children's school PTA, where she connects with her community and teachers while getting to know her children better through shared experiences.