I interviewed Andy Stoll who is a social entrepreneur with an Asian-American background. He works for the Kauffman Foundation delivering programs and events to help others on their pathway to success. He's a magnetic speaker who inspires leaders and creatives to be the best that they can be.
Andy spoke at our college and left an unforgettable impression on the students when I went to see him. I wanted to know more about how he became an entrepreneur, and what advice he had for someone wanting to break into the field. After the talk, he encouraged me to contact him with any questions I had and so I did.
Andy was gracious enough to allow me to interview him about becoming an entrepreneur and I've included a synopsis and my thoughts woven throughout the interview questions below. Andy is exactly the kind of thought leader whose idea's and experiences can benefit the audience here on LeoFinance and Hive. Here is part 1 of The EverNoticeThat Interview: Andy Stoll - Social Entrepreneur.
Why did you choose this field?
I wanted to find a way to combine doing good and helping people with business, and discovered social entrepreneurship about half way through college as a career path, though it's not exactly a clear career path. It combines my interest in doing good with entrepreneurship.
I wasn't certain it was what I wanted to do, but it sure sounded good. The best experience to figure out if it was for me was doing it (while in college), I unintentionally starting a nonprofit with a group of friends called The James Gang that works to help launch businesses in our community that did good.
Doing that I figured out this was the work I wanted to do for a living. See story here:
- Here he provided a link to a talk that he gave highlighting how his social worker father, and nurse mother, raised him to want to do good. This cultural background is what inspired him to marry social work and entrepreneurship in order to help the less fortunate realize their dreams.
Please give me a general description of the work you do.
As an entrepreneur, I find problems and then try to design and start businesses that solve them. The best definition for entrepreneurship I know is: 'entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard for resources controlled."
Entrepreneurs start businesses to solve social problems, create value, bring something into the world, improve their community and make money.
- What I like about Andy, is that he bucks the stereotype of the selfish entrepreneur, and is willing to pay it forward by helping others.
What is your typical workday like?
There is no such thing as a typical day, no two days are ever the same. It usually involves a mix of managing a team of people and relationships, with solving problems within the company and for the company – whether its 1 person or 500 people.
What are the things you find most rewarding about your work?
Solving complex problems. Helping people in our community achieve their dreams and ambitions. Doing things that people say can't be done. Having an idea and making it into something real.
What are the toughest problems you encounter in your work?
Managing time and people. 90% of problems come from not having enough time or misunderstandings/miscommunication or missed expectations with people.
What are the frustrations in your work?
Being an entrepreneur there are endless frustrations. Things don't go according to plan. Things cost more or take more time. Not having enough resources (money, time, people) to do what you want to do.
- I recall when seeing Andy speak, that he paused in the middle of his speech. Turns out he momentarily forgot his next lines, but as a pro, he took his time and recovered. This stumble made him even more real to those of us fortunate enough to experience this very human moment. This points to the utility offered by the tips he shared with me in the bonus question listed at the end.
If you could change your job in some way, what would that change be?
I love my job, but if I had to change something, I guess it would be to have more money in the bank to start new things. It always seems there is never enough money. Although, I work with people that do have that kind of money, and they feel like they have the same problem. Never enough resources, it's just at a different scale.
Tomorrow: PART 2
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