Business Lessons from sucessful entrepreneurs and business leaders: LunchLearning.com

Reading time: 3 - 5 minutes

Video Time: varies

Today I thought we would do something a little different for LunchLearning, so I hope you enjoy the switch up! Instead of a longer video you can watch over lunch that speaks to certain business lessons worth learning, I wanted to shorten up the approach a little and share with you a few great videos from Tim Jahn’s (@timjahn on Twitter) BeyondthePedway.com.

Each week Tim gets the inside scoop from local Chicago firms that work in the creative space. . .doing things you often don’t realize are outsourced from larger clients to smaller boutique firms. So enjoy these few videos of great Chicago companies. . and let your mind wander toward all the really great things you can do for your company that you thought could only be done by the big guys!

THEN…call them up and help support your local entrepreneurs! Even if you’re not in Chicago. *wink* After all these local firms work with clients all over the country and the world.

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time: 30 minutes 04 seconds

Richard Branson hardly needs an introduction. He’s an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur, and, at least in my opinion, the embodiment of Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan. Seemingly unaware of risk, he pursues his goals with the passion of a child, despite numerous failures along his road to success.

In this rather relaxed TED talk with Chris Anderson, Branson shares some amusing anecdotes that occurred during some of his adventures, the challenges of life as a dyslexic, near death experiences and life on top of the world.

An insightful, enjoyable and inspiring conversation with Richard covering some of the important world challenges and how philanthropy can be among the most inspiring achievements in life.

Reading time: 3 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 26 minutes 59 seconds

Could you get a town to change it’s name to that of your company? Josh Kopelman’s from Half.com did.

A lot of entrepreneurs dream of launching a company that is so successful it gets snapped up by another company that sees the vision and is willing to pony up a substantial sum to buy into that success. Josh Kopelman did it. And he did it more than once.

Josh Kopelman (@joshk on Twitter), founder of Half.com talks about how he went from the local kid taking pictures at Bar Mitzvas to running a company while in college, and then on to other successful start ups including the aforementioned Half.com (sold to eBay within a year of launch), and TurnTide, an anti-spam company later sold to Symantec. Today, you’ll find Josh in the Managing Director spot at First Round Capital, a seed-stage venture fund. . .and that is what brings him to this episode of LunchLearning.com.

Other than the general story-telling here, it’s a great reminder to hear Josh talk about the importance of focusing on our strengths as entrepreneurs. . .a realization further cemented now that as a VC he can focus on what he does best. . .starting companies! Josh also comments on the role of business plans in relation to getting funding, and how important individuals and teams are in early stage companies where direction often changes on a dime. Great stuff if you’re ever pitching.

So, check out Josh’s chat with Samantha Ettus. . .he provides a nice cursory look at where some VC firms are looking these days as well as a (little) peek into how some VC think with regard to proposals, etc. Gary Vaynerchuk stops by end the end of this Obsessed segment, of course, with a wine selection for Josh, and some more questions about business. . .always great to hear from Gary as well!

From Josh’s bio: Josh is an inventor on eight U.S. Patents for his work in Internet technology, and in June 2000, was awarded Ernst and Young’s prestigious “Entrepreneur of the Year” award for the Greater Philadelphia region. Josh has also appeared on numerous national television shows, and is a frequent speaker at industry-wide conferences on entrepreneurship, Internet marketing and the future of Internet services. In 2001 Josh and his wife created the Kopelman Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on angel philanthropy to provide “start-up” grants to social entrepreneurs.

Thanks for joining LunchLearning.com today! Enjoy your Lunch!

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time:  6 minutes 7 seconds

Seventeen year old Chicagoan, Zoë Damacela is the personification of every entrepreneurial dream. Humble beginnings, huge Chutzpah, loads of talent and the innate ability to see past any obstacles in her path.

She serves not only as an inspiration to budding entrepreuenuers everywhere, but to those of us already knee-deep in the game. Her efforts have taken her from 8 year old greeting card designer to fashion impresario selling her wares and gaining the attention of Chicago entrepreneurs like Larry Levy, of Levy Restaurants, and Joe Mansueto of Morningstar. Not a bad deal.

As Crain’s Chicago business puts it, Zoë Damacela’s story, “isn’t about success, it’s about the power of entrepreneurship.” Amen to that. Enjoy the video! To get the video to play, you’ll have to click the “play” button in the upper right corner of the player, just off to the side. . .where you’ll see Zoe at her machine and the “play” button. . .

Thanks for joining LunchLearning.com, and enjoy your lunch!