Interview With an Entrepreneur - Jennifer Walzer

Jennifer Walzer says the best part of being an entrepreneur is getting to choose with whom you work.

Who: Jennifer Walzer, CEO and founder of Backup My Info!, Inc. (www.backupmyinfo.com), which provides online backup service for companies.

Q: When you were younger, did you think you were going to be an entrepreneur?

A: I was one of those kids on the streets selling lemonade, just always wanting to figure out a way to make things happen. And I think part of the reason why is that I looked at my father, who was an entrepreneur, and I wanted to be just like him.

Q: What are the benefits of being an entrepreneur?

IA: By far the best benefit is that I get to choose who I work with. I absolutely love the team of people who work with me. And obviously the benefits are great from a financial perspective. But at the same time, it’s not easy. Everyone says, “Oh I can start a business,” but until you actually do it, you never know what you’re getting yourself into.

Q: What are the cons of being an entrepreneur?

A: It’s really stressful, and it’s not easy. If it was so easy to start a business, everyone and their brother and sister would be doing it. I think one of the biggest challenges is that when you own a business, it actually can own you too. You either need to be in it to win it, or don’t do it at all.

Q: What traits do you see in successful entrepreneurs?

A: Without a doubt, they’re extremely passionate about what they do and have learned to put their ego aside. As an entrepreneur, you’re going to be faced with a lot of challenges. And if you think you’re going to have the answer to everything, you’re going to fail. I think a successful entrepreneur knows where his limits are and knows how to ask for help.

Q: What advice do you have for students thinking about becoming entrepreneurs?

A: Go and get an internship or figure out a way to work for someone you think has a really good business. And when you get there, get involved in as much as you can.


David Mammano is founder and CEO of NextStepU. (www.NextStepU.com).

Video interview with Kinko's founder, Paul Orfalea

NextStepU founder and CEO, David Mammano, interviewed Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko’s.

Mammano: What are some of the benefits that you’ve experienced as an entrepreneur?

Orfalea: Money. I was in my business for the money. I didn’t enjoy Xerox copying and printing and all that. I liked the money. There’s nothing wrong with saying you like the money. My best stores had the happiest workers and the most satisfied customers.

Mammano: You talk a lot about working on your business rather than in your business, can you expand on that?

Orfalea: A lot of people smoke cigarettes because they are in life, but if you’re on life you say “Oh I think cigarettes aren’t very good for me.” A lot of times when we are in life, we don’t realize what we are all about.

Mammano: Looking back now, would you change anything?

Continued with video at:
http://www.nextstepu.com/articlePage1.aspx?artId=3705&categoryId=4