What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
I have always had an innate desire to make things better. Simpler, quicker, easier. I have personal satisfaction in making improvements in any and all aspects of life. I spent much of my career in a large, multi-national corporation. While I had many opportunities to influence process and outcomes there, at times it can be a difficult and long process to make even the smallest improvement. I am happy when I am in control of my own destiny.
What is one fun or interesting thing that students should know about you?
I am a long-time runner. I’m not fast, but I love to compete with and challenge myself. Whether it’s simple as running a faster split than yesterday or adding some distance. I have a personal goal to run a full marathon which has been disrupted a number of times in the last few years due to injuries and personal conflicts. Crossing my fingers for 2021.
What can large corporations learn from startups?
To see failure as a necessary part of business. In large corporations, failure can be the end of a career, therefore people don’t take any risk or spin facts to look more successful. But, that way of thinking stifles creativity and results in a lot of incremental innovation. Occasionally, but not often, does a large corporation shake up the market. The market counts on start-ups to do this.
If you had one piece of advice to give to an aspiring entrepreneur, what would it be?
Be scrappy! There is no procedure or playbook for starting a company. Just do, learn, and adjust. Something is always better than nothing.
What was your biggest “a-ha” moment?
Successful entrepreneurs don’t ever think in terms of failure. Not every idea is successful, but they never think they “failed”. They just learn and move on. It is a fabulous perspective on life!
What are 3 things that you couldn’t live without?
- Coffee
- Hot Yoga
- Chocolate
... in that order!
Joanna is a Business Innovation Advisor with Brights Lights Innovations helping small businesses create profitable growth with accelerated times to market. Since 2007, she held various B2B Marketing Executive roles with Westinghouse Electric Company. She helped create numerous business opportunities leveraging a range of advanced technologies. Joanna’s specific expertise includes business model design, product concept development, financial planning, and partnerships with early-adopter customers. Joanna has collaborated with a number of educational organizations on the cutting edge of marketing and innovation, including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The Institute for the Study of Business to Business Markets (the only B2B Think Tank) at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, and the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State. She has a BA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.She also earned a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification.
Get in touch with Joanna here.