WTF-WTFN

Kellogg Culture #FAIL?

2012-01-24T03:32:00.000-05:00

@andreagouw: @KelloggSchool@KelloggENTR Let's resolve to have articles like these written about Kellogg& Entrepreneurship smartbrief.com/servlet/wirele…

@KelloggENTR: @andreagouw tell us priorityorder: innovation lab, cash for starts, what else? If we gave space and cashand student biz failed, then ?

It's nosecret that I love Kellogg and I loved my time there. But there are definitelythings that Kellogg could and should do better. One of those things that isespecially dear to me is fostering an entrepreneurial culture for both MBAcandidates and alumni alike.

So once Ireceived this reply from the Kellogg Entrepreneurship Department, I started tothink about the changes I would like to see implemented in the curriculum andthe services for alumni entrepreneurs.

I spoketo Shannon Jones [KSM ’08, @wshannonj] about this last week and he referred toa program run by Stanford, StartX. I asked him for his “list” of what he wouldlike from Kellogg and what he sent back was the usual list of access topeople, funding, space followed by people, people, people. What struck me was his closing statement:

“The purpose of this isto build a multi-generational community of Kellogg/Northwestern entrepreneurswho support each other and to show the business and start-up world that Kelloggis interested in fostering something other then class after class of BainConsultants and Kraft Brand Managers...”

I quicklyrealized that in order for Kellogg to become a preeminent program inentrepreneurship, in addition to Marketing and Finance, what ultimately needed tochange was the culture. The culture thatI had grown to love. The culture thatbrought me to Kellogg. But also theculture that was ultimately failing me as an entrepreneur.

As astudent, I certainly did not feel that the culture at Kellogg embracedrisk-taking which is inherent in entrepreneurship. Let's take a look atthe end of the aforementioned tweet to start, "If....biz failed,then?" If Kellogg is not willing to bet on “”its own” then somewhereit is failing. Another example is thestrong encouragement given to students in Entrepreneurship courses to"Learn on someone else's dime before launching your own venture."Entrepreneurs are optimists by nature; let's cultivate that spirit and givethem the necessary support to achieve their goals. By dissuading studentsfrom becoming entrepreneurs and pushing them into lucrative"traditional" MBA careers, we will smother any buddingentrepreneurial culture in the Kellogg community.

ClassmateScott Orn [KSM ’07, @scottorn] would like to see administrators embrace itsalumni entrepreneurs just as much as it does other alumni. He finds it frustrating that start-ups getlittle recognition from the school. Scottsuggests that Dean Blount or another Kellogg entity choose to highlight 1start-up each week via podcast, twitter, or blog. “I look at the @KelloggAlumni twitter accountand see fellow alumni being recognized for their accomplishments in corporateAmerica. I would love to see somethingsimilar for alumni entrepreneurs.”

As afounder starting out in New York, I became insanely jealous of a group of HBShigh growth entrepreneurs. They had a support network of peers who were goingthrough similar pains of market validation, fundraising, recruitment, etc. Iwatched from the sidelines as they got together monthly and became each other’sbiggest cheerleaders. Not only was the group filled with recent grads, theyalso had alumni from years prior who were able to serve as mentors. There was asense of connectedness. [Note: There are some great founders in NY andHermann Mazard [KSM ‘96 , @HermannM] and @KAEGNY are working hard to build acommunity, but this is largely being done without the support of the school.] Now that I am in the Bay Area, it is the samejust change HBS to Stanford.

I wouldlike to see a program (series of programs) that go beyond providing space andcapital and tap into the Kellogg Community:

- Funding/acceptance into an accelerator of sorts: signal that Kellogg believes it hasgiven alumni a toolkit to be a successful entrepreneur [selection can be doneby a panel of administrators, students (particularly those interested inVenture), alumni (bringing together different life cycles/ both sides of thetable)

- Workingwith students: business plan, marketing plan, pivots, etc- encouraging acommunity but also exposing students to “real-life” issues faced by early-stagefounders

- Engagewith other parts of the university, especially engineers (like the series of NUvention classes)

- Expandthe KEIP to have select companies host a student for the summer

- Mentors/advisorsfrom the Kellogg community made up entrepreneurs and investors (angel & institutional)

- Access toa low or no cost space would be great as well, but would become an even morevalued resource as the community strengthens

o Perhaps start small in afew key geographies, split the space with alumni development offices bringingthe greater Kellogg community to the space of other events

I am notan administrator. I do not pretend tohave all the answers. What I am is apassionate entrepreneur and alumna who would love to improve the status of myalma mater as I build my company. Iunderstand the needs of a start-up founder and see the potential for asymbiotic relationship between entrepreneur and academic institution. By fostering a sense of community and acontinuous dialogue between alumni entrepreneurs, investors and the School wecan elevate the position of the Levy Center and Kellogg.

It is notthe role of academic institution but rather that of the investment community toavoid failure. Let’s embrace the newKellogg campaign spearheaded by Dean Blount of "Think Bravely" whichI recently had the opportunity to hear her speak on. These initiatives would complement andenhance all that the Kellogg administration is working on. Let’s work together to strengthen Kellogg’sbiggest differentiator, “The Kellogg Culture.” (And to the question about failed ventures, students and founders can writea case study!)

Why I may never go to another "Entrepreneur Talk"

2011-05-03T13:19:00.002-04:00

First, wow! It's been awhile since I've blogged on this site. (I have a few shopping related posts on here though.) Sorry!

Last night, I attend an event entitled "Best Practices: Creating and Propelling a Fast-Growing Company." Given that I have just launched shopperseeks, I was hoping to walk away with some great insights on what to do to make it the "next big thing." Instead, I realized that no one really knows anything more than anyone else when it comes to building a business. There are no right or wrong answers. The only thing people can speak on are their own experiences. I learned not because the entrepreneurs said so, but from my own experiences.

I am not trying to take anything away from these entrepreneurs who are successful in their own right, Marc Cenedella, theLadders.com & Vinicius Vacanti, Yipit. Don't get me wrong, they were great speakers with interesting stories. However, the #1 Best Practice was that all non-technical people with ideas should teach themselves to code. Otherwise, they waste time, don't know how to make decisions, won't get the product they want, etc.

WHAT?!?! I am not technical and I am a founder and I have a product close to what I want. While I did take a C programming class in undergrad, I do not consider myself technical. I have learned some HTML and CSS through a great organization, Girl Develop It. However, through my past experiences, including managing the apparel store-front at Walmart.com and over seeing product development at Globalgrind.com, I understand what can and cannot be done. While the product isn't exactly what I want, I was able to work with my developers from Protovore and we got there fairly quickly. I knew what I could and could not ask of them, I gave them wire frames and we worked together to set the goals and features at the start of the project.

And yes, this is just my story and I am not saying my way is the "right" way or that teaching yourself to code is the "wrong" way. All I am saying is this worked for me and it may or may not work for you. You may not need to spend hours teaching yourself php, ruby, html, css 5, etc. (I think they neglected to consider how long it takes to teach yourself to code in the cost/ benefit analysis.)

CONCERT REVIEW: Did anyone else notice???

2009-09-25T13:42:00.006-04:00

Went and saw U2 last night at Giants Stadium. (2nd show of 2 for them.) It was a gorgeous fall night and the crowd electric.

I didn't realize until the 2nd encore just how important the fans were to the show. There are people gushing all over the internets about the show. I've seen them 3 times now and they do know how to put on a show. Do you want to talk about disappointment?

Nothing to do with NJ Transit or Bloomberg's chopper. Not that they played a bunch of tracks off of the new album. (I haven't been remotely inclined to pick up a U2 album since "All That You Can't Leave Behind.") Neither was the exorbitant price of an 80K stadium show. No, it wasn't Bono's dancing -- I've come to appreciate his lack of skills. It happened during their 2nd encore, 2nd song in -- "With or Without You." I noticed that Bono wasn't actually singing!!! He was just speaking the words. WTF? When you generate $9MM for a show, please fucking sing!

Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

I went back and listened to 'Mysterious Ways" that I captured on video when I got home and I sort of noticed the same thing. I guess when you have 80,000 fans singing along, no one notices that you in fact are not singing!

Kids these days

2008-10-24T11:14:00.004-04:00

So on Wednesday night, I attended a Kellogg alumni event where Prof. Calkins gave a talk on marketing plans. It was unlike the Kellogg events that I attended while I was in school...yes, there was an open bar...but maybe the responsibilities of the "real world" ended our night earlier than it would have back in E-town.

That said, we reminiscenced about Wednesdays off, flag football, the Keg, TG's, etc. Those were great times we all look back at the days spent in the Jake with fond memories. The conversation quickly turned to an email that has been circulating around the class on 2010 and to recent alums. (I still haven't seen it, so feel free to forward.) Seems that at CIM ball the class of 2010 acted as if they were 10 and broke into their parents' liquor cabinet for the first time. Kellogg has long held the reputation of the "Party" School among the nation's top business schools, a reputation that the administration has long tried to change by renaming KAOS to KWEST and only banning hard alcohol from TG's over the years. As students, we definitely subscribed to the work hard, play hard mentality. Each year the 2nd years complain about the gunners and the lameness of the the 1st years, not sure that this year's 2nd years will be saying the same....unless of course there are no more open bar parties.

Anyone who knew me (or didn't) while I was at Kellogg knows that I enjoyed to imbibe from time-to-time and even planned many of these events as part of KSA's social committee. However, I will say that I remembered that I was not only representing myself but also Kellogg and my classmates at the school sanctioned events. Anything I did that could be construed as embarrassing usually only happened in the company of my closest friends. So to the class of 2010, remember that you are not only affecting your own reputation but also the reputation of Kellogg and the numerous alum that came before you and the fun factor of those that will come after you.

That said, I really hope that the Kellogg culture that drew me and my friends to the school and the great memories it provided continues for those to come.

Read coverage at the Sun Times and the Tribune.

I'm back even tho the Sox aren't

2008-10-22T16:49:00.000-04:00

It's been about 10 mos or so since I picked up the pen [ahem, keyboard] and posted anything. I've also decided that I didn't like Live Journal (I will get the 3 posts or so that I had over there on here soon...maybe this weekend. ) For the record, I went with Live Journal originally because I wanted to be "WTFN"@ someplace. I've settled for WTF-WTFN.

As the World Series is about to begin minus my beloved BoSox, I thought it apropos to write about how I am feeling after their [un]timely exit in this year's playoffs. First off, thanks to everyone for sending your condolences. But really, I'm ok. The way I look at, until 2004, we NEVER won, so I'm used to it. Disappointed, yes, but they actually gave it a decent run in the end. I am glad that they saved face in game 5 which was legendary! (Read the SportsGuys Take)

Instead of being sad, I am going to thank them along with several people in my life for the early exit.

Reasons to be thankful:
1. "Now I can have a week back of my life!"- Matt Ketchum
2. My blood pressure will be lower.
3. I won't be so tired from watching baseball games into the wee hours. (my boss thanks them too!)
4. My liver thanks them too. I had too many beers to calm my nerves.
5. My sister is happy too, because now I won't drag her to the Riv tonight.
6. I will save a bundle on text messaging.

After the highest rated baseball telecast ever, I am sure the network (whomever it may be) is going to be sorely disappointed as I and millions of others who either love or hate the Sox and couldn't care less about the Phils or Rays tune out.

Now for my 5-1 Bills...god, I love heartbreak!