I’m an experiential person. Being dyslexic, I’ve learned over time that my best learning modality comes from immersing myself headfirst into whatever it is I’m trying to understand. I have come to understand that I’m someone who needs to be inspired and find motivation through whatever it is I’m spending time doing.  If I’m not, I’ll quickly de-prioritize it, and it will fall into the “I’ll get to it at some point category.” Clearly, I’m one of those people who’s driven by passion, and can’t function well if my soul’s not on fire. Not every project is going to fuel that, so I have to work extra hard to find it. Plus, I understand not everyone operates that way.  And yet, if I’m being honest, I struggle to understand why they don’t.  

As I scanned my never-seems-to-get-shorter to-do list this morning, I highlighted the tasks which must be done, with the project work that feeds my soul. I’ve tried hard to craft a world for myself where the work I do in my job is a healthy balance of being impactful to Rapid7, and supplements my personal values and interests. Somehow, I’ve managed to find success in doing this. Through it all, I have found that I actively seek out ways to be inspired by whatever it is I am learning about - even if it initially feels a little soul-sucking. Why? Frankly, when I am inspired, I’m far more likely to commit to going all in and giving it my best.  

So what is it about why we need inspiration? And should we really expect to sit back passively and seek to be inspired, or are we accountable to actively go out and find our inspiration?  Is it even really important when we have so much on our plates to just be able to check off our lists?

WHY WE NEED INSPIRATION AND PASSION IN OUR LIVES

WE ALL NEED PURPOSE

It doesn’t really matter what your purpose is; just that you have one.  For some, work might provide that. For others, being a parent serves that need.  Ultimately, whether you’re drawn to community service, completing a marathon or whatever it is that speaks to you personally, I’d argue we just kind of go through the motions of life. Does anyone really want to live like that? When we are inspired, we have that raison d’etre to get out of bed in the morning.  

CONNECTION TO PEOPLE

Whether it’s on a date or just when I’m trying to get to know someone new, one of my go-to questions in trying to learn about that person is to simply ask, “What are you passionate about?”  If the person doesn’t have an answer, I tap out. I don’t care what the answer is; just that there is one. When someone is inspired by something in their lives and have a greater purpose, I make the assumption they are self-motivated, and hopefully not bogged down by a lot of drama. Candidly, I’m drawn to anyone who gets excited talking about something they are passionate about.  

EXPAND YOUR UNIVERSE

In our hyper-networked lives, there is still nothing that can replace human connection.  When you have something you are passionate or inspired about, and you are out in the world building associated experiences, you’re bound to meet others who share your interest areas.  Being open to meeting different people from different places who you have something in common with breeds a broader, more healthy human ecosystem in your life. Put down your phone for a bit...we all need a little more of this in our lives. 

MAKE THE WORLD A LITTLE BETTER 

When we are inspired by something in our lives, we can move beyond ourselves and use them to make a difference in the world.  If you love working out, you can parlay that into helping the elderly stay fit. If you are passionate about music, you could teach children how to play.  Again, it doesn’t matter what you do; if you have something that you are inspired by, sharing it brings people and communities together. And while it’s typically that we often turn our attention to the “me focus, ” when we share beyond ourselves, it’s likely your sense of purpose is filled.  You’ll feel accomplished, and others will appreciate you. The inspiration lifecycle feeds itself. 

Ok, so if that explains a little bit about why we need to be inspired, how do we actually find that inspiration?

HOW TO FIND INSPIRATION AND PASSION IN OUR LIVES

Inspiration can take limitless forms and can be found just about anywhere. However, like with most things of any real meaning in our lives, we have to take some accountability to seek it out.  It’s not the world’s - or your boss’s, or honestly anyone else’s - responsibility to inspire you. If you choose to look at the world open-mindedly and actively look, you can find it literally anywhere you look. Some ways to get started:

NATURE

Ditch your watch and phone, and talk a walk.  Pay attention to your surroundings. Watch children play.  Play fetch with your dog. No matter where you go, get outside and literally stop and smell the flowers.  

ONLINE

Once you come in from the outside and you log back into the world, you can find inspiration from the comfort of your couch.  Whether it’s watching a TED talk on a totally new subject to you, subscribing to inspirational blogs like Upworthy or googling inspiring speeches, it’s hard not to walk away feeling a little more motivated and excited. 

PEOPLE

I challenge myself to grab lunch or spend time with someone who has nothing to do with my everyday world at least once a month.  No matter what your approach, the world is full of people who will inspire you - if you choose to see them that way. Ask your grandparents about their childhoods. Read an autobiography about someone who pushed boundaries.  Turn off the lights and really listen to the lyrics of an album. Seek out a friend who you view as completely passionate about something in their life, and ask them about it. 

OPEN DOORS

Sometimes, you’ll find your inspiration or passion where you least expect it.  Open doors are in front of us every single day. You just have to look for them - and then not be afraid to kick the door in and see what’s behind it.  Push yourself by trying something you believe you can’t do, but always wanted to try. Create a bucket list for yourself, and commit to pursuing at least one item on it this year. Gather a team of trusted people in your life, and ask them to help you brainstorm a new way of thinking about something. Attend a Meetup or conference where you connect with people with shared interests.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR

Sometimes, our best source of inspiration can be found within ourselves. Whether you choose to cast your vulnerabilities aside and capture your real thoughts in a journal, commit to embracing a new daily habit, have a private rock concert in the privacy of your car, or take a day off and do anything that you truly enjoy.  There is so much inside each of us that can push us further than we expected...sometimes we just need to look for it in a different way. 

Life can feel tedious and redundant….OR, it can serve to be an incredible gift to us every day.  By seeking out and embracing a little inspiration even in your everyday work, you just might find way more personal fulfillment and engagement in your own life and work. You just have to choose to look at the world that way, and actively pursue it.

For the 118th episode of our podcast, I interviewed Sam Dunn, Co-Founder and CEO at Robin.

I have a strong appreciation for entrepreneurs, as it is really hard to build and scale a business. But, starting a company while you are still in college is a whole different ball game that requires guts and determination.

Sam, along with his twin brother Zach, and Brian Muse, the 3rd co-founder and CTO, have never worked professionally for anyone else. They started One Mighty Roar while they were still in college and this business eventually evolved into Robin.

Robin is a SaaS workplace scheduling and management platform that is modernizing the open office. Back in May, the company raised a $20M Series B round of funding to help fuel their growth.

In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like:

• Office trends, and some interesting hacks on how to set up workplaces.
• The background story of Robin and how the company evolved from an agency to a product company.
• A deep dive into Robin, its platform and the value it provides for their customers.
• The experience of raising capital through multiple rounds.
• Their thought process behind their pricing model.
• The three questions Sam uses to evaluate talent.
• And so much more.

Have you checked out our YouTube channel? You’ll find videos from our podcast, plus lots of other interviews with founders and our very popular Inside: series, which gives you an inside look at a functional area in one of the fastest-growing tech companies. Go to youtube.com/venturefizz to check it out.

You can listen to the podcast in the player below. To make sure you receive future episodes, please subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Soundcloud. If you enjoyed our show, please consider writing us a 5-star review—it will definitely help us get the word out there! 

A Human Resources department may seem like a foundational element of any company. But for some start-ups in the tech space, the talent and human resources teams may be not built out until the company has reached a certain size. Companies like this often find themselves lacking a people-first mentality, which can make it difficult to create a strong culture that drives employee engagement, retention, and performance.

How do you fix such a problem? You call Heather Hartford.

“You can work anywhere, but more importantly, what are the compelling factors that differentiate where you work compared to any other company in the marketplace?” asked Hartford, the Chief People Officer at Acquia.

Over the course of her career, Hartford has worked to make sure employees are able to answer that question with confidence and excitement.

Hartford began her career in marketing at Gardner Preston Moss and Hill Holiday before moving into a Director of Advertising role for Marshalls at TJX, and her transition into human resources and talent organizations happened when she was tapped for an unexpected opportunity. 

Hartford had been at Digitas LBi for a few years when the CEO decided to take a new approach to people management at the company and brought on a new Chief People Officer to help. The CPO promptly asked Hartford to make the switch from marketing to recruiting. If she could sell Digitas to clients, she reasoned, she could sell it to potential employees.

Hartford was uncertain about the new role but went ahead and accepted it on a trial basis, with the understanding that she could return to marketing in a year if necessary. She never did. Instead, Hartford eventually became the General Manager of Digitas’ Boston office and then its Head of Global Talent Operations. In her last role, Hartford traveled extensively to help expand Digitas’ global footprint through acquisitions of several small agencies around the world.

That role helped remind Hartford of how much she enjoyed working with smaller companies and building teams, and she eventually left Digitas to consider her next move. After a short break, she joined Rue La La.

“It was a team of smart people who were disrupting an industry, so I loved it,” Hartford said.

Rue La La also presented an opportunity to enter the startup space with the benefit of a developed infrastructure. As Rue’s Chief People Officer, Hartford infused her people operations strategy and vision at the company while learning more about what it meant to work at a startup.

“The notion of ‘failing fast’ was a pivot for me,” she said. “At an agency, it’s all about transforming great ideas into programs with flawless execution to deliver results to your clients. There is no ‘fail fast’ on a client’s dime.”

But the freedom to take bigger risks, make mistakes, learn from them, and come back stronger appealed to Hartford, so when it came time to move on from Rue La La, she was drawn to the opportunity to build a new people strategy at Acquia.

“I joined Acquia because they had a lot of the right ingredients when it came to people, but they weren’t sure of how to activate them,” Hartford said. “I believed the company would grow and flourish for a long time after it developed some stronger strategy and vision.”

Hartford helped solidify that vision by rebuilding the talent team’s internal brand and building trust and partnership within the organization. Since then, she’s cultivated a company culture that values employees and gives them more than a paycheck in exchange for their work by encouraging managers to give the people on their team opportunities to grow that help them create careers, not just fill jobs. 

“We believe in the player-coach model, which includes transparency and mutual accountability,” Hartford said. “We’re not armchair managers. We get involved.” She went on to say, ”Our app managers are coaches. This means guiding rather than telling."

Hartford herself is involved in every aspect of Acquia’s people management, from developing a strategy and hiring to traveling around the world to meet with teams and better understand their needs.

When Acquia recently acquired a company (Mautic), Hartford ensured that new employees felt they were part of something bigger, integrated, inspired, and connected. 

“People are our lifeblood,” Hartford said. “They’re not just billable hours – they are our talented team members who are making a difference. In order to create a world-class customer experience, you must first invest in your most important customers -- your people”

Quick Q(uestions) and A(nswers)

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love going to the beach and spending time there with family. We have a house in Maine, so we go there often.

How do you manage stress?

I always try to make time for myself. That’s a big one for me. I started doing pilates over the winter, and it really helps with my headspace.

How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?

I have two cups of coffee in the morning. It’s a nice ritual to get started.

What’s one of your favorite places in the Boston area?

I love the Common, and I like walking through it to get to the Public Gardens. My son goes to Northeastern, and at first, I wondered why he wasn’t going away to see someplace else. But it’s been really fun to discover the city through him. I commute in from Andover, so I always saw Boston as a place to work, not play. It’s nice to walk through the Gardens every day now as a way to clear my head.

What’s one of your proudest accomplishments?

I’m really proud of how we’ve pivoted the mindset at Acquia to think of people first. I truly value the opportunity to create transformation, and I’m proud of our evolution, commitment to world-class experiences, and the people-centric culture we’ve built together.

How does where you are now compare to where you saw yourself 10 years ago?

I didn’t think I would be in tech. I loved the agency world, and I knew I could always go back if I wanted to. The industry has a long way to go in regard to people, but it’s changing, and it’s exciting to be a part of that change.

What’s your advice for recent college graduates?

Take it in bite-size. I always tell my son to be curious, work hard, and don’t worry about the future. Nothing is guaranteed to come in five-year increments. My own career path has not taken me where I thought I’d be, or within the time frame that I thought I’d get there. Worry less about getting from point A to point B and follow your passion, because the rest will follow.

For the 116th episode of our podcast, I interviewed David Friedman, Co-Founder and CEO of Knox Financial.

David is a serial entrepreneur, and as you’ll hear from this episode, his latest company definitely struck a chord with me. My wife and I previously owned an awesome condo in South Boston about 13 years ago. Needless to say, if we were able to hold on to that property and rent it out without all the hassle of being a landlord, it would have been such an amazing investment. Knox makes this situation a reality and we get in lots of details on how the company operates.

Back when he was at Tufts, David always knew that he wanted to start a company. His first company was Boston Logic, an integrated marketing platform for the real estate industry that was acquired by a private equity firm.

In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like:

• David’s background and how he initially got a taste of startups.
• The story of Boston Logic, including the evolution of their product and how they mostly bootstrapped the company and scaled it to an acquisition.
• A deep dive into the process of hiring and working with an investment banking firm.
• All the details on Knox Financial and how they are helping people turn their homes into investment properties. 
• Advice for entrepreneurs trying to build an advisory board.
• And so much more.

Did you know that you can get customized job alerts delivered to your inbox every day? It’s a great way to keep informed of the over 4,000 jobs listed on VentureFizz and have jobs from a specific category sent directly to you. Don’t let that career-defining opportunity pass you by, go to venturefizz.com/email to sign up.

You can listen to the podcast in the player below. To make sure you receive future episodes, please subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Soundcloud. If you enjoyed our show, please consider writing us a 5-star review—it will definitely help us get the word out there! 

For the 114th episode of our podcast, I interviewed Ryan Boyko, Founder and CEO at Embark.

You are probably familiar with the DNA testing companies like 23andMe and Ancestry. I actually tried out Ancestry and was really surprised with my results, as certain parts of my heritage were very different than I originally thought.

Embark is a venture-backed company that is providing a similar service except for dogs. So, I was excited that Embark offered to test our family dog, Stella, as part of this podcast interview. What’s cool about Embark is that you are not only able to determine or confirm your dog's breed, but a key part of their testing is to help discover if your canine has any underlying health conditions. Embark provides the most comprehensive DNA testing in the market which tests for over 170 genetic health conditions.

Before making an investment, most VC’s usually ask the question of “Why this team?" and "Why now?”, and as you’ll hear from my discussion with Ryan, he and his brother spent an extraordinary amount of time building what is a very defensible foundation in terms of the technology and what they are able to provide with this service.

In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like:

• Ryan background, including his time with Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard. 
• How Ryan and his brother, Adam, gained an interest in dog genetics and the details behind all their research.
• The story of how Embark was built over time and how their testing works.
• A walk through Stella’s (our family Cavapoo) test results. 
• Advice for scientists who are looking to commercialize their research and start a company.
• The things he didn’t expect when he first started running a business.
• Plus, a lot more.

Embark announced a $10M Series A round of funding back in April from a very impressive list of investors and I have some good news for you. They are hiring aggressively, so if you are interested in working at Embark, you can go to their BIZZpage on VentureFizz to see a list of their openings. Go to venturefizz.com/embark for all the details.

You can listen to the podcast in the player below. To make sure you receive future episodes, please subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Soundcloud. If you enjoyed our show, please consider writing us a 5-star review—it will definitely help us get the word out there! 

I saw the movie Yesterday recently, and it’s had me binging on the music of The Beatles ever since. While blasting the music in my car this morning, “Help!” came on...and got me thinking. Most of my life, I was terrible at asking for help, let alone screaming out that I was in desperate need of someone to lend a hand. So fierce was my independence that my parents still tease me for my signature childhood line, ”I’ll do it myself!” 

If I’m being honest, I’m still more likely to eat a bug than I am to say, “Hey, can you take time out of your busy day and lend a hand?” in my personal life. At work, however, I’ve realized that asking for help is a necessity, as well as a sign of strength. Think about it: to admit you need some help ultimately means you are both self-aware enough and confident enough to understand when you need some additional support. 

Do you have a hard time asking?  Find a handful of situations below to help you break your “I’ll do it myself!” mantra. 

SITUATION 1: I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT I’M DOING

Technically, this should be the most obvious time to ask for help. And yet, oftentimes people don’t want to ask because we fear to look clueless. Get over it: we’ve just established you are clueless in this particular situation! Rather than torture yourself trying to navigate a project you sincerely don’t understand (while likely wasting your time and others in the process), it’s time to put the feelings of incompetence aside and ask your manager or trusted teammates for help. 

Sample: “I’m struggling on getting started with Project X.  Would you be willing to set aside some time to talk through the details with me, and help make sure I get on the right track?”

SITUATION 2:  I’M WAAAAAYYYY OVERLOADED

Ok, so you are one of those people who love to say yes to everything...only to now find yourself completely buried.  Once that happens, it’s near impossible to meet your deadlines, let alone execute everything well. It’s time to ask for some aid from your team and put aside the feeling like you are a failure because you couldn’t get your work done.  We have ALL been in this situation before. The bonus: Your colleagues may be nervous to ask you for help too. Once you break this cycle, you all might find it a bit easier to go on vacation, rip through a project, etc. - all because you know you have each other’s backs. 

Sample: “I know you are likely busy too, but I am totally overloaded right now.  If you have any extra time this week, might you be willing to help me out with X?  I know you have expertise in that area, and I could really use your help. In return, the next time you have a big project, I’ll be ready and available to help you!”

SITUATION 3:  OOPS...THAT DIDN’T GO AS PLANNED

Let’s get real. No one is perfect, and we all screw up sometimes.  Companies and managers tend to focus on HOW you react to your mistake, rather than invest a lot of time sweating what it is you actually messed up.  Advice: Take accountability. The worst thing any of us can do when we make a mistake is to pretend like it didn’t happen - or worse, pointing fingers at others.  Deep breath, collect your courage and own it. By connecting with the right people quickly, you’ll be minimizing damage. 

Sample: “I’m really embarrassed to admit this, but I completely screwed up this piece of Project X.  I know it’s going to cause some extra work for you, and I’m really sorry. I truly appreciate you helping me resolve this.”

SITUATION 4: I’M SMART...BUT YOU HAVE WAY MORE EXPERTISE THAN ME ON THIS!

Everyone likes the feeling of control when they have command of their work. And yet, the impact and value your work delivers are ultimately more important than the credit you get for doing the work. There’s scarcely a project I rollout now that I don’t ask for input on at this point. This behavior reinforces collaboration, but it also results in a better outcome. I might be smart, but the input and wisdom of those around me can take something good and turn it into fantastic. 

Sample: “Do you have some time for me to walk you through a project I’m working on? I would love your input, especially in the section about X. I think you’d be a fantastic thought partner who could really help make this project successful!”

Asking for help is difficult for many of us. And yet, it’s a critical business skill to embody. When you inevitably find yourself in one of these situations (if you are like me, it’s probably before the end of the week!), take a deep breath, and take that step to approach someone for help. I’m confident the results will make that brief pride-swallowing moment worth it.

Christina Luconi is Chief People Officer for Rapid7. Follow her on Twitter: @peopleinnovator.

For the 112th episode of our podcast, I interviewed Anant Agarwal, Founder and CEO of edX & Professor at MIT.

Anant is the very definition of a serial entrepreneur. Over the course of his career, he has founded five companies including Tilera Corporation, Virtual Machine Works, and others. In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, he is also a professor at MIT, where he teaches electrical engineering and computer science.

edX is a non-profit company that is changing the world by bringing education to the masses through its open source, online learning platform. Founded by Harvard & MIT, edX is home to more than 20 million learners, the majority of top-ranked universities in the world and industry-leading companies.

In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like:

• Anant’s background including running a chicken farm as a teenager and what that taught him.
• A journey through his experience as an entrepreneur and the companies he founded.
• The story of edX, its evolution, and the massive scale of its platform.
• Current plans for hiring and growth at edX.
• What areas of education are still ripe for disruption.
• And so much more.

Whenever someone asks me who are the fastest growing tech companies in Boston or New York City, I simply direct them to our BIZZpages. From there, you can do a virtual tour of each tech scene and explore over 280 companies! Each BIZZpage tells you everything you need to know from a high level like the details on the company, culture, job openings, leadership team, and more! Go to venturefizz.com/bizzpages to start exploring!

You can listen to the podcast in the player below. To make sure you receive future episodes, please subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Soundcloud. If you enjoyed our show, please consider writing us a 5-star review—it will definitely help us get the word out there!