Rule 53

Rule53 -Ep11- Edward Boches & Persa Konomi

Jake — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:17:33 +0000

[podcast]http://dartboston.com/rule53/episodes/ep12.mp3[/podcast] Its been a a couple weeks since the last episode of Rule 53 and I am excited to say we are back with a great match up. I've been looking forward to connecting this guest duo for a while now. This week we hear from Edward Boches, Chief Creative Officer at Mullen and Persa Konomi, senior in the Marketing program at Bentley University.

Edward Boches has been a big part of growing Mullen into the full-service ad agency it is today and they work with some really powerful brands. Edward keeps himself on the leading edge of creative and is always thinking about what's coming next. I don't care what world you live in, marketing, social media, startup or corporate finance, Edward's blog, marketing unbound is one you should follow. Over the weekend Edward posted an interesting new business idea: "Share your next medical procedure live via Twitter with SeeMyOp.com". Edward is a brilliant guy with seeminly endless amounts of energy and we are lucky to have him here in Boston as a mentor. Click here to read more about Edward or follow him on Twitter.

Edward's Rule of Thumb: "Find what you love and don't settle for anything less"

Persa Konomi is currently a senior at Bentley University where she is President of the Marketing Association. Persa helped coordinate the first Pokin Holes episode to take place on a University campus in Boston. When I asked if she wanted to be a guest on Rule 53 she jumped at the opportunity to connect with Edward and ask him a few questions. As you will hear, Edward turns the tables for some reverse mentorship and asks Persa a few questions of his own.

On Friday this week Persa and a group of marketing students from Bentley are visiting Mullen as part of their coursework.

Hope you enjoy the conversation!

Rule53 -EP10- Laura Fitton & Kabir Hemrajani

Jake — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:00:28 +0000

This week I met up with Laura Fitton and Kabir Hemrajani for Rule 53. Laura is absolutely one of my favorite people to run into in the Boston startup scene. She is the founder of an awesome startup called oneforty, which has been making serious moves in the last few months. The oneforty project provides users with categorized lists of Twitter applications giving them access to the best tools available on Twitter.

You may also recognize Laura as @Pistachio on Twitter. Her "missionary zeal" for Twitter quickly made her one of the most credible faces on the twitter scene. She co-wrote Twitter for Dummies and founded Pistachio Consulting, all while being a mom. It's no surprise that she has investors interested!

Larua's Rule of Thumb: "Hope is your only hope and fear is your only fear...don't make decisions out of fear!"

See more of Laura's rules at pistachio.posterous.com

Kabir Hemrajani's appearance as a guest on Rule 53 makes him the first Dart community member to achieve a "quadfecta" (PH featured company, PH Panelist, Capitalize & Rule 53) as the bearded man so eloquently labeled it. Kabir is the founder of RiotVine, the social event guide which heavily relies on Twitter. If Dart were a dating site this would be a match made in heaven! That is not the case, but the conversation was a lot of fun and reveals some great information. Kabir even gets the Laura Fitton bump of approval! Listen for a whole lot more...

Rule53 -Holiday Bonus- Scott Kirsner

Jake — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 09:00:04 +0000

With the holiday season upon us, it is fitting to have a guest who gives gifts of wisdom all year long. This week I had the great pleasure of chatting with Scott Kirsner, the wearer of many hats. He is a writer, editor, event host, speaker, moderator and always makes an effort to attends the many events going on around town (hopefully we'll get him out to Pokin' Holes or Capitalize soon!).

[podcast]http://dartboston.com/rule53/episodes/ep10.mp3[/podcast]

Most notable among Bostonians, Scott is known for the column he writes called Innovation Economy which appears in the Boston Sunday Globe and on boston.com. Scott provides a unique view into technology, life sciences and the broader landscape of startups in greater New England. He also recently wrote a new book called Fans, Friends and Followers.

Rule: "Listen carefully, be curious and always be learning new things..."

The goal of Rule53 is to connect members of the Dart community with their experienced and influential counterparts. This week I was a bit selfish and decided to make the holiday bonus my turn to ask the expert some questions about what he sees coming for the startup scene in Boston. To be fair, we will be inviting Scott back again to speak with another Dart community member in the near future.

Thanks Scott!

Looking forward to Episode 10 in 2010 - hope everyone is going to a great New Years party!

Rule53 -Ep9- Beth Kanter & Ben Schwartz

Jake — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:00:27 +0000

This week on Rule 53 our guest Beth Kanter shares her wisdom on using social media in the non-profit space. We invited Ben Schwartz to interview Beth because he's running his own non-profit called World Partners in Education.
[podcast]http://dartboston.com/rule53/episodes/ep9.mp3[/podcast]
When considering guests to be on this show, we always factor in a few things. Is this person someone who gives back? Is this person an experienced professional in his or her field? Is this person a high-impact individual? Beth falls under all those categories and more. She is a passionate thoughtleader who has been a great inspiration and resource to many. Her blog, which is currently #40 on the AdAge Power 150, covers the many ways non-profits can effectively use web technologies and social media tools to further their causes.

Ben Schwartz graduated from Dartmouth College in 2006 with a degree in International Affairs and Education Policy. While at Dartmouth, Ben spent a semester in Ghana, Africa helping school children of migrant workers. Later he was granted a fellowship that allowed him to spend more time in West Africa and that same year started World Partners in Education with some classmates from Dartmouth. To pay the bills Ben is now working in the admissions office at Dartmouth doing web outreach focused on African and Caribbean students.

Beth Kanter's Rule of Thumb (or "Rule of Passion" in her words): "Make sure you lean something every day whether it feels good or not..."

Rule53 -Ep8- Glenn Rothman & Fan Bi

Jake — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:11:59 +0000

I am disappointed to say I am still waiting for HiDef Conferencing to respond about a server issue they faced that may have corrupted this week's episode.

On Rule53 this week I was joined by guests Glenn Rothman, Founder & CEO of Hearts on Fire and Fan Bi, a 22-year-old who is a student at Babson College and Founder & CEO of Blank Label.

With Glenn as their leader, Hearts on Fire has grown to be incredibly successful. He and his team have worked tireless to create and build a brand around The Worlds Most Perfectly Cut Diamond. Glenn and his wife, Susan, founded the company in 1996 and quickly became known for their trailblazing efforts to brand diamonds in an industry that was stuck to it's traditional roots. Glenn started out in the late 70's as a street peddler in Havard Square selling Moroccan wallets. He hustled his way to the top.

Glenn Rothman's Rule of Thumb: "under promise and over perform!"

Fan recently finished his semester at Babson College, which was part of his semester abroad program as a finance student at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, where he is from. Fan is been an all-star DartBoston member and is the Founder and CEO of Blank-Label. In the coming months Fan will be moving to Shanghai to further grow his business!

In this episode Glenn shares an inside perspective on building a strong brand, differentiating between marketing and advertisement, creating healthy work environments and maintaining an effective business models. Listen to this week's podcast to learn more.

Glenn always brings a fresh perspective and lots of energy. His focus on positive reinforcement, physiology (i.e. ringing the big bell they have in the office for every time there's a sale) and psychology very motivational. Fan is always an exciting guy to be around and he loves to connect with other entrepreneurs. Hope you enjoy the discussion!

Next week on Rule53 Ep 9 we will be with Beth Kanter, social media guru in the non-profit sector. Be sure to check it out!

Rule53 -Ep7- Chris Brogan & Anthony Liang

Jake — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:48:15 +0000

The name Chris Brogan is synonymous with social media, but for purposes of Rule 53, I'd like to think of Chris as the professor whose class everyone wants to take. In the past few years, Chris has cultivated a community of subscribers, followers, fans, and friends that have led to the creation of his own social media agency (New Marketing Labs), a NYTimes Best seller (Trust Agents), and one of the most widely-read blogs in the world (chrisbrogan.com).

Chris Brogan's Rule of Thumb: "Equip others by sharing"

[podcast]http://dartboston.com/rule53/episodes/ep7.mp3[/podcast]

In this episode, University of New Hampshire senior, Anthony Liang, had a chance to ask Chris a few questions about his experience as a new media and marketing mogul. Anthony is studying economics, but has a passion for entrepreneurship, web technology and social media. When he is not in class at UNH, Anthony is helping local organizations understand how to use the new social media tools available through the web.

Personal sidenote from Alexa:
Chris inspired me to create the Rule53 podcast. Over the summer, he and I exchanged emails with Alan Webber (author of Rules of Thumb) and one of Chris's key messages was to tell a story about our sense of urgency to cultivate a new class of leaders. His marketing brilliance is unrivaled and has single-handedly changed my career in more ways than he'll ever know.

Rule 53 – Ep 6 – C.C. Chapman and Amanda Helfand

Alexa — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:59:48 +0000

[podcast]http://dartboston.com/rule53/episodes/ep6.mp3[/podcast]

This week's episode of Rule 53 features one of my favorite people, the one and only C.C. Chapman. We paired up C.C. with Amanda Helfand, a student at Bentley University because of her keen interest in marketing and social media. As one of the founders of the Advance Guard (recently acquired by Campire), one of the first new media consultancies, C.C. is an leading social media strategist, community organizer, media maven, and digital dad extraordinaire. He also happens to be a Bentley alum and a veteran podcaster.

In this episode, C.C. and Amanda tackle the challenges of time management, what it means to multi-task in a digital world, tips for working from home, Twitter, and last but not least, Rule 53.

Words of wisdom from C.C.:

"Learn everything you can and share it with others."
His Rule 53: "Eliminate 'I can't' from your vocabularly."

Many thanks to C.C. and Amanda for their time and stay tuned for next week's episode where we interview another Community leader, Chris Brogan.

Special Rule 53 – Ep 5 – Alan Khazei & Ashli Stempel

Jake — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:00:45 +0000

For episode 5 we were at Northeastern University for a special live show featuring US Senate candidate, Alan Khazei, founder and former CEO of City Year, and Ashli Stempel, student at NU who has plans to start her own non-profit, PULSE.

This episode was supposed to be posted on Tuesday, but because it was a special event we decided release it early for you...

It was Global Entrepreneurship Week at NU and what better way to close the week's events than with a discussion on social entrepreneurship?

Alan shares a list of his rules with Ashli and the audience in this episode, but if you were not there you'll have to check out the video to learn more...

Special thanks to Marcus Andrews, Sam Novey, Aaron Gerry and everyone else who has helped coordinate the event!

We'll be back next Tuesday for Ep 6 with C.C. Chapman and Amanda Helfand!

Rule53 – Ep 4 – Michelle Lewis & Dennis Casey

Jake — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:21:16 +0000

[podcast]http://dartboston.com/rule53/episodes/ep4.mp3[/podcast]

I don't know about you, but when I see a solid musical performance there is nothing more inspiring. When the show is over I always feel like I need to go learn how to play an instrument.

On this week's episode of Rule 53 I was lucky enough to connect with Michelle Lewis, the talented singer and songwriter from Boston, and Dennis Casey, lead guitarist from the bandFlogging Molly.

This week we added two new rules to our list on Rule 53:

These days people blog and tweet about everything they do, sometimes it is important to "keep it mysterious" - Michelle Lewis
If you are thinking about doing something, you need to stop thinking and just "jump into the fire" - Dennis Casey, Flogging Molly

To hear the entire conversation between Michelle Lewis and Dennis Casey listen to the podcast.

Michelle graduated from Berklee College of Music in May 2003. I met her for the first time a few months back at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge for a CD release party of her new EP Broken. Her lyrics and acoustic guitar playing are powerful and she had great backup on cello and stand-up bass. Overall, I really enjoyed my first Michelle Lewis experience - *except* - I wanted to throw something at the ridiculous group of Harvard girls sitting at the next table over who talked through a majority of the show.

Dennis is a not only a highly talented and successful musician, but a father and all around great guy. He was born and raised in Rochester, New York. After high school, with no interest in going to college, he picked up and took his love for music and guitar playing to LA, California. Dennis was a member of a multitude of bands throughout his early career, but found his place at local bar in LA called Molly Malone's.

Initially, the band came together from a diverse set of musical backgrounds and developed a chemistry that resulted in a sound that has evolved and continues to evolve today.

In this podcast Michelle gives us a peak into her perspective as a young professional musician and some of the challenges she is faced with to take it to the next step. Dennis tells us about his early days in LA, sleeping on floors and couches, and personal stories about his efforts to help make Flogging Molly the success it is today.

Next week we have a special LIVE episode of Rule 53 with guests Alan Khazei, founder and former CEO of CityYear as well as a candidate for Ted Kennedy’s US Senate seat who will be speaking with Ashli Stempel, current student at Northeastern University who has plans to start a non-profit called PULSE

Special Rule53 event LIVE with Alan Khazei

Cort — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:17:19 +0000

Social entrepreneurship is a hot topic these days within the start-up community and especially within the Dart community. Being a social entrepreneur is never easy as the venture has to live up to more than just financial milestones.

For example, how will one's venture achieve social change and benefit those around them? Or how can one create a sustainable/profitable business while also creating social value?

To dive into this topic we went straight to one of Boston's best social entrepreneurs, Alan Khazei. Alan is the founder and former CEO of CityYear as well as a candidate for Ted Kennedy's US Senate seat. City Year is an incredibly popular organization that offers 17- to 24-year-olds the opportunity to engage in 10 months of full-time community service. (Thanks to their underwriting on NPR I've gotten to learn more about them over the years and even better yet, their HQ is located around the corner from Dart!)

This Live Rule53 will be this Sunday at Northeastern University, Room 333 in the Curry Student Center beginning at 6:30pm. There will be a livestream starting at 7:15pm if you want to watch online. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rule-53

Grab your ticket... http://rule53ak.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn

Alan is going to be speaking with Ashli Stempel of the Dart community. Ashli is starting her own non-profit social venture called PULSE. In Ashi's words PULSE "aims to provide semester long workshops with youth who are approaching community re-entry after having been detained within the department of youth services. By working with these kids in peer-to- peer think- activities and discussions we hope to facilitate not only a successful readjustment into society to decrease the chance of reoffense, but aid in the discovery of their potential as leaders withing their families, friends, and community."

Northeastern University
Room 333 in the Curry Student Center
6:30PM - 8:30PM

If you have any questions feel free to get in touch with us... jake@dartboston.com