“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
― Aristotle
Entrepreneur and CEO Blaine Vess has an impressive story. Studymode, the company he helped start and bootstrap from his dorm room almost 16 years ago, now has 30 employees and sees between 60-90M visitors a month. It’s rare to find 15 year old bootstrapped companies. It’s rare to have the same CEO for 15 years as Blaine has been. But last year, Blaine wanted more for his company and himself. He wanted to know how to help push his company to the next level. To achieve that, he didn’t look elsewhere, he looked within.
In this conversation, Jerry and Blaine talk about Blaine’s “year of introspection”. It included a stop at one of our bootcamps, working with a coach and a therapist, and that year ultimately helped him understand how and why he was holding himself back. Perhaps Blaine and Jerry’s conversation, our first of 2015, may spark your own year of introspection.
Reboot Podcast #9 - Investing in Trust - with Fred Wilson and Jerry Colonnarebootio
Fred Wilson barely needs an introduction for his role and impact in the startup community both as blogger and co-founder of Union Square Ventures. Fred’s also a big reason why I’m here giving this intro: his blog ultimately led me to meeting and now working with Jerry; and his family podcast, Positively 10th Street, was one of the first podcasts I ever listened to. Feels like things have come full circle.
So I’m thrilled to have Fred join Jerry for this episode. In 19 years of friendship and partnership in the startup world, these two have seen just about everything. In this conversation they share some stories from the Flatiron Partnership days, what makes a perfect board, the importance of trust in investing, and what makes a good leader. They even discuss the sheer terror they felt on their own entrepreneurial journey. There’s a lot of great material referenced in this discussion, so we’ve gone ahead and compiled a bunch of links from this show on our podcast page at reboot.io/podcast.
In what we hope will be a series of several, enjoy this first Reboot conversation with Fred Wilson and Jerry Colonna.
Reboot Podcast #25 - Live Beyond Compare - Brad Feld and Jerry Colonna - Rebo...rebootio
It’s so easy, sometimes fun, sometimes painful, and always tempting to compare ourselves to others. As entrepreneurs, the temptation is even stronger. It can at times seem like there’s an endless supply of compare yourself material - from the media, to social media. Ask any Reboot coach...one of the busiest days as a coach is the day a big acquisition or funding announcement occurs. The second busiest is the day after. So what would it be like to let go? What if you stopped trying to be a VC / entrepreneur / father like everyone else? What if you were just you and that was OK?
That is exactly the advice our podcast guest offered up to a 34 year old Jerry Colonna - many, many years ago. We’re truly honored to have Brad Feld on the podcast with Jerry today. Brad is an investor, entrepreneur, and blogger who has been supporting entrepreneurs all over the world since 1987. Brad has also been a great Reboot supporter and teacher. In this conversation these two friends talk about VC’s as Dungeons and Dragons characters, Brad’s evolved investment criteria, and the single best piece of advice Brad offered to Jerry that changed his career.
To have a firm persuasion, to set out boldly in our work, is to make a pilgrimage of our labors, to understand that the consummation of work lies not only in what we have done but who we become while accomplishing the task.
-David Whyte - Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity
In today’s conversation Jerry is joined by Ben Rubin - Cofounder and CEO of Change Collective - an organization itself that is set on helping people make positive change in their lives. Ben comes to Jerry wondering how he can better deal with the negative inner dialogue. They quickly discover that inner voice, and more specifically the feelings that precede it, are a powerful indicator of an underlying fear. What opportunities exist in exploring that fear?
Reboot Podcast #06 - Do you avoid difficult conversations? – with Jerry Colon...rebootio
“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
Jesus, Gospel of Thomas
Do you have an innate desire to make people happy? And does that desire at times cause you to at hold back the truth, out of fear of perhaps hurting others and yourself? Carm Huntress is the CEO of RxReview, a company solving a big problem with big data - overspending on prescription drugs. The company started in January 2012 and is growing beyond it’s 11 employees. Carm realizes his nature as a people pleaser affects his leadership in detrimental ways. In this episode, Jerry and Carm unpack what it means to be fierce, and what’s behind the desire to make people happy. It’s a conversation that will leave you asking: “What if I led from place knew where i knew I was good and also know there are things I want to do better?”
Enjoy the conversation...
Q’s
What if you led from a place in which you knew you were good and knew the things you wanted to do better?
Reboot Podcast #04 - The hidden burdens in our work – with Jerry Colonna, She...rebootio
How can you save a business from the brink of bankruptcy and grow it 2,000% in 10 years, and yet feel like it could all go away in any given moment? Or face the fear, the weight, that you must be chief breadwinner...for you, your family, your co-founder and team’s family as well? Fear is pervasive in our lives, and in the crazy world of startups and entrepreneurship it is an always present participant. In this episode, we have two entrepreneurs dealing with two different and yet similar fears, fears that entrepreneurs will know all too well.
Reboot Podcast #19 Building a House of Belonging with Tanisha Robinsonrebootio
What’s it like to find your path of authentic service in the world? What if you could use the pain of the past, a pain of not knowing where you fit in, of not knowing where you belong to propel you toward work that makes a difference? What if you could create a place of belonging? Well, it might look a lot like what Tanisha Robinson is building with Print Syndicate.
Started just 2.5 years ago with 8 people, Print Syndicate now has over 140 employees and will generate more than $20M in revenue this year. But the company isn’t just about shirts and home goods, it’s a place where people (including a black, gay, woman from a Mormon family of 7 in a small town in Missouri) have a place to self-identify and a place to belong. As Tanisha shares, running a company fueled by your passion to make the world better is both exhilarating and heartwrenching.
Reboot Podcast #23 - With a Little More Care… with Sherman Lee and Jerry Colonnarebootio
Sometimes we spend so much time looking at where we aren’t or where others have gone that we don’t fully appreciate where we are and how much we’ve grown on the journey.
A year ago today, Reboot didn’t have a podcast. A year ago today, Sherman Lee was staring down a draining bank account, a shaky business model, and a crippling fear: if I fail, I won’t be able to provide. A year later we sit with our 23rd podcast episode, a return visit from Sherman one of our first guests, and an opportunity to appreciate Sherman’s journey and growth since we last spoke.
Ben Saunders knows very well the ups and downs that come with attempting to do something extraordinary. Like so many entrepreneurs, he struggled with the challenges of being an effective leader, and faced the pain of fundraising or not meeting payroll. But Ben’s end goal was a bit different. He’ a polar explorer. Between October 2013 and February 2014, he and his companion Tarka broke the record for the longest ever polar journey on foot. On their path to the South Pole, they faced temps of -50F and wind chills near -70F all while they covered nearly seventy marathons back-to-back on less than four hours of sleep a night.
This record breaking journey was nearly ten years in the making for Ben, and truly was an amazing accomplishment, but despite all that he found the inner journey that followed even more challenging than what he faced out on the ice. In this conversation, Ben and Jerry discuss his journey on and off the ice.
Reboot Podcast #9 - Investing in Trust - with Fred Wilson and Jerry Colonnarebootio
Fred Wilson barely needs an introduction for his role and impact in the startup community both as blogger and co-founder of Union Square Ventures. Fred’s also a big reason why I’m here giving this intro: his blog ultimately led me to meeting and now working with Jerry; and his family podcast, Positively 10th Street, was one of the first podcasts I ever listened to. Feels like things have come full circle.
So I’m thrilled to have Fred join Jerry for this episode. In 19 years of friendship and partnership in the startup world, these two have seen just about everything. In this conversation they share some stories from the Flatiron Partnership days, what makes a perfect board, the importance of trust in investing, and what makes a good leader. They even discuss the sheer terror they felt on their own entrepreneurial journey. There’s a lot of great material referenced in this discussion, so we’ve gone ahead and compiled a bunch of links from this show on our podcast page at reboot.io/podcast.
In what we hope will be a series of several, enjoy this first Reboot conversation with Fred Wilson and Jerry Colonna.
Reboot Podcast #25 - Live Beyond Compare - Brad Feld and Jerry Colonna - Rebo...rebootio
It’s so easy, sometimes fun, sometimes painful, and always tempting to compare ourselves to others. As entrepreneurs, the temptation is even stronger. It can at times seem like there’s an endless supply of compare yourself material - from the media, to social media. Ask any Reboot coach...one of the busiest days as a coach is the day a big acquisition or funding announcement occurs. The second busiest is the day after. So what would it be like to let go? What if you stopped trying to be a VC / entrepreneur / father like everyone else? What if you were just you and that was OK?
That is exactly the advice our podcast guest offered up to a 34 year old Jerry Colonna - many, many years ago. We’re truly honored to have Brad Feld on the podcast with Jerry today. Brad is an investor, entrepreneur, and blogger who has been supporting entrepreneurs all over the world since 1987. Brad has also been a great Reboot supporter and teacher. In this conversation these two friends talk about VC’s as Dungeons and Dragons characters, Brad’s evolved investment criteria, and the single best piece of advice Brad offered to Jerry that changed his career.
To have a firm persuasion, to set out boldly in our work, is to make a pilgrimage of our labors, to understand that the consummation of work lies not only in what we have done but who we become while accomplishing the task.
-David Whyte - Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity
In today’s conversation Jerry is joined by Ben Rubin - Cofounder and CEO of Change Collective - an organization itself that is set on helping people make positive change in their lives. Ben comes to Jerry wondering how he can better deal with the negative inner dialogue. They quickly discover that inner voice, and more specifically the feelings that precede it, are a powerful indicator of an underlying fear. What opportunities exist in exploring that fear?
Reboot Podcast #06 - Do you avoid difficult conversations? – with Jerry Colon...rebootio
“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
Jesus, Gospel of Thomas
Do you have an innate desire to make people happy? And does that desire at times cause you to at hold back the truth, out of fear of perhaps hurting others and yourself? Carm Huntress is the CEO of RxReview, a company solving a big problem with big data - overspending on prescription drugs. The company started in January 2012 and is growing beyond it’s 11 employees. Carm realizes his nature as a people pleaser affects his leadership in detrimental ways. In this episode, Jerry and Carm unpack what it means to be fierce, and what’s behind the desire to make people happy. It’s a conversation that will leave you asking: “What if I led from place knew where i knew I was good and also know there are things I want to do better?”
Enjoy the conversation...
Q’s
What if you led from a place in which you knew you were good and knew the things you wanted to do better?
Reboot Podcast #04 - The hidden burdens in our work – with Jerry Colonna, She...rebootio
How can you save a business from the brink of bankruptcy and grow it 2,000% in 10 years, and yet feel like it could all go away in any given moment? Or face the fear, the weight, that you must be chief breadwinner...for you, your family, your co-founder and team’s family as well? Fear is pervasive in our lives, and in the crazy world of startups and entrepreneurship it is an always present participant. In this episode, we have two entrepreneurs dealing with two different and yet similar fears, fears that entrepreneurs will know all too well.
Reboot Podcast #19 Building a House of Belonging with Tanisha Robinsonrebootio
What’s it like to find your path of authentic service in the world? What if you could use the pain of the past, a pain of not knowing where you fit in, of not knowing where you belong to propel you toward work that makes a difference? What if you could create a place of belonging? Well, it might look a lot like what Tanisha Robinson is building with Print Syndicate.
Started just 2.5 years ago with 8 people, Print Syndicate now has over 140 employees and will generate more than $20M in revenue this year. But the company isn’t just about shirts and home goods, it’s a place where people (including a black, gay, woman from a Mormon family of 7 in a small town in Missouri) have a place to self-identify and a place to belong. As Tanisha shares, running a company fueled by your passion to make the world better is both exhilarating and heartwrenching.
Reboot Podcast #23 - With a Little More Care… with Sherman Lee and Jerry Colonnarebootio
Sometimes we spend so much time looking at where we aren’t or where others have gone that we don’t fully appreciate where we are and how much we’ve grown on the journey.
A year ago today, Reboot didn’t have a podcast. A year ago today, Sherman Lee was staring down a draining bank account, a shaky business model, and a crippling fear: if I fail, I won’t be able to provide. A year later we sit with our 23rd podcast episode, a return visit from Sherman one of our first guests, and an opportunity to appreciate Sherman’s journey and growth since we last spoke.
Ben Saunders knows very well the ups and downs that come with attempting to do something extraordinary. Like so many entrepreneurs, he struggled with the challenges of being an effective leader, and faced the pain of fundraising or not meeting payroll. But Ben’s end goal was a bit different. He’ a polar explorer. Between October 2013 and February 2014, he and his companion Tarka broke the record for the longest ever polar journey on foot. On their path to the South Pole, they faced temps of -50F and wind chills near -70F all while they covered nearly seventy marathons back-to-back on less than four hours of sleep a night.
This record breaking journey was nearly ten years in the making for Ben, and truly was an amazing accomplishment, but despite all that he found the inner journey that followed even more challenging than what he faced out on the ice. In this conversation, Ben and Jerry discuss his journey on and off the ice.
Reboot Podcast #28 - Reclaiming the Shadow - with Tracy Lawrence on Reboot Po...rebootio
Tracy Lawrence, Co-founder and CEO of Chewse, and Jerry Colonna talk about authenticity, leading from the heart and on the power of embracing the lost and disowned parts of ourselves. For Tracy, it’s not only about being there for the little girl who was bullied in middle school, but also about owning her very own inner bully. Reclaiming that part of herself will not only impact her approach to the latest company experiment, but it also might affect her own leadership and bring her and her company deeper into alignment.
Reboot Podcast #05 - How Do You Define Success? With Jerry Colonna and Joseph...rebootio
Joseph Chura is the founder and CEO of 2 startups that employ nearly a combined 100 people, yet he feels a constant drive for more. In this conversation with Jerry, Joseph shares his struggles to be present, especially at home with his wife and kids. Why is the drive, the itch to not sit still, so strong? What’s he running towards? Or perhaps running from?
Joseph and Jerry explore why he feels compelled to run, take a look at how & what Joseph is using to define success and why mindfulness is about so much more than meditation...it’s about expanding the space between stimulus and response.
Hugh MacLeod has tapped into his own heart and his own woundedness so that he can speak to the hearts of people and organizations to inspire, to question, to laugh and to grow. Hugh joins Jerry in this episode of The Reboot Podcast to discuss how how he got his start, what motivates leaders, and how to work (and lead) from the heart. (Hint: often the "how" lies in identifying our own wounds).
Reboot Podcast #7 - The Relationship between Depression and Entrepreneurship?...rebootio
After years of rapid growth and expansion, followed by a serious year of depression, Rand Fishkin, founder and former CEO of Moz, found himself in a room surrounded by VC backed CEO’s and entrepreneurs where the question was posed: “How many of you struggle seriously with depression or severe anxiety or emotional issues?” He watched almost every person raise their hand. It’s shocking how universal depression is in startups. For anyone struggling with depression, it’s helpful to know you’re not alone. In this podcast, which is slightly different than past episodes, Jerry converses with Rand about his experience - his “loop,” how shame and guilt are at times his driver, the importance of understanding one’s emotional state, and how he’s made progress in coming out of his own depression, including his one piece of advice for entrepreneurs or anyone dealing with their own depression.
Reboot Podcast #10 - Fail with Honor - with Derek Bereit, Beth McKeon, & Jer...rebootio
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
― Thomas A. Edison
Most startups fail. We all know this as much as we try to forget it. The absolute hardest, hardest question an entrepreneur can ask themselves is: When do you know it’s over?
In the first of two conversations in this episode, we are joined by Derek Bereit, CEO and Co-Founder of Symptomly, who is staring down the end of his runway and wrestling with this very question.
In a second conversation we hear from Beth McKeon, Founder and CEO of Kids Calendar, who is dealing with another common challenge: How do you find, recruit and hire the right person for your startup at the stage that it’s in?
As always we’d love to hear feedback from you either on our website or on twitter @reboothq. Now on with to the conversations.
Reboot Podcast #22 - Does Anyone Know what they are Doing? With Sharon Salzbe...rebootio
We’re often in (or feel we’re in) uncharted waters - a place where making things up as we go is a necessity. Feeling lost in those places can be anxiety-inducing. We feel incompetent. We feel shameful. We can end up feeling that everyone has figured it out but me. But how true is that, really? And perhaps the better question--how can owning my own anxiety in these areas help me step more fully into my authentic self and even increase my capacity for happiness?
We are honored to welcome one of our key teachers at Reboot, Sharon Salzberg, to the podcast. In this conversation, Sharon and Jerry discuss Sharon’s own entrepreneurial path, a new definition of success (and failure), authenticity, loving kindness and the question: Does anyone really know what they are doing?
Reboot Podcast #20 with Bijan Sabet - Investors are Human toorebootio
It sounds so obvious, perhaps even tongue in cheek, but it also seems to be forgotten enough that it needs to be said aloud again: Investors are human too. They, like the entrepreneurs they back, can ride the rollercoaster of emotions that often come with starting a company. In this episode Jerry Colonna is joined by Bijan Sabet of Spark Capital and they explore some of the tensions that often arise between investors and entrepreneurs, the emotional perspective of the investor, and the importance of purpose and artistry. As a bonus, it includes Jerry reading a blessing at the end.
Reboot Podcast #01 - How self reflection potentially saved a business - the r...rebootio
Derek Flanzraich, CEO of one of the fastest growing health and wellness sites, Greatist, joins Jerry for this episode to share the story of his personal journey over the last 10 months. His journey of introspection started when he attended a CEO bootcamp last October and begin to reflect on a personal challenge, which ultimately lead him to a solution to a business challenge that could have destroyed his business. Derek’s openness and introspection is inspiring, and will inspire you to re-examine how your own stories impact your business and your life.
Reboot Podcast #26 - Finding your Business Soulmate - Founders of The Grommet...rebootio
Two co-founders, who refer to each other as business soulmates, have found themselves in that special place of alignment. A place in partnership where they align not just intellectually, not just energetically, not even just at a values level, but at a human level. Jules Pieri (her second time on the show) and her partner Joanne Domeniconi oni are the Co-founders of The Grommet. They join Jerry to talk about the beginning of their partnership, where and how they found alignment at the human level, how it has evolved over time, and the challenges it represents as they scale the business
Reboot Podcast #27 - From Caring Comes Courage - with Jerry Colonna on Reboot...rebootio
From caring comes courage.
Lao Tzu
It’s wonderful to have the support of so many, to have so many who believe in you. But there is another side to it: the weight and fear of disappointing them. Zoe Weintraub is founder of Opus for Work and is our guest on this episode of the podcast. Zoe and Jerry discuss both the beauty and burden of external expectations, and ultimately find that when you follow the emotion and vulnerability associated with them, they expose your superpower hiding in plain sight.
Reboot Podcast #30 - Who Do You Turn To? - with Yancey Strickler and Ian Hogarthrebootio
There’s a saying: Behind every great man is a great woman. I would add: behind every great entrepreneur is a great friend. The entrepreneurial path simply can’t be traveled alone. So when Jerry asked Kickstarter’s CEO and Co-founder, Yancey Strickler: Who do you turn to? He response was immediate: Ian Hogarth, Co-founder and Chairman of Songkick. We’re grateful to have Yancey and Ian join Jerry in today’s podcast to talk about their friendship, the importance of peer relationships in entrepreneurship, the relief of being heard by those who can empathize with your experience, as well as those who can challenge you from a place of love and deep understanding. Enjoy this discussion with Jerry, Ian Hogarth, and Yancey Strickler.
This conversation was recorded in early December, and since then Ian has announced his intention to give up the Co-CEO role at Soundkick and focus on his role at Chairman.
Zelle Nelson and Maureen McCarthy are not only co-founders of The Center For Collaborative Awareness, but they are also married to each other. They created a collaboration process called “The Blueprint of We” in 1998 as they began their dating relationship. This collaboration process is used to build and sustain healthier, more resilient business and personal relationships, which makes day-to-day interactions effortless and time together creative and productive. This process is facilitated through completing a document that has five components: The Story of Us, Interaction Styles and Warning Signs, Expectations, Questions to Return to Peace, and Short and Long-Term Agreements. Maureen and Zelle are using the Blueprint of We process and document to create a place where people actually look forward to going to work where everyone’s knowledge, passions, and interests rise to the surface to create a stronger and more vibrant company or community.
Reboot Podcast #03 - This being so, so what? – With Jerry Colonna and Nigel S...rebootio
As CEO of a young startup, you can often feel what you are facing right now can make or break your company, can make or break you. And you will likely find yourself in this place more than once. Nigel Sharp, CEO of Armenian based Lion Sharp, finds himself in one of these very moments. He feels the energy of a promising product, and the reality of 6 months of runway. How do you balance the excitement and challenges? How do discuss the reality of your finances with your team? How do you discuss your fears, not only of failure but of success?
Reboot Podcast #32 - Invest in Being Yourself - with Bryce Roberts and Chris ...rebootio
VC’s Bryce Roberts of OATV and Indie.vc, and Chris Marks of Blue Note Ventures both found the standard issue of the VC world was not a fit for them. They both sought out to set a new path, one that aligned with who they are and what they value. In a conversation with Jerry, and each other, they explore the challenges on their journey, and the potential opportunities they have to better connect with entrepreneurs through those challenges. This conversation may leave you asking yourself:
In my own work, what are my values? What are my priorities? What am I wearing today?
Reboot Podcast #15 - Becoming a Leader: The Crucible of Co-Founder Conflict w...rebootio
JW Player has come a long way. The JW player and platform is now used by over 2.5 million publishers and 20% of the fortune 1,000 companies. Each month about 1 billion people watch video on their platform. Behind those numbers are real people--including three co-founders who, over the last eight years, have experienced their own profound personal growth and leadership transformations.
In a special first video episode, only fitting for the co-founders of one of the world’s largest video platforms, we have the 3 co-founders of JW Player joining Jerry in person. In a very open conversation, they explore key challenging moments in their company and partnership history -and how they emerged from those moments stronger and more committed than ever. It's an inspiring story of leaders born through adversity
Reboot Podcast #31 - Why Being Real Matters- with Evgeny Shadchnevrebootio
So many entrepreneurs seek to model their leadership after the high-profile, successful giants of business. Should I be leader more like Steve Jobs? How can I be more like Jeff Bezos? How can I be more like Travis from Uber? These are not only questions without answers, they are the wrong questions. The real question is, “Who the fuck are you?” You’re not Steve Jobs. You’re not Jeff Bezos. You’re you. What does the leader within you look like?
In today’s conversation, Jerry is joined by Evgeny, Co-founder and CEO of Makers Academy. Ev wrestles with the question of whether it’s possible to scale an organization built around trust, or does success require a leader who governs by fear? Together they discover a more beautiful, more fundamental question --“Who is Evgeny?” In that answer they may find a path to personal alignment and more effective leadership.
Reboot Podcast #11 - Stop and See: Mind Hacking, Meditation and Leadership - ...rebootio
“Consciousness is so turbulent” - Emily Horn
Vincent Horn is a mind hacker & Buddhist geek. He has been practicing meditation intensively since his freshman year in college. In 2006, Vincent co-founded Buddhist Geeks, which has gone on to become one of today's most important venues for exploring Buddhist thought & practice in the 21st century. Buddhist Geeks has been featured on the pages of the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Tricycle, and The Atlantic. Vincent was also honored to be part of Wired’s "Smart List 2012: 50 people who will change the world."
In this episode, Vincent and Jerry talk about their mindfulness practices, how Vincent navigated his own ups and downs as an entrepreneur, and how meditation and mindfulness can create better leaders, and better organizations.
And be sure to listen all the way through the end, as Vincent has included a 10 minute guided meditation for you to kickstart your own mindfulness practice.
Reboot Podcast #34 - Self actualization - with Henry May on Reboot Podcastrebootio
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.” – Carl Jung.
"Work is difficulty and drama, a high-stakes game in which our identity, our self-esteem, and our ability to provide are mixed inside us in a volatile, sometimes explosive ways.” from David Whyte in his incredible book, Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a pilgrimage of Identity.
That volatile, explosive mix is a gift. It presents a tremendous opportunity for us to do our own work, our inner work, and further develop our own understanding of self. In our conversation today, Jerry is joined by Henry May, founder and CEO of CoSchool, based in Columbia. Henry comes to Jerry with this very issue: How might the journey of entrepreneurship, specifically his own, open up new opportunities for him to grow? Or said more directly: How might he use his work at Coschool to do the real work on his humanity?
Reboot Podcast #29 - Who's in Your Corner? - with Carrie Barryrebootio
Carrie Barry has had her own great challenges to overcome, including real struggles at home that forced her to leave at the age of 12 and strike out on her own. She’s proven resilient, stitching the struggles of her past into the fabric of her being and choosing to appreciate and utilize that pain into the work she does today. Carrie Barry is former Olympic Boxer and entrepreneur who owns and runs a boxing gym in Boulder where people come to break a sweat, get a hug, and learn some valuable life lessons. She also happens to be, in a twist, a boxing coach for 2 of Reboot’s finest: Jerry and Ali. Join Jerry in getting a little coaching, and a lot of inspiration in this conversation with Carrie Barry.
Fitness Money Episode 13 - Intervew with Cabelmikacns
In this special Fitness Money Podcast episode we did an interview with an expert in the industry. Meet Cabel McElderry and check out a couple of amazing tips and ton of valuable info you can use in your fitness business.
The Reboot podcast was started because we believed that there needed to be an authentic, real conversation about the emotional journey of entrepreneurship. One that included its valleys and not just its peaks. 1 in 3 entrepreneurs will struggle with depression or burnout in their career, yet when it happens to them, many entrepreneurs feel totally alone in their experience.
Rob Symington is founder and entrepreneur who experienced a debilitating period of burnout following the launch of his startup, a startup that was inspired by the idea that work could be more fulfilling, less stressful and generally improve people’s lives no less. In this conversation, Jerry and Rob discuss his experience, why Rob believes it’s so important for him to share it, how he is moving forward, and the fact that the pressure of doing something you passionately believe in can challenge you unlike anything else.
Reboot Podcast #28 - Reclaiming the Shadow - with Tracy Lawrence on Reboot Po...rebootio
Tracy Lawrence, Co-founder and CEO of Chewse, and Jerry Colonna talk about authenticity, leading from the heart and on the power of embracing the lost and disowned parts of ourselves. For Tracy, it’s not only about being there for the little girl who was bullied in middle school, but also about owning her very own inner bully. Reclaiming that part of herself will not only impact her approach to the latest company experiment, but it also might affect her own leadership and bring her and her company deeper into alignment.
Reboot Podcast #05 - How Do You Define Success? With Jerry Colonna and Joseph...rebootio
Joseph Chura is the founder and CEO of 2 startups that employ nearly a combined 100 people, yet he feels a constant drive for more. In this conversation with Jerry, Joseph shares his struggles to be present, especially at home with his wife and kids. Why is the drive, the itch to not sit still, so strong? What’s he running towards? Or perhaps running from?
Joseph and Jerry explore why he feels compelled to run, take a look at how & what Joseph is using to define success and why mindfulness is about so much more than meditation...it’s about expanding the space between stimulus and response.
Hugh MacLeod has tapped into his own heart and his own woundedness so that he can speak to the hearts of people and organizations to inspire, to question, to laugh and to grow. Hugh joins Jerry in this episode of The Reboot Podcast to discuss how how he got his start, what motivates leaders, and how to work (and lead) from the heart. (Hint: often the "how" lies in identifying our own wounds).
Reboot Podcast #7 - The Relationship between Depression and Entrepreneurship?...rebootio
After years of rapid growth and expansion, followed by a serious year of depression, Rand Fishkin, founder and former CEO of Moz, found himself in a room surrounded by VC backed CEO’s and entrepreneurs where the question was posed: “How many of you struggle seriously with depression or severe anxiety or emotional issues?” He watched almost every person raise their hand. It’s shocking how universal depression is in startups. For anyone struggling with depression, it’s helpful to know you’re not alone. In this podcast, which is slightly different than past episodes, Jerry converses with Rand about his experience - his “loop,” how shame and guilt are at times his driver, the importance of understanding one’s emotional state, and how he’s made progress in coming out of his own depression, including his one piece of advice for entrepreneurs or anyone dealing with their own depression.
Reboot Podcast #10 - Fail with Honor - with Derek Bereit, Beth McKeon, & Jer...rebootio
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
― Thomas A. Edison
Most startups fail. We all know this as much as we try to forget it. The absolute hardest, hardest question an entrepreneur can ask themselves is: When do you know it’s over?
In the first of two conversations in this episode, we are joined by Derek Bereit, CEO and Co-Founder of Symptomly, who is staring down the end of his runway and wrestling with this very question.
In a second conversation we hear from Beth McKeon, Founder and CEO of Kids Calendar, who is dealing with another common challenge: How do you find, recruit and hire the right person for your startup at the stage that it’s in?
As always we’d love to hear feedback from you either on our website or on twitter @reboothq. Now on with to the conversations.
Reboot Podcast #22 - Does Anyone Know what they are Doing? With Sharon Salzbe...rebootio
We’re often in (or feel we’re in) uncharted waters - a place where making things up as we go is a necessity. Feeling lost in those places can be anxiety-inducing. We feel incompetent. We feel shameful. We can end up feeling that everyone has figured it out but me. But how true is that, really? And perhaps the better question--how can owning my own anxiety in these areas help me step more fully into my authentic self and even increase my capacity for happiness?
We are honored to welcome one of our key teachers at Reboot, Sharon Salzberg, to the podcast. In this conversation, Sharon and Jerry discuss Sharon’s own entrepreneurial path, a new definition of success (and failure), authenticity, loving kindness and the question: Does anyone really know what they are doing?
Reboot Podcast #20 with Bijan Sabet - Investors are Human toorebootio
It sounds so obvious, perhaps even tongue in cheek, but it also seems to be forgotten enough that it needs to be said aloud again: Investors are human too. They, like the entrepreneurs they back, can ride the rollercoaster of emotions that often come with starting a company. In this episode Jerry Colonna is joined by Bijan Sabet of Spark Capital and they explore some of the tensions that often arise between investors and entrepreneurs, the emotional perspective of the investor, and the importance of purpose and artistry. As a bonus, it includes Jerry reading a blessing at the end.
Reboot Podcast #01 - How self reflection potentially saved a business - the r...rebootio
Derek Flanzraich, CEO of one of the fastest growing health and wellness sites, Greatist, joins Jerry for this episode to share the story of his personal journey over the last 10 months. His journey of introspection started when he attended a CEO bootcamp last October and begin to reflect on a personal challenge, which ultimately lead him to a solution to a business challenge that could have destroyed his business. Derek’s openness and introspection is inspiring, and will inspire you to re-examine how your own stories impact your business and your life.
Reboot Podcast #26 - Finding your Business Soulmate - Founders of The Grommet...rebootio
Two co-founders, who refer to each other as business soulmates, have found themselves in that special place of alignment. A place in partnership where they align not just intellectually, not just energetically, not even just at a values level, but at a human level. Jules Pieri (her second time on the show) and her partner Joanne Domeniconi oni are the Co-founders of The Grommet. They join Jerry to talk about the beginning of their partnership, where and how they found alignment at the human level, how it has evolved over time, and the challenges it represents as they scale the business
Reboot Podcast #27 - From Caring Comes Courage - with Jerry Colonna on Reboot...rebootio
From caring comes courage.
Lao Tzu
It’s wonderful to have the support of so many, to have so many who believe in you. But there is another side to it: the weight and fear of disappointing them. Zoe Weintraub is founder of Opus for Work and is our guest on this episode of the podcast. Zoe and Jerry discuss both the beauty and burden of external expectations, and ultimately find that when you follow the emotion and vulnerability associated with them, they expose your superpower hiding in plain sight.
Reboot Podcast #30 - Who Do You Turn To? - with Yancey Strickler and Ian Hogarthrebootio
There’s a saying: Behind every great man is a great woman. I would add: behind every great entrepreneur is a great friend. The entrepreneurial path simply can’t be traveled alone. So when Jerry asked Kickstarter’s CEO and Co-founder, Yancey Strickler: Who do you turn to? He response was immediate: Ian Hogarth, Co-founder and Chairman of Songkick. We’re grateful to have Yancey and Ian join Jerry in today’s podcast to talk about their friendship, the importance of peer relationships in entrepreneurship, the relief of being heard by those who can empathize with your experience, as well as those who can challenge you from a place of love and deep understanding. Enjoy this discussion with Jerry, Ian Hogarth, and Yancey Strickler.
This conversation was recorded in early December, and since then Ian has announced his intention to give up the Co-CEO role at Soundkick and focus on his role at Chairman.
Zelle Nelson and Maureen McCarthy are not only co-founders of The Center For Collaborative Awareness, but they are also married to each other. They created a collaboration process called “The Blueprint of We” in 1998 as they began their dating relationship. This collaboration process is used to build and sustain healthier, more resilient business and personal relationships, which makes day-to-day interactions effortless and time together creative and productive. This process is facilitated through completing a document that has five components: The Story of Us, Interaction Styles and Warning Signs, Expectations, Questions to Return to Peace, and Short and Long-Term Agreements. Maureen and Zelle are using the Blueprint of We process and document to create a place where people actually look forward to going to work where everyone’s knowledge, passions, and interests rise to the surface to create a stronger and more vibrant company or community.
Reboot Podcast #03 - This being so, so what? – With Jerry Colonna and Nigel S...rebootio
As CEO of a young startup, you can often feel what you are facing right now can make or break your company, can make or break you. And you will likely find yourself in this place more than once. Nigel Sharp, CEO of Armenian based Lion Sharp, finds himself in one of these very moments. He feels the energy of a promising product, and the reality of 6 months of runway. How do you balance the excitement and challenges? How do discuss the reality of your finances with your team? How do you discuss your fears, not only of failure but of success?
Reboot Podcast #32 - Invest in Being Yourself - with Bryce Roberts and Chris ...rebootio
VC’s Bryce Roberts of OATV and Indie.vc, and Chris Marks of Blue Note Ventures both found the standard issue of the VC world was not a fit for them. They both sought out to set a new path, one that aligned with who they are and what they value. In a conversation with Jerry, and each other, they explore the challenges on their journey, and the potential opportunities they have to better connect with entrepreneurs through those challenges. This conversation may leave you asking yourself:
In my own work, what are my values? What are my priorities? What am I wearing today?
Reboot Podcast #15 - Becoming a Leader: The Crucible of Co-Founder Conflict w...rebootio
JW Player has come a long way. The JW player and platform is now used by over 2.5 million publishers and 20% of the fortune 1,000 companies. Each month about 1 billion people watch video on their platform. Behind those numbers are real people--including three co-founders who, over the last eight years, have experienced their own profound personal growth and leadership transformations.
In a special first video episode, only fitting for the co-founders of one of the world’s largest video platforms, we have the 3 co-founders of JW Player joining Jerry in person. In a very open conversation, they explore key challenging moments in their company and partnership history -and how they emerged from those moments stronger and more committed than ever. It's an inspiring story of leaders born through adversity
Reboot Podcast #31 - Why Being Real Matters- with Evgeny Shadchnevrebootio
So many entrepreneurs seek to model their leadership after the high-profile, successful giants of business. Should I be leader more like Steve Jobs? How can I be more like Jeff Bezos? How can I be more like Travis from Uber? These are not only questions without answers, they are the wrong questions. The real question is, “Who the fuck are you?” You’re not Steve Jobs. You’re not Jeff Bezos. You’re you. What does the leader within you look like?
In today’s conversation, Jerry is joined by Evgeny, Co-founder and CEO of Makers Academy. Ev wrestles with the question of whether it’s possible to scale an organization built around trust, or does success require a leader who governs by fear? Together they discover a more beautiful, more fundamental question --“Who is Evgeny?” In that answer they may find a path to personal alignment and more effective leadership.
Reboot Podcast #11 - Stop and See: Mind Hacking, Meditation and Leadership - ...rebootio
“Consciousness is so turbulent” - Emily Horn
Vincent Horn is a mind hacker & Buddhist geek. He has been practicing meditation intensively since his freshman year in college. In 2006, Vincent co-founded Buddhist Geeks, which has gone on to become one of today's most important venues for exploring Buddhist thought & practice in the 21st century. Buddhist Geeks has been featured on the pages of the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Tricycle, and The Atlantic. Vincent was also honored to be part of Wired’s "Smart List 2012: 50 people who will change the world."
In this episode, Vincent and Jerry talk about their mindfulness practices, how Vincent navigated his own ups and downs as an entrepreneur, and how meditation and mindfulness can create better leaders, and better organizations.
And be sure to listen all the way through the end, as Vincent has included a 10 minute guided meditation for you to kickstart your own mindfulness practice.
Reboot Podcast #34 - Self actualization - with Henry May on Reboot Podcastrebootio
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.” – Carl Jung.
"Work is difficulty and drama, a high-stakes game in which our identity, our self-esteem, and our ability to provide are mixed inside us in a volatile, sometimes explosive ways.” from David Whyte in his incredible book, Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a pilgrimage of Identity.
That volatile, explosive mix is a gift. It presents a tremendous opportunity for us to do our own work, our inner work, and further develop our own understanding of self. In our conversation today, Jerry is joined by Henry May, founder and CEO of CoSchool, based in Columbia. Henry comes to Jerry with this very issue: How might the journey of entrepreneurship, specifically his own, open up new opportunities for him to grow? Or said more directly: How might he use his work at Coschool to do the real work on his humanity?
Reboot Podcast #29 - Who's in Your Corner? - with Carrie Barryrebootio
Carrie Barry has had her own great challenges to overcome, including real struggles at home that forced her to leave at the age of 12 and strike out on her own. She’s proven resilient, stitching the struggles of her past into the fabric of her being and choosing to appreciate and utilize that pain into the work she does today. Carrie Barry is former Olympic Boxer and entrepreneur who owns and runs a boxing gym in Boulder where people come to break a sweat, get a hug, and learn some valuable life lessons. She also happens to be, in a twist, a boxing coach for 2 of Reboot’s finest: Jerry and Ali. Join Jerry in getting a little coaching, and a lot of inspiration in this conversation with Carrie Barry.
Fitness Money Episode 13 - Intervew with Cabelmikacns
In this special Fitness Money Podcast episode we did an interview with an expert in the industry. Meet Cabel McElderry and check out a couple of amazing tips and ton of valuable info you can use in your fitness business.
The Reboot podcast was started because we believed that there needed to be an authentic, real conversation about the emotional journey of entrepreneurship. One that included its valleys and not just its peaks. 1 in 3 entrepreneurs will struggle with depression or burnout in their career, yet when it happens to them, many entrepreneurs feel totally alone in their experience.
Rob Symington is founder and entrepreneur who experienced a debilitating period of burnout following the launch of his startup, a startup that was inspired by the idea that work could be more fulfilling, less stressful and generally improve people’s lives no less. In this conversation, Jerry and Rob discuss his experience, why Rob believes it’s so important for him to share it, how he is moving forward, and the fact that the pressure of doing something you passionately believe in can challenge you unlike anything else.
Reboot Podcast #33 - Do I Even Have A Superpower?- with Kent Cavender-Baresrebootio
Have you ever asked yourself the question: I wonder if we'd be better off with someone else in my role?
In this podcast, a listener, Kent Cavender-Bares from Rowbots comes to Jerry with a question a similar question about his superpower: "What if my deep integrity, my commitment to simply telling how it is, is the reason we’re unable to fundraise? Do I even have a Superpower? Wouldn’t Rowbots, be further along if someone else was leading?" Jerry and Kent explore the double edge of a superpower, and how the path through his challenges may lie in a new set of questions: How can I be even more like Kent? How can I embrace my superpower? How can I believe in myself? And why is that so damned important?
Reboot Podcast #38 - Plant seeds of your life - With Congressman Tim Ryan on ...rebootio
Congressman Tim Ryan is our guest for Episode 38 of the Reboot Podcast. Tim is a special guy, and not just because he’s a congressman, and not just because he’s from Ohio – though that’s pretty great too – but because he’s committed to bringing heart, humanity, mindfulness and a long-term focus into a space that doesn’t always welcome it: government. In this conversation (originally recorded in November), Tim shares his journey to mindfulness, his ongoing practice in noticing his own inner conversation, and his commitment to mindfully planting seeds for the future and having the patience to watching them grow.
In this first episode of The Power Of Bold podcast, Adam Pascarella shares some case studies and strategies on how you can break out of a career slump or rut. To listen to the episode, please click one of the links below:
iTunes: https://buff.ly/2TFaHbq
Google Play: https://buff.ly/2TJLb53
Spotify: https://buff.ly/2TMU65R
Stitcher: https://buff.ly/2D1QVkS
An innovation and strategy consultant, Chris Ertel has years of experience advising senior executives of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and large nonprofit. Chris talks about his new book Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations That Accelerate Change in this Business901 Podcast. I thought this excerpt from the podcast was a great “How to” for explaining his message. Related Podcast and Transcription: Planning Your Strategic Conversations
Reboot Podcast #40 - Going beyond blame with Dave Zwieback on Reboot Podcastrebootio
Why the rush to assign the blame? There is something calming about finding a target. It's like this moment of being lost in a rough sea of chaos and uncertainty. A person to assign the fault is like an unsinkable lifeboat to grasp. We climb aboard and take a deep breath and relax. "Well, that’s solved." We do it as individuals, we do it as organizations, we do it as a society. But what incredibly valuable opportunities lie in resisting this urge to assign fault? What might what we learn in what didn’t or did work if we explore a bit more?
At Techbox Square, in Singapore, we're not just creative web designers and developers, we're the driving force behind your brand identity. Contact us today.
Personal Brand Statement:
As an Army veteran dedicated to lifelong learning, I bring a disciplined, strategic mindset to my pursuits. I am constantly expanding my knowledge to innovate and lead effectively. My journey is driven by a commitment to excellence, and to make a meaningful impact in the world.
Navigating the world of forex trading can be challenging, especially for beginners. To help you make an informed decision, we have comprehensively compared the best forex brokers in India for 2024. This article, reviewed by Top Forex Brokers Review, will cover featured award winners, the best forex brokers, featured offers, the best copy trading platforms, the best forex brokers for beginners, the best MetaTrader brokers, and recently updated reviews. We will focus on FP Markets, Black Bull, EightCap, IC Markets, and Octa.
Tata Group Dials Taiwan for Its Chipmaking Ambition in Gujarat’s DholeraAvirahi City Dholera
The Tata Group, a titan of Indian industry, is making waves with its advanced talks with Taiwanese chipmakers Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) and UMC Group. The goal? Establishing a cutting-edge semiconductor fabrication unit (fab) in Dholera, Gujarat. This isn’t just any project; it’s a potential game changer for India’s chipmaking aspirations and a boon for investors seeking promising residential projects in dholera sir.
Visit : https://www.avirahi.com/blog/tata-group-dials-taiwan-for-its-chipmaking-ambition-in-gujarats-dholera/
Event Report - SAP Sapphire 2024 Orlando - lots of innovation and old challengesHolger Mueller
Holger Mueller of Constellation Research shares his key takeaways from SAP's Sapphire confernece, held in Orlando, June 3rd till 5th 2024, in the Orange Convention Center.
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A personal brand exploration presentation summarizes an individual's unique qualities and goals, covering strengths, values, passions, and target audience. It helps individuals understand what makes them stand out, their desired image, and how they aim to achieve it.
Top mailing list providers in the USA.pptxJeremyPeirce1
Discover the top mailing list providers in the USA, offering targeted lists, segmentation, and analytics to optimize your marketing campaigns and drive engagement.
Recruiting in the Digital Age: A Social Media MasterclassLuanWise
In this masterclass, presented at the Global HR Summit on 5th June 2024, Luan Wise explored the essential features of social media platforms that support talent acquisition, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok.
Anny Serafina Love - Letter of Recommendation by Kellen Harkins, MS.AnnySerafinaLove
This letter, written by Kellen Harkins, Course Director at Full Sail University, commends Anny Love's exemplary performance in the Video Sharing Platforms class. It highlights her dedication, willingness to challenge herself, and exceptional skills in production, editing, and marketing across various video platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
Digital Transformation and IT Strategy Toolkit and TemplatesAurelien Domont, MBA
This Digital Transformation and IT Strategy Toolkit was created by ex-McKinsey, Deloitte and BCG Management Consultants, after more than 5,000 hours of work. It is considered the world's best & most comprehensive Digital Transformation and IT Strategy Toolkit. It includes all the Frameworks, Best Practices & Templates required to successfully undertake the Digital Transformation of your organization and define a robust IT Strategy.
Editable Toolkit to help you reuse our content: 700 Powerpoint slides | 35 Excel sheets | 84 minutes of Video training
This PowerPoint presentation is only a small preview of our Toolkits. For more details, visit www.domontconsulting.com
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The Influence of Marketing Strategy and Market Competition on Business Perfor...
Reboot Podcast #8 - How Introspection Changed My Business - With Blaine Vess and Jerry Colonna
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Jerry Colonna: Hey folks! This is Jerry.
Ali Schultz: And I’m Ali.
Jerry Colonna: And before we start the podcast today, we thought we’d take a minute and tell
you a little bit more about the boot camps. You know, I think as powerful as
coaching can be, I was always frustrated by the kind of limitations implicit in
even a regularly scheduled session and I always wanted to go deeper. Having
done a number of workshops in my own life and had powerful, immersive
experiences, I knew that there was a benefit to spending the time to go deep. I
also knew that there was a benefit to connecting with other people and maybe
even arguably more benefit to connecting with other people than there was in
actually going deep in the material. You know, the notion of sitting around at
8:00 o’clock at night, having had a really powerful and transformative day
with somebody and just talking about – was always really important for me.
So, I wanted to provide that kind of experience. I also wanted to have an
experience where people could both go deep on the process of learning the
specifics of the job, but really being given the opportunity for what I always
talk about is that radical self-inquiry because I’m so interested in people
learning to be human and that the process of being is so much more powerful
than the process of doing the job. So, why don’t you take a minute and tell us
what’s coming up in 2015 and what we’re looking for?
Ali Schultz: We have three events this year. We have a Winter Boot Camp, February 25th
to March 1st, the Summer Boot Camp, which is our first co-founded bootcamp
which will be in May, and our first ever Boot Camp 2.0, which we designed
for our alums which will be held in October on the two year anniversary of
our first ever boot camp.
Jerry Colonna: And I guess, in the end what we’re just going to encourage people to do is to
reach out, go to reboot.io/bootcamp and thanks for listening. I guess we’ll
2. Reboot 008 Year Introspection
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move on to the podcast now.
Welcome to the Reboot podcast. I'm Dan Putt, one of the partners here at Reboot and I could not
be more excited about this conversation. We're here to showcase the heart and soul of authentic
leadership, to inspire more open conversations around what we consider the most important part
of entrepreneurship, the emotional struggle and hopefully, we open up some hearts along the
way. We are extremely grateful that you have taken the time to be with us and look forward to
this journey ahead with you. Now, on with our conversation.
"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom" - Aristotle. Entrepreneur and CEO Blaine
Vess has an impressive story. StudyMode, the company he helped start and bootstrap from his
dorm room almost 16 years ago, now has 30 employees and sees between 60 and 90 million
visitors a month. It’s rare to find 15-year-old bootstrapped companies. It’s rare to have the same
CEO for 15 years as Blaine has been. But last year, Blaine wanted more for his company and
himself. He wanted to help push his company to the next level. To achieve this, he didn’t look
elsewhere or outside. He looked within. In this conversation, Jerry and Blaine talk about Blaine’s
year of introspection which included a stop at one of our boot camps as well as him working with
a coach and therapist which ultimately helped him to understand how and why he was holding
himself back. Perhaps Blaine and Jerry’s conversation, our first of 2015, may spark your own
year of introspection. Now enjoy the conversation.
Jerry Colonna: Hey Blaine! How are you?
Blaine Vess: I’m great! How are you Jerry?
Jerry Colonna: Good, good. It really is good to see you again, you know. We were just
joking, it’s been a few weeks since the camp, but it sort of feels like it’s been
a long time.
Blaine Vess: Yeah, yeah. It’s been an eternity.
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Jerry Colonna: Yeah.
Blaine Vess: It’s been an eternity.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah, yeah. So, I’ll be curious to hear a little bit more about your experiences
post camp as well, but –
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: – before we get started, why don’t you tell us a little bit about the company
and yourself and then even a little bit about what it is that you want to talk
through today.
Blaine Vess: Sure. So, I’ve been running a company called StudyMode for about 15 years
since freshman year of college and we help students succeed in school by
offering them a network of websites, apps, things like cram.com which is a
flashcard website for memorizing languages, art, history, medical
terminology, whatever you are trying to learn and a number of other
properties. For the first 11 or 12 years of the business, I ran it just with a
couple of friends, my two co-founders and three years ago we decided to
reinvest in the business, really professionalize it, take it to another level. So,
it’s been a long journey, but now we’re about 30 people here in Los Angeles
and our sites reach, depending on the time of year, anywhere between 60-90
million users a month.
Jerry Colonna: Wow.
Blaine Vess: Yeah, that’s us.
Jerry Colonna: You’re smiling. I’d be proud. Are you proud?
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Blaine Vess: I am proud. I am proud.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah.
Blaine Vess: You know, learned a lot of lessons over the years, but we made it through and
we’re still going strong. So, I’m very proud.
Jerry Colonna: It’s rare to have a company that’s been bootstrapped. It’s rare to have a CEO
stay in place for 15 years.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: It’s rare that a company can succeed like that, I mean, just beating the odds
seems to be a big component of what you’ve been doing which is kind of cool.
Blaine Vess: Yeah, yeah. It’s just been a lot of sticking with it and experimentation over the
years, just seeing what works and, you know, asking advice whenever I could
and having a great team at this point. So, yeah. It’s been a lot of trial and error
but we made it; we made it through.
Jerry Colonna: That’s great and I appreciate you taking the time for that. Tell me, what was
on your mind? What were you thinking about as it relates to participating in
the podcast and I’m wondering too if it has anything to do with sort of the post
boot camp experience? Right, you came to our October 2014 boot camp so tell
me what’s going on for you.
Blaine Vess: Yeah, so this year has been what I call my year of therapy and coaching.
Jerry Colonna: Mm-hmm.
Blaine Vess: So, you know, I worked – and I’ll just elaborate a little on that. I worked with
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a therapist earlier this year, to work on some of the issues that I was having at
the company just really around more of a sort of management perspective like
how do I get better at this or, just helping my team get better, helping myself
get better; just to be a better leader. Then, I met Khalid, who’s been my coach
for, I don’t know, six months now.
Jerry Colonna: That’s Khalid Halim, my partner here at Reboot.
Blaine Vess: Exactly. So that was like, another step in the right direction that’s been
extremely helpful. Luckily, a friend introduced me to him and I know it’s
helped me become a better leader, which has helped this company become
better. Then going to the boot camp, kind of topped everything off; just sort of
getting to a place where I knew that I wasn’t alone. I met some very, very
talented, smart people all facing similar or even the same issues. I learned a lot
from you and the team at Reboot as well as all my peers there. I guess one of
the biggest things for me was just being more comfortable with the idea of
taking it easy sometimes. I mentioned this to you once before, earlier this year
especially, I was walking around the office and it feels like, you know, being
on some sort of like, Speed or drugs like, just very intense and then I
remember you talking about it with Jason Calacanis’ words, "It’s adrenaline."
It is a drug and I know I was really riding that a lot and I still get that
sometimes but I’m also, at this point, more comfortable with chilling out,
leaving the office a little early sometimes, deciding to go out rather than
forcing myself to work till 1:00 AM on a Friday or something like that. So,
I’ve definitely chilled out a little bit but it’s also about sort of refocusing and
at this stage of my company, figuring out what’s next and getting some help to
take it to the next levels.
Jerry Colonna: It feels like that this itself, this whole year has been a kind of a year – I mean,
you called it a year of therapy and coaching and if there is a larger umbrella,
it’s kind of a year of introspection and self-reflection. Is that right?
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Blaine Vess: Yeah, definitely, definitely and it’s great, it’s exciting learning about yourself
because once you know that you have certain things that drive you or, in some
cases, hold you back and you can actually work on those things, it’s really
helpful. So, I’ve been working with both Khalid my coach and therapist so
like okay, great, we worked out some things like, what’s next? You know,
what else can we work out?
Jerry Colonna: Yeah.
Blaine Vess: So –
Jerry Colonna: You know, it reminds me of this notion of a kind of conscious awareness of
what’s really going on internally; creating opportunity for choice.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: You know, if you remember from some of the conversations we’ve had at the
camp, some of my favorite questions were things like, well what kind of adult
do you want to be?
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: And what kind of company do you want to run? Or what kind of company do
you want to work for; right?
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: Because you really are creating those things. You’re creating that person by
the choices we make every day. You know, one of my Buddhist teachers gave
me an instruction last week and it’s been really powerful and what she said
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was – and then I’ll explain it, "All beings own their own karma. Our
happiness, our unhappiness is a function of our choices. Not my wishes for
them." And you know, the teaching is really about raising a level of awareness
about the fact that so much of what we, sort of think about is happening to us
is really a consequence of choices that we have made or even the choice to not
deal with something. So, you know, the case for you, it sounds like part of
what you have been dealing with in the last year, is an increasing awareness of
the things that you were either doing or not doing –
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: – that contributed to either your happiness or unhappiness. Am I getting that
right?
Blaine Vess: Yes, definitely.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah.
Blaine Vess: Definitely. Spot on. Once you know they’re there, now what do you do?
Jerry Colonna: Yeah.
Blaine Vess: So, I can’t remember the quote you shared with us. I should remember. Well –
Jerry Colonna: This being so?
Blaine Vess: Yes, "This being so, so what?"
Jerry Colonna: Yeah, this being so, so what?
Blaine Vess: That’s it.
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Jerry Colonna: Right, right. Yeah and what that refers to is really, you know, recognition
without judgment, right?
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: Which is really, really key because one of the reasons why we hide shit from
ourselves is because it doesn’t make us feel good.
Blaine Vess: Right.
Jerry Colonna: I was actually working with a client earlier today, and we were talking about
the fact that when certain questions are asked of him, he gets confused and
starts to sort of numb out.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: And he said, "I need a question that will cut through that." And I said, "No,
no, no, no. Let’s hang out with the thing that’s blocking you from actually
responding."
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: What happens when someone asks you – and in this case, what makes you
happy at work? That question would cause him to freeze up and it’s because
the exploration of being happy requires him to explore what makes him
unhappy and he didn’t want to think about that.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: And so he’d rather just numb out.
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Blaine Vess: Right.
Jerry Colonna: And "get confused."
Blaine Vess: Right.
Jerry Colonna: And so all of a sudden, the focus becomes the problem, "I’m confused," not
the action which is, "Well wait, I’m splitting off from the experience because
the experience is painful."
Blaine Vess: Yes.
Jerry Colonna: Does this resonate with you?
Blaine Vess: It does; I think of it in a similar way, something that I worked on a lot this
year was the frame – sort of my personal framework of being cautious about
what I was saying and I used to say to myself in some cases, like I don’t want
to be around a lot of people because it exhausts me and it sounds like a very
introverted thing to say except, I’m not really an introvert. I’m in the middle
probably but what was really exhausting me was my framework of caution of
like, how to answer. You know, how to answer a question, where it’s like
running it through these rules of safety and I’ve really been able to let go of
85-90% of that and if I even sense – I was somewhere recently on it. I was on
a trip with a group of people and I sensed myself getting there, and I was like,
"What the hell – what are you doing?" Like chill out, you know, don’t let this
bullshit framework takeover the conversation. So, it’s definitely in that realm
of what you’re talking about.
Jerry Colonna: So the bullshit framework would be, sort of a kind of self-consciousness,
maybe even self-censorship.
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Blaine Vess: Yes.
Jerry Colonna: What am I going to say? How am I going to say it? How is it going to be
received? What are they going to think of me?
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah, you’re smiling as I say all these things because those –
Blaine Vess: [Laughs]
Jerry Colonna: – those are the questions, eh?
Blaine Vess: Yeah, exactly.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah.
Blaine Vess: Exactly. Yeah, a lot of it relates to confidence and I just, at a certain point
realized, that framework was actually limiting my confidence.
Jerry Colonna: You were so busy about trying to maintain what other’s perception of you –
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: – in order to feel good about yourself, you ended up wasting energy and not
feeling good about yourself.
Blaine Vess: Exactly.
Jerry Colonna: Right.
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Blaine Vess: Exactly. So –
Jerry Colonna: It’s amazing how our coping strategies end up kind of putting us into a box –
Blaine Vess: Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Jerry Colonna: – that actually prevents us from getting the thing we want the most.
Blaine Vess: Yes, yes. And it’s funny because the whole reason I can even sit here and tell
you that is because I’ve gotten over it. You know, I would never have
normally said that before.
Jerry Colonna: Wow.
Blaine Vess: I’ve never talked about that before.
Jerry Colonna: Mm-hmm.
Blaine Vess: So it feels good to have let that go. It feels very good.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah, and I just noticed that your voice just softened as you said that.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: There’s some feeling in there; isn’t there?
Blaine Vess: Definitely.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah, yeah.
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Blaine Vess: Relief.
Jerry Colonna: It’s relief.
Blaine Vess: And happiness, yeah.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah, yeah. Who knew that not working so hard could actually generate some
relief and happiness?
Blaine Vess: [Laughs] Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: You know?
Blaine Vess: It’s true, it’s true.
Jerry Colonna: It’s like what if it – like it makes me laugh because, you know we all struggle
to launch these businesses. We all struggle to sort of have a work environment
that is rich and rewarding for ourselves and then we bring forward these
constructs that like, trap us and then we don’t get to enjoy what we’ve created.
Blaine Vess: Yeah. So, then what’s the point of creating?
Jerry Colonna: Exactly. What’s the point of creating? You know?
Blaine Vess: Yeah, yeah.
Jerry Colonna: It’s kind of nutty, eh?
Blaine Vess: [Laughs] It is.
Jerry Colonna: You know? It’s like I often joke, you know, like I look at audiences and I talk
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about entrepreneurs and in my experience, many entrepreneurs don’t come
from parents who themselves were entrepreneurs. Some do, but many don’t.
And myself, for example, I started businesses in part because I did not want to
live the life that my father lived. You know, you’ve heard me talk about this
before.
Blaine Vess: Yes.
Jerry Colonna: And so we have this image of what work is where we go off and it’s
stultifying, and it’s enervating and it’s deadening and so we say, "Okay, I’m
going to create a startup, and it’s going to be so different."
Blaine Vess: [Laughs] Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: And yet we find ourselves in exactly the same trap.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: And it’s a trap that we create for ourselves.
Blaine Vess: Yeah, yeah.
Jerry Colonna: Right. It’s out of the wish to be in opposition to the way we were brought up
we create this very same kinds of constricting constraints on our children and
I’ll tell you, as a parent I really relate to that because I can see, you know, I
can see the ways in which my own craziness creates stuff for my kids even
though they have these incredible skills, these speaking skills, these self-
awareness skills, they’re fantastic –
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
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Jerry Colonna: – they’re not without their stuff.
Blaine Vess: Right.
Jerry Colonna: And you know, what that says to me is, being with your stuff is an expression
of our humanity.
Blaine Vess: Yes.
Jerry Colonna: There is no group of individuals sitting out there on some island somewhere
completely perfected and free of all foibles.
Blaine Vess: Right, right.
Jerry Colonna: It just doesn’t happen.
Blaine Vess: No, no and it’s funny. I actually – you know, even with, sort of, the
realizations that I’ve had this year, you know, like everybody, I have had
realizations in the past, and you feel like, okay, we’re – I’m cured! I’m done
with this phase!
Jerry Colonna: I'm done. [Laughs]
Blaine Vess: And then life moves on, and more things need to be cured. So –
Jerry Colonna: Yeah, yeah. Well, I think that’s why the answer isn’t necessarily to find the
answer, right?
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: It’s a – and that’s why I love that word "practice." We tend to apply it to
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things like yoga, or sitting meditation practice, you know, it’s a practice and it
just – for me it reinforces the notion that I actually never achieve the goal.
[Laughs]
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: I’m always practicing.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: Right? How has this impacted, or this year of exploration, how has it impacted
your relationship with your job, the company? Talk to me about the
management practice for you. The leadership practice.
Blaine Vess: Yeah. I guess a couple of areas, I’ve realized – actually, okay, a few things.
We talked a little bit about this at boot camp and the first one is easier. It’s
about knowing what I want to do and what I don’t want to do, and then being
transparent about that with, my co-founders, my team. That felt good. Just
getting that out there, getting everybody on the same page so that really the
expectations are set. Along those lines though, I’ve also had to grow as a
manager and fortunately, I’ve got some great team members here who have
really pushed themselves and raised the bar for themselves and raised the bar
for me too. So I mean, even until – I guess, I always saw myself as a very
hands off manager, and I still am. You know, I’m not a micromanager. I think
I can say that but also getting more involved in helping people grow and along
those lines I consider myself to be a very unstructured person and I’ve always
taken pride in that. I don’t have a schedule, you know, I don’t go to bed at the
same time every night, I don’t wake up at the same time in the morning. I
work out, but I don’t work out the same days, at the same time; all that kind of
stuff and so, I’ve started adding some structure and getting comfortable with
that. You know, even around the office, simple examples like team one-on-
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ones or now we have our weekly all-hands meeting, you know, things like that
which seem minor, but getting there instead of just saying, "I don’t want to do
that," to just really stepping it up. But lastly, you know, and I talked about this
at the boot camp a bit, really my more recent – I just finished a COO President
search here, at StudyMode and that’s really important to me because I know I
can keep growing this company. I know I can. We’ve done a lot, we’ve
learned a lot and I think, you know, we’ve got an amazing team and, you
know, there’s a great foundation here and at the same time, I’m a little tired of
learning lessons.
Jerry Colonna: [Laughs]
Blaine Vess: You know, the lessons that other people already have learned.
Jerry Colonna: On other people’s money. [Laughter]
Blaine Vess: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally because, you know, what I didn’t mention before is,
you know, we’re bootstrapped – actually you mentioned that, we don’t have a
board, we don’t have any sort of, formal advisory group, anything like that.
So, I’m really excited to have someone coming in, who’s going to help get the
organization in even better shape and I’m going to learn. I’m going to
continue to learn and I’m going to get better as a leader too. So, that’s been a
big focus for me since boot camp actually.
Jerry Colonna: Well, I want to congratulate you on that. I mean, I think the allowing another
experienced individual to come in and take responsibility for this thing which
you, quite frankly, you know, we often joke about our companies being our
babies, but you were a baby when you started this company. You know?
Blaine Vess: [Laughs] Yeah.
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Jerry Colonna: And so you know, this has been part and parcel of you for a long, long time to
be able to do that. I’m curious if this year-long journey of self-exploration,
what if any impact did it have on the decision even just to open up a President
COO search?
Blaine Vess: Yeah, it definitely had an impact. I mean, I’d like to say that I’m pretty
humble, I’m always willing to learn, I’d rather focus on things I don’t know
than things I do know, and it definitely had an impact, and it’s kind of nice to
be closing out the year with this change because yeah, there has been a lot of
self-reflection on. It’s been 15 years, what’s next? You know, what’s next?
Fortunately, I’m still very passionate about this company and I love my team.
I love coming to work every day. So I’ve still got that, which is awesome and
I only think I have that because we haven’t been afraid of change. I couldn’t
be running the same company I was running five years ago but so much has
changed. I’ve learned a lot and we’re still following that track. But now yeah,
for me it’s like, let’s accelerate the intelligence coming in here, our own
capabilities, what we’re getting done, yeah and I guess it’s that constant CEO
internal battle of am I doing the right things? Am I managing correctly? You
know, all those things. I’m not afraid to admit that I could use some help and
this year’s helped me realize that more than ever and sort of, become more
comfortable with it.
Jerry Colonna: Mm-hmm. You know, and this is a little bit un-coach like of me, but I’m
going to offer it anyway.
Blaine Vess: Okay.
Jerry Colonna: Would you like my view, as to whether or not you’re doing the right thing?
Blaine Vess: I’d love it.
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Jerry Colonna: Okay. So, here’s one way to think about it. How are the outcomes? How’s the
business doing?
Blaine Vess: It’s doing really well.
Jerry Colonna: And the person that – have you actually negotiated and recruited this COO
President?
Blaine Vess: We have an informal agreement now.
Jerry Colonna: Okay.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: Now, is this person a good person?
Blaine Vess: Yes.
Jerry Colonna: So, here’s something that my therapist used to say to me all the time that I’m
going to give to you.
Blaine Vess: Okay.
Jerry Colonna: Okay? There’s a right way, and there’s a wrong way and there’s the way that
works. Okay?
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: And if you really want to understand if you’re doing the right thing, look at
the outcomes. Okay?
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Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: You’re smiling ear to ear. You feel good inside. You’re making good
decisions. You leaned into some very vulnerable and difficult places and the
result was, you learned even more.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: You let go, you allowed some changes and some good things are happening. It
seems to me that it’s the right thing. It feels to me Blaine, you know, things
are going pretty well and you can enjoy that.
Blaine Vess: Yeah, yeah. I’ve gotten better at enjoying it.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah.
Blaine Vess: A lot better.
Jerry Colonna: Yeah. You take it in and create a culture where more of that can flourish, you
know?
Blaine Vess: Yes.
Jerry Colonna: So, we’re going to start to wrap, but if there’s any one thing that perhaps, sort
of sits with you from this last year of exploration for you, what would you say
it is? And speak to the Blaine of five or six years ago, if you know what I
mean.
Blaine Vess: Okay. I would say there’s a theme of not being afraid to ask for help; whether
that’s through therapy or coaching or me now getting help from someone who
has got a lot of experience in the business. That’s my biggest lesson this year
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because that’s, you know, mainly the – like I said, the therapy and coaching
were so helpful, and actually it wasn’t even until boot camp that I’d feel
comfortable saying that I had a therapist. So, you know, it’s been quite a
change, but a change for the good.
Jerry Colonna: That’s a brilliant piece of advice. So I’m going to give you just a response to
that and as I heard you sharing your story, one of the things that occurred to
me was to be grateful to you because whether you realize it or not, you’re now
helping another entrepreneur by sharing your story.
Blaine Vess: That’s great. I’m happy to.
Jerry Colonna: Right. I mean, think of the permission that you’ve just given another
entrepreneur to ask for help.
Blaine Vess: Yes.
Jerry Colonna: Right?
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: And you know, you’ve heard me say this before, there are not enough coaches
and therapists in the world. There are not enough leadership coaches in
management –
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
Jerry Colonna: We’ve got to help each other.
Blaine Vess: Yeah.
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Jerry Colonna: And my friend, you’re embodying that just even by sharing your story like
this. So, I really want to thank you for that.
Blaine Vess: Well, thank you and thanks for the opportunity to be here.
Jerry Colonna: Oh, it’s my pleasure and you better come to the alumni boot camp.
Blaine Vess: I will. [Laughs] I’m there.
Jerry Colonna: I’ll kick your ass if you don’t.
Blaine Vess: [Laughs] All right, I’ll be there.
So that’s it for our conversation today. You know, a lot was covered in this episode from links,
to books, to quotes, to images. So, we went ahead and compiled all that and put it on our site at
Reboot.io/podcast. If you would like to be a guest on the show, you can find out about that on
our site as well.
I’m really grateful that you took the time to listen. If you enjoyed the show and you want to get
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you. So, thank you again for listening and I really look forward to future conversations together.
[Singing] "How long till my soul gets it right?
Did any human being ever reach that kind of light?
I call on the resting soul of Galileo,
King of night-vision, King of insight."
[End of transcript 0:34:25]