Phil McKenzie on How to Do More With Less When Starting a Business

In Chapter 11 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "How Are You Learning to Do More With Less?" McKenzie reflects back on when he started his business and how he tried to be everywhere at once. Over time, he learns to cut out unnecessary steps and streamline his process planning and producing a global event series. While resources grow, he is able to apply these efficiency lessons with his team and be more resourceful as budgets, teams and projects grow.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Phil McKenzie on Managing Time Producing Events for a Living

In Chapter 12 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "As a Business Owner, How Do You Decide What Time Horizon to Focus on in Your Work?" McKenzie shares how managing time projects depends on the type of event he is planning and producing. For his Influencer Conference, given it is an annual event, managing time is consistently year-to-year. However, for new programs and smaller events, such as the Influencer Salon speaker series, he needs to be more flexible to accommodate shorter deadlines and delivery dates.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Phil McKenzie: Why High Confidence is Key to Entrepreneurial Success

In Chapter 13 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?" McKenzie notes confidence is everything. When selling his ideas to potential clients and partners, McKenzie notes being highly confident in what you are doing and why you are doing it is essential to influence others to understand you and commit to you. That confidence can take you over the top and go from having others appreciate what you do to having others want to be part of what you do.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Phil McKenzie on Adapting to Adversity by Being Resourceful

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

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Mike Germano on Deciding When and To Whom to Sell Your Company

In Chapter 7 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "What Made You Decide to Sell Your Company?" Germano shares what he learned about the mergers and acquisitions process making the decision to sell the company he co-founded. After growing a social media agency, he gets approached by many larger agencies and finds the culture, mission and values do not align. He then connects with VICE Media and describes what set them apart from other bidders and why he and his partner decided to sell and join the VICE team.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano: What MBA Programs Don't Teach About Selling a Business

In Chapter 8 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "What Did You Find Most Educational About Going Through the Process of Selling Your Company?" Germano shares what he learned selling his business Carrot Creative to VICE Media. He notes how it is something you are not likely to learn in business school. He finds the process is about self-realization and embracing challenge of taking a mission to another level, in this case a global-level with a billion-dollar digital media company.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on How Aspirations Change As Experience Grows

In Chapter 9 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing as Your Experience Grows?" Germano shares how his aspirations have grown by multiples after his startup social media agency was acquired by VICE Media. He shares how it is both daunting and exhilarating to be working with a billion-dollar media company making an impact around the world.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on Taking a Company From Basement to Boardroom

In Chapter 10 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "Reflecting Back, What Do You See As the Defining Stages of Your Entrepreneurial Journey?" Germano shares what he learned from starting a digital media company in a basement through growing Carrot Creative into a social media agency leader and selling the business to VICE Media. He discusses failures, including having a Middle East office expansion not work out, and successes, building a team and now, as an entrepreneur who sold a business, to mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on Opening Up About Entrepreneurship Struggles

In Chapter 11 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "Now That You Have Sold Your Company, Do You Feel Like You Can Be More Open About Sharing Your Entrepreneurial Story?" Germano shares how much of a relief it was to sell his company, Carrot Creative, and be able to open up more about the struggles the company faced as it grew. He shares stories about last-minute family loans to cover expenses and times when he and his partners had to show confidence when things were unstable.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano: Changing Job Roles After Company Gets Acquired

In Chapter 12 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "How Has Your Role Changed Since Your Company Was Acquired?" Germano shares how he has went from being a "janitor in a tuxedo" working all kinds of job roles to becoming an executive leader at a much larger company. In both instances, Germano pushes a vision for the future of digital media, adapting to a much larger stage at his new employer VICE.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on Working for a Boss After Being Your Own Boss

In Chapter 13 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "What is it Like Having a Boss?" Aside from answering to his wife, Germano shares what it has been like transitioning from running a company as CEO to working for executive leadership at his new company, VICE. Working for a team who has invested so much to build a company, Germano is mindful and respectful to work hard to earn the respect of his bosses while he learns the ropes in a new company culture.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on What It Means to Contribute at Work Each Day

In Chapter 14 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "On a Daily Basis, What Does It Mean to Contribute in the Work That You Do?" Working in a fast-paced environment, Germano does everything he can to make sure the company is running smoothly. He finds himself doing a variety of tasks at work, from connecting people to solving office problems, that help get things built to satisfy client demands. At the end of the day, he notes how it all goes by so quickly and seems like a blur.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on Deciding What Timeframe to Focus on at Work

In Chapter 15 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "As a Business Owner, How Do You Decide What Time Horizon to Focus on in Your Work?" Germano finds his environment dictates how he chooses to focus his time. Managing quickly changing time demands, Germano finds getting out of the office is an effective way to work through longer-term strategic goals.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on Setting New Career Goals Working at VICE Media

In Chapter 23 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "What Goals Are You Setting as You Look to What Comes Next in Your Career?" Germano shares how after nine years building Carrot Creative he is now shifting his attention to help VICE become a world leader in digital media and news reporting.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Jullien Gordon on Lessons Learned Building a Personal Brand

In Chapter 10 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "How Has Building Your Personal Brand Opened New Opportunities in Your Career?" Gordon shares why building a brand is fundamentally based on sharing who you are and being authentic about it. It's not about putting on a show, it's about being yourself. From there, it comes down to work - from writing a blog to self-publishing a book to even a Capture Your Flag video. Each way, on its own, connects with people to build brand awareness and, collectively, tells the personal brand story. 

Jullien Gordon is a business coach and consultant to organizations, individuals and teams who want to increase performance, motivation, engagement and retention. Gordon is also a public speaker on career planning for colleges, conferences, and corporations. He earned a BA from UCLA and MBA and M. Ed degrees from Stanford University. 

Hammans Stallings on How to Use Philosophy in a Consulting Career

In Chapter 12 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Has Learning Consulting Been Useful in Your Management Consulting Work?" Stallings shares how reading philosophy and studying philosophers deepens his unerstadning of core arguments and ideas that have been debated for 1000s of years. He learns from the masters to bring these old ideas into present work solving problems working on consulting projects.

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

Bijoy Goswami on How Moving in With a Partner Sparks Creativity

In Chapter 3 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "How Did You Manage the Transition of Moving in With Your Partner?" Goswami shares how moving in with a girlfriend started a creative journey by pushing him to buy a house. The house then becomes an anchor for Goswami as he moves through relationship stages and different relationships with girlfriends and business partners over time and multiple collaborative creative projects.

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software. Goswami graduated from Stanford University. 

Bijoy Goswami on Simplifying Focus To Do More Impactful Work

In Chapter 7 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "On a Daily Basis, What Does It Means to Contribute in the Work That You Do?" Goswami shares how the contribution he makes in his work as a steward to help others on their journey is rooted in focusing his energy on journey stewardship each and every day. By taking a singular focus on stewardship, Goswami can repurpose this action across different mediums, from a YouTube cartoon project to speaking engagements to writing.

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software. Goswami graduated from Stanford University.