How Did I Start Interviewing People? And Other Frequently Asked Questions About Mixergy.
on Jul 8, 2009 - 11:35 AM PST
I got a few interesting questions about my work at Mixergy from Kareem Mayan (the digital nomad) and Kurt Daradics (co-founder of Freedom Speaks). Thought you might want to see the answers, so I’m posting them publicly.
Why did you start interviewing people?
I wanted the world to meet and learn from the people I was getting to know.
When I organized events for internet startups, I kept meeting interesting people who were working on innovative projects. I couldn’t help thinking that others would want to learn from them. So I finally started interviewing them and posting the interviews on the site.
How did you start interviewing?
Very simply. If you listen to this early early interview with William Quigley, an investor at Clearstone, you can see that the audio is okay, but not great. That’s because I took a tape recorder to his office and simply put it on his coffee table as I asked him how decided which startups to invest in.
I also used Skype to record interviews by phone, but the idea was to just keep it simple and focused on how the people I met did their jobs.
Why did you stick with it to make it what it is today?
After I recorded an interview with Rosalind Resnick, I called Olivia (my fiance) and said, “this is what I was meant to do.” The story of how Rosalind bootstrapped her company and took it public on NASDAQ was inspiring.
Ever since I was a kid, I read biographies of successful people and businesses. They gave me ideas and fired me up with a sense of possibilities. I wanted to expose others to those feelings. Recording stories like Rosalind gave me a chance to do that.
What kind of tribe are you trying to create?
I want the guy who tried selling candy in elementary school because he loved the idea of starting a business. I want the girl who read about Warren Buffett while her friends couldn’t get enough Britney Spears. I want the people who are trying to leave a legacy, not just pay the rent. I want the ones who are willing to put in the time. I want the ones who think business is heroic.
I want the ones who can’t sit on the sidelines. When they watch a baseball game, in the back of their heads they dream of being called on the field. When they have an idea for a business, they don’t spend years planning — they find a way to launch. When they see that something is missing in my work on mixergy, they jump in and tell me.
What kind of technology do you use to record your interviews?
I keep looking for faster ways to do it, but right now, it’s all about ScreenFlow and Skype for me. You can watch me edit in this video. Or, if you want to see a more detailed description, here’s one that I created for an outsourcing company that I hope will soon take over my editing work.
What benefit do you want people to get from Mixergy?
I want them to get a real understanding of what it takes to build a business so they could build their own companies.
I want them to say things like: “I didn’t get my company caught up in stealth mode because of something I heard on Mixergy.” Or, “I got a huge realization about how to improve my product because of something I heard on Mixergy.” Or, “I learned how to test my business idea because of something I heard on Mixergy.” Or, “I learned to tough out the hard times because of something I heard on Mixergy.”
Where do you want to end up?
I want to create a place where ambitious upstarts can learn from experienced businesspeople.
One of my favorite professors at NYU spent most of his time working on his company, and taught only two hours a week. What he taught us was much more meaningful and useful than the other professors because it was grounded in his real-world experiences — not based on a textbook. I want Mixergy to be a place where that happens more often.
When people talk about Mixergy what do you want them to say?
“Mixergy wouldn’t be what it is without me.”
Your turn
Got any questions about Mixergy? Post them in the comments or send me an email.
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July 8th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I'm one of the ones that thinks business is heroic. SCARY, but heroic. Im sure it will be very rewarding, WHEN i make it one day :)
Without Mixergy, i would have given up in January of this year. Without Mixergy, i would still be held hostage by my business.
BECAUSE of Mixergy, i've finally had the courage and confirmation of my intutions to work on my passion and do business the way ive always wanted to. Its a slow process, but im getting there.
WITH Mixergy, i've told tons of people to get out of stealth mode. SO MANY.
WITH Mixergy, i've had the confidence to stand by my opinions, because i can see others have already made it.
Thank you for letting me be part of your tribe. I'm honored (sorry to sound sentimental) that im part of this journey.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Andrew, you are making a difference. One thing I learned from you is that value exchange in business needs to be well-matched for both parties. This is easy in theory, but difficult in practice! And the practice is the key.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Good luck with the new site and mission James.
(By the way, Disqus flagged this comment as spam because of all the links. I
“unspammed” it, but you might want to know that for future comments on
Disqus-powered sites.)
Thanks for the input.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Yeah. Doing is always the hardest.
Thanks for the comment.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Thanks. I'm glad this site helped me meet and get to know you.
July 8th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Keep pushing the envelope and doing what you love Andrew.
A favorite quote of mine fits perfectly with what Mixergy has become for you and the legacy you will leave for others.
“Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” –Gil Bailie
The quote is a similar thought to what Seth Godin continually preaches in building a tribe.
I know we have only “met” through coincidence online. But what you have been able to share thus far and continue to share has been on purpose (and hopefully) timeless.
July 8th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
When can I get my “Ambitious Upstart” t-shirt? I want the shirt, and I want to hi5 my fellow compatriots on the street and at conferences.
July 8th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Andrew- Hey man you're a man on a mission. When I tell folks about you, I describe you as the 'post modern Napoleon Hill”. I wonder what kind of products might develop out of all this?? hmmm.
July 9th, 2009 at 12:21 am
This is a fantastic post. It's always enlightening for me to learn why and how people run their business. I remember asking you several months ago a few of these questions. What I'm still trying to figure out is how you plan to monetize Mixergy,
The “Something I heard on Mixergy” mantra is exactly why you have one of the best business blogs. You create posts people (like myself) share like crazy and get excited about.
July 9th, 2009 at 1:39 am
Just came back from walk along the beach and was going to email you and then I saw this post. Very relevant. I listened to one of your interviews from June 2008 with William Fernandez and started thinking how far along these interviews have come. Much more polished, better from a technical standpoint (no having to adjust the volume all the time) and generally a better interviewing style these days.
I've been listening to the older ones on my walks at the end of each day and thanks to the voice memos on my iPhone I can now remember things to follow through with, sites to visit, tools to check out.
If only I could remember how I came across Mixergy in the first place… Thanks again.
July 9th, 2009 at 9:11 am
I'm constantly telling people to check out this site for the same reason I do, which is for encouragement and confirmation. It can be a long and hard road to work up the nerve to strive out on your own and be great.
The interviews you do help. They have changed my life and continually make my day.
You should be on TV. Even if it's late night on Sunday on Cable. I think that your candor and transparency will serve you well through the years.
July 10th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Fascinating that this post received 3 times the comments than your interview with superstar entrepreneur Jimmy Wales. These comments are a testament to what you're building here on Mixergy. I know it's a lot of effort, but your mission to deduce and share entrepreneurs' stories and help others is heating up!
July 10th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
One thing I learned from being on my first upstart is that there are less people like me then I thought. My friends keep asking me when I'm going to get a real job and the people who I thought were entrepreneurs were all talk and freaked out that I am actually bootstrapping it. Mixergy reminds me that I'm not crazy.
This is where I go to figure things out, get new ideas and belong. Very odd how much there is a sense of community even though the site isn't specifically geared towards that but I think it is a testament to Andrew's approach.
Thanks Andrew and yes, Mixergy wouldn't be what it is without you!
October 13th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Thanks you for information.nfcu
October 14th, 2009 at 5:04 am
Thanks you for information.nfcu