The Unconventional Path: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Stories and Ideas.

The business professor starts a restaurant. Really? Marc Compeau clearly has the entrepreneurial gene. Marc's entrepreneurial activities started in primary school, continued into college and he is currently the owner/founder of Jake's, a very successful restaurant. And no, he is not a chef. Like most successful entrepreneurs, he did not let a few major setbacks derail his drive and instead turned...

This week we respond to a listener email. Bob K. writes; Bela and Mike, Just wanted to say I enjoy the podcasts but the latest one with Mark Dzwonczyk was really special. I love the micro observer term and opportunity recognition Thank you for doing these. Mark mentioned a book Seth Godin's Purple Cow, do the two of you have books that you would suggest for your audience. Thanks again. Bob K. We p...

Tyler Wrightson started his first company while still in high school. He quickly learned it's easy to start, but much more challenging to have a sustainable business. After a few positions in larger companies, he soon discovered he prefers having his own business. Leet Cyber Security is a super high tech business that helps companies discover their IT vulnerabilities. He then took what he learned...

Yearn to Learn. Today's topic for our Mini Episode is "The Yearn to Learn". A common characteristic among successful entrepreneurs is the yearn to learn. In other words, a constant curiosity to discover and learn. Mike and I discuss the importance of constantly learning, discovering, and using curiosity as a driver to improve your product across numerous dimensions. These can include discovering c...

Mark Dzwonczyk journey is remarkable, make sure you listen at the end where he reveals what makes it so remarkable. An engineer with a great knack for recognizing opportunities and building a business that delights customers. Mark was a pioneer in the VoIP telephone business and eventually ran a rural telephone company trying to bring internet connectivity to all. He is also a Trustee at Clarkson...

Raising Capital This is the second of our bi-monthly mini episodes. In these 5-10 mini episodes Mike and I will be discussing one topic of general interest. Our longer, interview episodes will remain the same and will also be bi-monthly on alternative weeks from the minis. This episode's topic is from a listener question, Andy from Providence Rhode Island asks about raising capital. We could do a...

John Cococcia graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and got a job working at a Ford Motor Company plant. His first assignment was supervising a manufacturing department. As John said, "It was a great learning experience!" He then got a job as a Partner at FA Technology Ventures, a $100 million early stage venture capital fund, where he made investments and help companies succeed. His mos...

This is the first of our bi-monthly mini episodes. In these 5-10 mini episodes Mike and I will be discussing one topic of general interest. Our longer, interview episodes will remain the same and will also be bi-monthly on alternative weeks from the minis. This episode's topic is change and trying something new. All entrepreneurs have a willingness to try new things/ideas/ concepts. After all, eve...

Simon Balint graduated from high school and deferred entering Brown University for a year to backpack around the world. He then spent a few years teaching English in Japan and helping to expand the company he worked for. After returning to the United States, he joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's business incubator where he met some students who were starting a business. He joined them and t...

Gustav Joensson is an exchange student at Clarkson University. I sat down with him to discuss entrepreneurship in Sweden and how it compares to the United States. Gustav discuss the strong entrepreneurship education available to all students starting in high school and continuing through college. We discuss the impact this has had on Sweden. Gustav also relates his experience at Clarkson and explo...

Mitch Hara started as an investment banker helping Beekman 1802 grow and ended up becoming CEO. Every growing business needs experienced talent, finding the "right" talent is multi-faceted. Starting as a consultant enables the founders and Mitch to get to know each other before making a major commitment. This interview was recorded live at the NY Biz Lab - Clarkson Entrepreneurship Lunchtime Serie...

EP-11: Passion, Culture, and Supply Chain. Nichole Snow - Darn Good Yarns Nichole's entrepreneurial adventures started with selling Betta fish to her dorm-mates in college. Then she transformed her childhood hobby into a thriving business. She's a master at recognizing opportunities. Darn Good Yarns provides uniquely made materials to the craft market while helping there suppliers from impoverishe...

EP-10: Kickstarter plus passion equals start-up. Charlotte Hayden - Craft Coffee Flavors What do you do when you cannot find your favorite coffee flavor? Charlotte Hayden starts a business to develop and sell coffee flavorings. Listen to her describe the challenges of leaving her full-time job and jumping head first into her passion to start her business. Charlotte also discusses the robust entrep...

EP-9: Holiday Bonus. Releasing 2 podcasts this week. To kick off the Holiday season we are releasing 2 episodes this week. The period between Thanksgiving and New Years is a special time of the year. It's exciting for everyone from young to old. We would like to thank our listeners for helping to make "The Unconventional Path: Secrets to igniting your business with Bela and Mike" a success. So thi...

Lawyers can be great sources of advice to entrepreneurs and can also be entrepreneurs themselves. Rich Honen - Venture Capital & Technology Practice Team Leader at Phillips-Lytle and the leader of the Albany NY office. Rich tackles the age-old question, "Start a business right out of school or join an existing company." Hear Rich describe how he ended up in law school, joined a start-up law firm r...

It's not about risk, it's about being prepared for the challenge. Craig Skevington - Serial Entrepreneur Disruption, challenge, planning, and entrepreneurship. How do they fit together? Craig Skevington, a serial entrepreneur, shares his provocative views on entrepreneurship. Craig differentiates between challenges (what drives entrepreneurs) and risk (which is driven by the challenge). He discuss...

How does vision develop? Dave Kruczlnicki the former CEO of Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls NY tells his story of how he took on assignments that challenged him and gave him a solid foundation to develop a vision and lead a community hospital. Dave discusses balancing the needs of the community with the financial demands of running a hospital. Finally, Dave shares advice on how to manage entre...

How do you build a successful culture? Darrin Jahnel, co-founder of software developer Jahnel Group, explains the role of people and culture in his company. Darrin offers some great tips on hiring and keeping great people, on investing in your culture, and on genuinely caring about your employees. He also discusses his journey from quitting his job, going through all his savings and getting into $...

Hugh Johnson, the founder of Hugh Johnson Advisors, Albany NY. Listen how Hugh built his career, from humble beginnings, into being a world renowned financial advisor. Chances are you have seen him on CNBC or heard him on NPR. You will hear how he left a large firm and blazed out on his own and how one small thing he did early in his career had a lasting impact on him. Check out Hugh Johnson Advis...

Ed Mitzen, the founder of Fingerpaint in Saratoga Springs, NY. Fingerpaint is a marketing company with a list of clients any firm would be envious of. This is Ed's second company, but the first one he has done as a solo founder. He discusses the challenges of heading out on your own. Fingerpaint recently made an acquisition, you will hear the challenges in finding and integrating another business...

A great interview with David Dussault, the founder of P1 Industries in Schenectady, NY. David started P1 after leaving GE and has built a solid business in machining and fabricating precision metal components for the energy industry. Listen to how David has grown this company by keeping a keen eye on building a customer service focused culture. P1 is a great example of applying entrepreneurship to...

Welcome to The Unconventional Path: Secrets to Igniting Your Business With Bela and Mike Your host for this podcast series are Bela Musits, the David D. Reh professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at Clarkson University in upstate New York, and Mike Wasserman, professor of international management at the University of Applied Sciences in Münster, Germany. Join us on a journey to explore how t...