Facing the Challenge of Starting a Company - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 1 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "What Has Been the Most Uncomfortable Part of Starting a Company?"  He notes the greatest initial challenge is the uncertainty that comes with creating something that may or may not take off.  After moving the vision forward, McKenzie notes the need to relinquish control over time and hand off responsibility.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Adapting to Life as an Entrepreneur - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 2 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How is Life as an Entrepreneur Different That How You Imagined It Would Be?"  McKenzie finds it to be more rewarding and slower.  From a personal and professional perspective, his transition out of Goldman Sachs finance to entrepreneurship has exceeded expectations.  He also has learned to be patient as things move more slowly than he ever would have expected.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Finding Meaning Connecting the Global Creative Class - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 3 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  McKenzie finds meaning and purpose creating and growing a conference that connects the next frontier of leadership, the creative class.  He sees the artists, the entrepreneurs, the philanthropists, and the technologists as the next wave of change makers and sees a need to bring them together. By connecting them and creating value, McKenzie finds personal reward in return.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 4 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?"  McKenzie finds greater comfort with the process of building out his global event series and finds challenge in the organizational and managerial details and duties that come with larger responsibilities.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

What It Feels Like to Make Your Business Idea Real - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 5 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "Since we last spoke a year ago, what has been the most exciting thing to happen in your life?"  He notes the satisfaction of understanding global influencer culture and bringing a team together to produce a global event series across New York City, London, and Berlin.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

How to Scale Your Vision Globally - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 6 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How Have Your Aspirations Changed Since Launching the Influencer Conference?"  He notes how he walks into situations with an open-ended mindset using minimal guidelines to shape his vision.  By launching a conference and scaling it globally in 2011, he feeds on team-based and resource-based achievements to go from proof of concept to scale event size and global footprint.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Creating a Global Incubator for the Creative Class - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 7 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "What Criteria Have You Used When Considering International Expansions?"  McKenzie notes the importance of understanding his core purpose, to facilitate the global development of the creative class.  He then ties that back into the cornerstones of his initiative, keeping a close eye on when to move forward or when to hold back expanding into new cities.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Doing More With Less to Achieve Personal Best - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 8 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "When Are You At Your Best?"  He finds he is at his best when he needs to be resourceful.  He compares his time working at Goldman Sachs and having deep investment bank resources at his disposal to becoming an entrepreneur and needing to create opportunities where they may not be readily available.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

How to Prioritize Your Passions - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 9 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How are Your Personal Priorities Changing as You Get Older?"  McKenzie notes how he has learned to prioritize his personal passions and bring them into his professional life.  This allows Phil to find enrichment traveling the world, learning from new people.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

How to Network in a Room Full of Strangers - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 10 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How Have You Learned to Be More Comfortable in Uncomfortable Situations?"   McKenzie frames his response in the context of an entrepreneur, noting the importance of being assertive and fighting through initial uncomfortable feelings.  He shares how he as learned to ask for things and make shure he is always putting himself out there and keeping an open mind.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Why to Be an Alumni Volunteer - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 11 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How Has Alumni Volunteering Helped You Build a Better Network?"  McKenzie notes that alumni volunteering is not just about building a better network, but it is also about providing the support to future generations who face similar challenges and hold similar aspirations as his own generation.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

How to Make Your Business Network More Useful - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 12 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How Do You Make Your Business Network More Useful?"  McKenzie finds the more he extends himself to being useful to others, the more he gets back.  In running Influencer Conference, he engages partners, speakers, and panelists, what he terms his Influencer family, to support them.  He finds his service translates into others supporting him over time.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

How Business Networks Improve Decision Making - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 13 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How Do You Use Your Network to Get Help Making Career and Life Decisions?"  As McKenzie engages his network more, he builds strong relationship ties.  Through this, he is able to identify key individuals with deep, relevant experience relevant to the decision he is trying to make.  He contrasts this from making a more broadly informed network decision and shares an example in his relationship with Toby Daniels of Social Media Week.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

How to Bounce Back From Rejection - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 14 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "What Has Been the Most Humbling Experience to Date Building Your Company?"  For McKenzie, the humility comes from letting go of pride of ownership and understanding that rejection is part of business and not every offering is right for potential clients or partners.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Learning From Failure - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 15 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "Why are Failures More Meaningful Learning Experiences Than Successes?"  He finds failure valuable because it tells you what not to do in the future, whereas often success can provide the reward without understanding why it happened.  More often than not, he is able to understand why things didn't work and make necessary changes to correct the course.  McKenzie shares how failure provides more direct feedback, which he uses to correct his course over time.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Why Corporate Partners Should Share Your Values - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 16 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How Are You Learning to More Effectively Sell Corporate Sponsorships?"  McKenzie reshapes the question around finding corporate partners who share his company's values.  This becomes even more critical when planning a long-term collaboration.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

What It Means to Be a Leader - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 17 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "What Does It Mean to Be a Leader in What You Do?"  McKenzie finds people follow him based on passion, honesty, and openness.  Additionally, he notes passion breeds conviction to a cause and allows you to find the right people to follow you.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Why to Be Trusting When Building Relationships - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 18 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?"  He notes trust is something you just have to give.  McKenzie notes that people's actions will prove out that trust over time, so he feels it unnecessary being suspicious entering situations.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University.