Clate Mask, who has a JD and an MBA from Brigham Young University, is the co-founder and CEO of the fast-growth software company Infusionsoft. He is also the co-author of the New York Times bestseller “Conquer the Chaos: How to Grow a Successful Small Business without Going Crazy.” Mask raised nearly $17 million in venture capital funding from Silicon Valley–based Mohr Davidow Ventures and vSpring Capital after bootstrapping Infusionsoft from 2001 to 2007. More than 20,000 small business subscribers use Infusionsoft’s SaaS marketing automation solution, which combines CRM, e-mail marketing, lead nurturing, e-commerce, and automation.
Sramana: Let’s begin by tracing your entrepreneurship roots. Where do you come from?
Clate Mask: I have always been into little ventures from the time I was a kid. I loved the challenge of selling things. In the early days, I sold NFL pencils on the playground. Read the full article »
John Duffy is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in communications and payment processing. At 3Cinteractive, John is responsible for setting corporate strategy, driving revenue, and helping to maintain the company’s key relationships with customers and vendors. Prior to co-founding 3Ci, John built several successful companies in various industries. John lives in Delray Beach, Florida, with his wife and two daughters.
Sramana: John, tell us about your background. Where are you from? What path did you take to become an entrepreneur?
John Duffy: I was born in Hammond, Indiana. My father was an FBI agent. We moved approximately every two years, so I have lived in several locations throughout the Midwest and the Northeast. I went to school at Ohio University and graduated around the time that my father was retiring from the FBI. Read the full article »
Mercia Tapping is the CEO of Boston Green Goods, a multi-channel e-commerce business. Her business was named to the Internet Retailer 2007 Top 500 list, and she received the 2004 Stevie Award for Woman Entrepreneurs. Prior to founding Boston Green Goods, she worked as an independent consultant and co-founded an energy consulting business. She is a graduate of Cornell University.
Sramana: Mercia, let’s start by reviewing your background. What path did you take to get where you are today?
Mercia Tapping: I am an American citizen, but I was born in England. I have been in the United States since 1973. My former husband was an entrepreneur. When I went out on my own in later years, it was thoroughly in my genes to be an entrepreneur. Read the full article »
Jamin Arvig is a serial entrepreneur who is a founder of WaterFilters.Net. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering as well as a law degree. After practicing patent law for a period, he decided to maintain a focus on business which led to increased effort being place on WaterFilters.Net, a business he started in 2002 while still in school.
Sramana: Jamin, let’s go back to the beginning of your story. Where did you grow up?
Jamin Arvig: I grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota, which is just west of the Twin Cities. I went to the University of Minnesota for an electrical engineering degree, and then I went to William Mitchell for my law degree. Read the full article »
Michael Mothner is the founder and CEO of search engine marketing firm Wpromote. The company has maintained over 2,700% growth from 2003 through 2007. Michael has a degree in economics and computer science from Dartmouth College.
Sramana: Mike, what is your story leading up to Wpromote? Where are you from?
Mike Mothner: I am 29 now. I was born in Manhattan Beach, California. My parents were both teachers. I got into computers and the Internet when I was pretty young. Read the full article »
Kim Pederson is the CEO and founder of 1000 Bulbs, an award-winning business of more than 100 employees which offers everything from simple household light bulbs to cutting-edge specialty lighting systems. He launched 1000Bulbs.com in 1996 after working as regional and national recruiter for two national lighting distributors. Today, 1000Bulbs.com enjoys double-digit sales growth, and Kim was recognized in June 2010 as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in the Dallas–Ft. Worth region.
Sramana: Kim, let’s start by talking some about your background. Where did you grow up, and what were the circumstances that laid the foundation for your entrepreneurial endeavors?
Kim Pedersen: I was born in Iowa in 1954 as one of five children. My parents moved to Omaha, Nebraska, when I was four. Read the full article »
Sramana: Zalmi, let’s start with your personal story. Where are you from?
Zalmi Duchman: I was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1980. My parents moved to Miami Beach before I turned a year old, so I pretty much grew up there. I went to an Orthodox Jewish high school in L.A. at 14. I was in a dorm from ninth grade on and my roommate there, Yosef Schwartz, is actually my business partner and the executive chef of Fresh Diet. Read the full article »
Phanindra Sama, otherwise known as Phani, is the co-founder and CEO of redBus. redBus is India’s largest bus ticketing company and a Forbes Top 5 Startup in 2010. Phani has a BE in electrical engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science. Prior to founding redBus, he worked as a design engineer at ST Microelectronics and as a senior design engineer at Texas Instruments in Bangalore.
Sramana: Phani, let’s start with your personal story.
Phanindra Sama: I was always good with technical studies and was especially good mechanically. I got into BITS Pilani (Birla Institute of Technology and Science), and I studied electronics because I always wanted to be an electronics engineer. I was always fascinated with electrons flowing through a wire and making a light glow or a fan turn. It was fascinating to me. I used to have a tool kit and repair small electronics. Read the full article »
