Startup Spark

Interview with the entrepreneur and author, Ben Casnocha - Part 2

by steve on June 19th, 2007

I recently had an opportunity to interview Ben Casnocha, an entrepreneur who just published his first book, called “My Startup Life”.

As you might have read in part 1 if this three part interview, we discussed entrepreneurship and our shared passion of being a “bookslut”.

Here is part 2 we dive deeper into Failure, Growth and Creating a Life Balance. Let’s continue:

SS: You talk about failure and bouncing back. Do you find that while at that moment it is not a pleasant thing, however over the long run it makes you better and more resilient?
BEN: Absolutely. Dealing with failures and becoming resilient strengthens us in the long run.
SS: Because of your youth and desire to grow the business, you hired an interim CEO. Why did that not work out?
BEN: Personal fit. If personal rapport is missing, no business relationship will work. People often spend a lot of time vetting someone’s qualifications and experience. They should spend as much or more time seeing if there is personal fit between the new hire and everyone else.
SS: Did that experience ultimately help you when you recruited your management tea?
BEN: Yes. I spent much more time with possible hires in personal settings.
SS: Because you started Comcate during your high school years, how did you manage a work life balance?
BEN: I went into it knowing there would be tradeoffs. If you’re not self-aware about the tradeoffs that are inherent in the entrepreneurial life, you’re setting yourself up for possible letdowns. Besides that, I focused on a lot of tactical things that would allow me to maintain quality personal relationships with school friends in addition to running my business.

NEXT TIME, IN THE FINAL PART OF THE INTERVIEW, PART 3, we wrap up with his advice on finding coaches, advisors and mentors. That is something every entrepreneur should have in their life to help them grow

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POSTED IN: Business, Entrepreneur Interviews, Leadership, Passion, Young Entrepreneurs