How to Manage Aspiration Expectations - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 3 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "To What Do You Aspire?"  In aspiring to live meaningfully, Faykin aims to make an impact on where he chooses to spend his time and how he values the resulting experiences.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Life Lessons from Cal Tech College Experience - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 4 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Life Lessons Did You Learn Attending Cal Tech That You Still Use Today?"  He shares what he learned attending a rigorous academic environment as well as what he learned about the value of friendships.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

How Software Engineer Switches to Technical Marketing - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 5 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Did You Decide to Leave Engineering to Pursue Product Marketing?"  After deciding to leave an engineering role at Oracle, Faykin finds an opportunity to do technical marketing in Silicon Valley for an Israeli-based startup and gain access to the adventurous travel that comes with the position.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Why to Work Before Getting an MBA - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 6 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Did Taking a Leave of Absence Benefit Your MBA Education Experience?"  Starting his MBA at NYU Stern with only three years of experience, Faykin feels he applied too soon.  He takes a leave of absence and works abroad in Beijing, China and in Silicon Valley before returning to New York to continue his MBA.  He finds the additional time and experience fundamental to what he finds to be an intensely gratifying education experience.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

What American Express Marketing Job Teaches MBA - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 7 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "As an MBA, What Did You Learn About Product Marketing Working at American Express?"  Working in the American Express, or AmEx, travel division, he learns how large organizations can leverage economies of scale to make big bets on projects or campaigns.  Through this process, he learns lessons on brand loyalty and brand management.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Learning Global Business Working at Intel in Shanghai - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 8 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Did Working at Intel in Shanghai Teach You About the Importance of Global Distribution Networks?" He shares the resource benefits available when working for a larger, global corporation and the advantages these create competing against smaller firms. Additionally he learns the value of international distribution networks and how benefits corporate resources and relationships enable them. Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011. Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures. He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Why to Live a Global Lifestyle - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 9 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "Why Do You Prefer to Live a Global Lifestyle?"  Faykin learns to appreciate things when he is gone.  By switching from living at home in the United States and doing stints abroad, Faykin is able to embrace what makes home great and what he can pick up living internationally.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Why to Live Abroad Multiple Times - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 10 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "Why Have You Made it a Point Not to Just See Living Abroad as Checking a Box and More of Something to Embrace, Then Bring Back, Then Repeat?"  Faykin shares his approach to living, having one life to life, and making the most of one lifetime.  He finds himself living differently abroad than at home.  The different attitude, viewpoints, and conversations are anything but temporal, and Faykin repeats abroad experiences to make them permanent.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Why to Work in Developing Economies - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 11 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What is the Source of Your Passion for Developing Economies?"  Faykin notes that most people in developing countries forget who developed them.  When everything is established and life is comfortable, the quality of life is often taken for granted.  Developing countries do not have this, as the current generation is responsible for making the change.  This drive to accomplish things inspires Faykin in his own professional pursuits.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Why China Attracts Entrepreneurs - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 12 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About Working in Internationally Developing Economies Such as China?"  Faykin notes how the endless possibility and growth-minded culture attracts peers willing to start business ventures.  When considering several international locales to start his business, this culture informs Faykin's decision to choose Shanghai.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

How to Communicate Across Cultures - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 13 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Approach Do You Find Most Useful to Communicate Across Cultures?"  Faykin answers in one word: smiling.  Pushing away from MBA and consulting cross-cultural communication programs, Faykin shares how commitment, coupled with smiling, gets the job done.  If business communication issues remain, he notes why the concern should not be about cultures.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

What is the Best Part About Starting a Business - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 14 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Has Been the Most Gratifying Part of Starting a Company?"  He describes waking up each day and having the freedom to choose what he does.  Faykin finds the experience liberating and, also, fundamental to enjoying the entrepreneurial life.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

How Entrepreneur Starts Shanghai Internet Company - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 15 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Did You Decide to Start a Shanghai-based Group Buying Company?"  He notes it was a journey and not a spur of a moment decision.  Years before founding the company, Faykin works abroad in the UK, Israel, Sweden, India and China.  He ultimately decides on Shanhai, where Faykin had worked years before at Intel, in the process building a local business network.  He notes how he and his partner decided on a group buying Internet business, modeled after Groupon, and then how he navigated local culture to set up the business.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

How New Entrepreneur Learns Rules of the Game - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 16 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "Why is Learning by Doing So Important When Starting a Company?"  Faykin notes it is about the uncertainty and the necessary hands on experiences that teach an entrepreneur the rules of the game.  Its an adventure, learning new things daily and iterating based on market and customer feedback and signaling nearly as often.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Why Bootstrap Finance a Startup - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 17 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Informed Your Decision to Bootstrap Your Startup Versus Pursuing Outside Capital?"  He notes not everyone can raise outside capital.  In his case, it was not clear he could raise outside capital for his Shanghai-based daily deals site, Tuanpin. Also, he finds it faster iterating via the bootstrap, focusing less on investors and more on customers.  Lastly, he wonders if it would be beneficial to get involved in the fundraising race around daily deals sites.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

How Non-Native Speaker Does Business in China - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 18 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "As a Non-Native Speaker, How Do You Overcome Language Barriers Working in China?"  He shares how difficult it is navigating language barriers.  For Faykin, translators are often unable to translate words to meaning.  With a 25 person team speaking Mandarin Chinese, Faykin turns to trusted partners and a persevering attitude to get the job done.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

How Childhood Informs Adult View of a Life Well Lived - Nina Godiwalla

In Chapter 1 of 22 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, author Nina Godiwalla answers "When are You at Your Best?"  She finds she is at her best when she is doing something meaningful.  She goes into detail about when and how this happens and what it allows her to project that energy into the world.  She shares how as a child she learned to appreciate and embrace dance.  As Godiwalla focuses more and more on dancing, she learns progressively cultivates her passion, deriving happiness from the process.  Godiwalla is the author of "Suits: A Woman on Wall Street". She is also a public speaker on workplace diversity and founder and CEO of Mindworks, where she teaches mind-based stress reduction techniques to help organizations improve employee wellbeing.  Godiwalla holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, an MA in Creative Writing from Dartmouth University and her BBA from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  When are you at your best?

Nina Godiwalla:  I’m at my best when I’m doing something that I think is meaningful.  I think in general, kind of 99% of us are just kind of going through life for what it is and then there’s those rare moments where something just really sparks for me and I have something that I’m just extraordinarily excited about and when I’m in that – when I’m concentrated and focused on that, I find that – I find that usually it can be above average but when I have that, I find myself just kind of soaring above everything and part of it is just that I’m thrilled and happy with what I’m doing.

Erik Michielsen:  Do you remember back to your childhood when you first remember that happening?

Nina Godiwalla:  There wasn’t a whole lot in my childhood that -- I didn’t spend a lot of time looking for things like that.  I – one thing I really enjoyed in my childhood, it was – we didn’t have a lot of hobbies.  My parents were immigrants and it wasn’t the – we did not have the life where you go do piano and then this and then that and that. The one thing we did was dance because my mom always wanted to be a ballerina and so she had me and she tried to get all of us, there’s four girls.  Each child, she would just be like, “Okay, that’s our thing, we’re doing dance.  You guys are going to dance classes.” So, me – two of us caught on to the dance thing, my older sister, my younger sister, they never really did much of it but me and my – the two middle kids, me and my sister, we really enjoyed dance so we would be in dance probably like four or five nights a week, we joined a company and we’re dancing. So for me that was something I loved and we did for fun but otherwise, there wasn’t a whole lot we did for fun.  It was just kind of you know, we just did what we needed to do, we had to do well in school, we hung out with our friends, like more social but the dancing for me was like where my passion lied growing up.

Nina Godiwalla on What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder

In Chapter 2 of 22 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, author Nina Godiwalla answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?"  She notes how she has pushed herself to overcome challenges and identify with and connect to a tribe of like-minded aspirational peers.  Through the process, she finds it getting easier to find herself.  What becomes more difficult is putting this into action.  Godiwalla is the author of "Suits: A Woman on Wall Street". She is also a public speaker on workplace diversity and founder and CEO of Mindworks, where she teaches mind-based stress reduction techniques to help organizations improve employee wellbeing.  Godiwalla holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, an MA in Creative Writing from Dartmouth University and her BBA from the University of Texas at Austin.  

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  What is getting easier and what is getting harder in your life?

Nina Godiwalla:  When I grew up, there wasn’t a whole lot of focus on what do I love, what do I want to do, so I’d say it wasn’t until my 20s that I kind of got to a point and I call it -- I had my midlife crisis in my 20s because I was an investment banker and I realized, “Oh wow” everything the way that -- the whole way my life of success has been defined to date is not in line with what I want. So I think what’s getting easier is starting to understand what I like and what I enjoy in life and that was very hard for me before because I had never focused on that so that’s getting easier and then the challenge becomes, okay, now I’m starting to get it, I’m slowly starting to learn about myself and who I am and now what’s getting harder is putting that into the world, like how do I actually create my life around that and at moments, it’s hard and then there’s something about it that’s so easy honestly because when you love it, you’re so good at what you’re doing and you find a way to move through things and I really believe that there’s people that come along in your path and you -- I call it your tribe.  You find people that are like you in your tribe and through that, you start to build your world around it and so, I think that parts, it’s challenging yet at the same time, it’s exhilarating and when you’re around in the right world and the right people, everything starts to work out.

Erik Michielsen:  Can you give me an example of that?

Nina Godiwalla:  Yeah, I mean my book is a great example of that.  That was something – it was something that kind of sat in me that I needed to do.  I was actually, I was in a corporate job not doing, it was when the economy was low and everyone was like trying to hang on to any job they had and the reality was my job at that time was not very thought-provoking.  It was just – it was a job.  It got to a point it where it’s job.  Our client cut back so much that we weren’t doing a lot of interesting work and in the end, what happened was I had in my head like this is kind of boring.  I’m not learning a lot.  I’m not doing a whole lot and I left to pursue my book and it’s cause -- it’s kind of that book kind of looked at me and I had written it before but I hadn’t really done anything with it and with that whole process, I mean I got it published very quickly.  I got -- everything fell into place along the way, just the way it should because I was so excited about it.  I mean I worked so hard towards it but also when I needed the right people to fall into place, somehow miraculously, I would meet the right person that would help me get to that next step, next step, next step and it’s because I was on the right path for me.