Tina Seelig, executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, kicked off this weekend’s inspirational “I don’t know to CEO” event by declaring that innovation is all about turning problems into opportunities, and that entrepreneurship is an extreme sport that’s all about getting out there and doing it. Tina teaches the popular “Innovation and Creation” class at Stanford and she encouraged conference attendees to adopt the following principles to drive innovation:
1. Use your gut instead of your head
2. Be willing to experiment
3. Leverage limited resources to fuel your creativity (i.e. necessity is the mother of invention)
Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, gave the keynote address and her message was about finding success by being true to who you are, i.e. “being the best possible version of yourself, and making decisions everyday that will lead you to where you want to be.”
The Inspiration workshop following the keynote featured founders of four early stage start-ups, in addition to the CMO of Mint.com – Donna Wells, and the founder of Meebo – Elaine Wherry. The panelists were in resounding agreement about the path to forging a start-up – Start something, do something, and go from there. Specifically, they emphasized the importance of meeting with partners on a weekly basis to brainstorm and build upon innovative ideas from which a start-up could be created. The panelists gave the following advice to aspiring entrepreneurs:
1. Observe pain and solve it
2. Have the resolve to follow what you know to be true
3. Build a strong business that will endure and adapt (challenges can be a blessing)
4. Brick walls are for other people (the resilient entrepreneur will blast through the walls)
5. Focus on simplicity — try not to be all things to all people
Next up, the Instruction workshop gave broad advice about how to build a successful and rewarding career. Mara Brazer, founder of Brazer Communications, gained everyone’s attention when she announced “Everything I ever fantasized about in life came true.” Inspiring words indeed. The panelists gave the following guidance for achieving your dreams:
1. Do what you enjoy, do a great job, and the money will follow
2. Have a long-range perspective when it comes to your career
3. Be resourceful, have an open mind, and know that it takes a lot of hard work to get to your dream job/life
Finally, the power panel of the day, titled “View From the Top: Changing the Face of Technology” emphasized the importance of persistence and adaptability — key elements that require resolve and the ability to tune into the feedback loop of how users and the market react to a product. Jawed Karim, co-founder of YouTube, encouraged entrepreneurs to watch trends to identify opportunities in the market, while Ellen Siminoff – part of the founding executive team at Yahoo and currently the CEO of Shmoop, noted that “New companies are formed from the mistakes of existing companies.” Jessica Steel – VP of Business Development at Pandora confirmed Ellen’s point by stating that the opportunity for Pandora came out of the mistakes (too many radio commercials) of media giant Clear Channel. As a singer-songwriter with one released album and another on the way, Jessica Steel (aka Jessica Stone) also seemed to embody the advice that I heard repeatedly at the event, “Do what you love and the money will follow.”
A big fat thanks to the Stanford Women in Business group for putting on such an inspirational and educational event! And thanks to the AMAZING speakers and panelists for sharing your experiences with us!
If you attended the event or have more to add, I’d love to hear from you — please post a comment.
