Insights from Leading Entrepreneurs
Jane Bolin is a strong woman. Literally. She’s competed in women’s Strongman competitions. She’s also played rugby and football. These extra-curricular pursuits kept Jane busy during the hours she wasn’t working on her “real” job as a South Florida entrepreneur. (more…)
Categories: Inspirational Lessons Learned WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
Tags: #diverseandunited #EnrichYourJourney empower Enrich Your Journey EO South Florida Jane Bolin MyEo Women
We had a chance to speak with cryptocurrency investor Philippe Theunissen (PT) and brand consultant Qin Guo (QG) in Shanghai, and here’s what they had to say about their experiences as EO Accelerator participants.
EO: HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE EO ACCELERATOR PROGRAM?
QG: My business is in brand consulting. I actually started working for this company and now I own and operate it, so I have a lot of responsibilities and challenges. I hadn’t planned to take over the company, and when I did, I couldn’t talk to everyone around me about everything anymore. So, I started to explore options for learning. I had a business partner—who started the business—who introduced me to EO. When I found out there was an EO Accelerator program focused on start-up and smaller-sized businesses with ambition to grow, I wanted to join. Since joining the program, I’ve been able to share a lot of those issues with other entrepreneurs. I’ve become more resolute about my decision to run the company.
Categories: Lessons Learned Mentor Mentorship WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
Tags: #diverseandunited accountability group Enrich Your Journey EO Accelerator Philippe Theunissen Qin Guo
Brandon Dempsey’s entrepreneurial journey changed significantly when he decided to run Ironman. With significant hours of training and planning required, he could no longer put in the 70–80 hour work weeks. He also had to be more organized and rely more on his team. This paradigm shift, he says, eventually improved business development in his organization and even enhanced personal relationships, including his marriage.
Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Inspirational Lessons Learned Make a Mark Productivity
Tags: #diverseandunited #EnrichYourJourney Brandon Dempsey entrepreneurial journey EO St. Louis goBRANDgo! ironman significance
By EO member Ben Welch-Bolen
Fear is a basic human instinct bred into our DNA to help us avoid danger. Without a healthy fear of falling, fire, spiders and clowns—ok, maybe not clowns―our lives might be significantly shorter. But fear isn’t our only basic drive; we’re also compelled to propagate our species. These two instincts collided for me on 20 April, 2016, when my wife delivered a clever knock-knock joke to inform me that I would soon be a dad.
After a few euphoric days, I began worrying about how I would balance being a great dad and a successful entrepreneur. Fear of the unknown hit me―hard. My thoughts swirled: What would happen when I became a parent? Could I balance the two most challenging roles of my life without jeopardizing my sanity? How would it all work out? Would our marriage survive the stress? What compromises would I need to make?
Now that I’ve survived the early days of parenthood―my son is eight months old―some of my initial worries have faded, some remain and still others have surfaced. In the spirit of experience sharing, here’s a look back on my four greatest pre-parenthood fears compared with the realities of fatherhood. (more…)
Categories: Lessons Learned
Tags: #diverseandunited Ben Welch-Bolen dad entrepreneur family fear lessons learned parenthood parentrepreneur
Tom Charman is a “studentrepreneur,” an EO Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) finalist in 2016 and co-founder and CEO of KOMPAS, a city exploration application helping people discover amazing but little-known adventures hidden in the world’s urban jungles. He’s been previously featured in Octane, writing about the value of mentorship and apps that can make life easier. We asked Tom about his experiences and inspirations.
You were an EO GSEA Global Finalist in 2016. In June 2017, you won Visa’s Everywhere Initiative. How did your GSEA experience impact you?
My GSEA experience provided the opportunity to refine my pitch and really understand what problems and cultural challenges people face when exploring cities. KOMPAS aims to help people explore the city where they live or are visiting, and integrate with people of all backgrounds and cultures. Being a part of GSEA helped my company hone and develop its existing offering. As a result, we were selected to represent the U.K. at the world finals of the University Startup World Cup and Digital DNA. All of these pitches combined made our pitch to Visa well-practiced, precise and clear. (more…)
Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Inspirational Lessons Learned
Tags: competition global student entrepreneur awards gsea KOMPAS studentrepreneur Tom Charman
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