School for Startups Radio
On 60 AmFm stations around the US, the show argues that anyone can be a successful entrepreneur when they forget creativity, risk, and passion! Join host Jim Beach, bestselling McGraw-Hill Author for his SBA award winning nationally syndicated radio show. Copy an idea, execute it better, start with less than $5,000 and reserve passion for family & religion.
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Episodes
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Chad Bean - CEO of Ignite Recruitment
We are the first company in the industry that lets people recruit onthe go. On top of that, we let non recruiters recruit. So we let the generalmarket be Privy to the advantages and profit of the recruitment sector.We are monetizing referrals.
Chad Bean is a highly accomplished recruitment professional with over a decade of experience in the industry. Throughout his career, Chad has held a number of senior management positions at some of the world's top companies, where he has established a reputation for his exceptional leadership skills, strategic thinking, and innovative approach to recruitment. In his current role as the owner and manager of Ignite Recruitment, Chad is leading a company that is truly changing the game in the recruitment industry. Ignite Recruitment is a crowdsourced referral platform that is designed to connect top talent with the best job opportunities, all through the power of referrals. Ignite’s platform is giving individuals the opportunity to make money just by utilizing their personal networks. With its cutting-edge technology and innovative approach, Ignite Recruitment is quickly becoming the go-to platform for job seekers and recruiters alike.
Michael Buckwald - Chief Executive Officer of Torch Sensors
The end goal is to either have governments buy torch sensors or requirethey be installed as in the case of the indoor smoke detector.
Michael Buckwald is the Chief Executive Officer of Torch. It is Buckwald’s second IoT sensor product and company. While CEO of hand-tracking sensor company Leap Motion, Buckwald led the startup to a $300 million valuation and acquisition. Across the U.S., Leap Motion products were sold in over 1,000 Best Buy stores. Buckwald has been recognized for his entrepreneurship expertise in the Fast Company Most Creative People in Business and the Forbes 30 Under 30 – Technology lists. For half a decade, Micheal has faced the challenge of building a hardware device for fire detection. By tapping into his leadership, fundraising, and recruiting expertise, Michael has been a keystone element in Torch's Business.
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Daniel Vitalis - Founder of the nutrition company Surthrival.com, TV Star on Outdoor Channel show WildFed
Daniel Vitalis is the host of WildFed on Outdoor Channel. For ten years he lectured around North America and abroad, offering workshops that helped others lead healthier, more nature-integrated lives. A successful entrepreneur, he founded the nutrition company Surthrival.com in 2008. Most recently, he hosted the popular podcast ReWild Yourself. He’s a Registered Maine Guide, writer, public speaker, interviewer, and lifestyle pioneer who’s especially interested in helping people reconnect with wildness, both inside and outside of themselves. After learning to hunt, fish, and forage as an adult, Daniel created WildFed to inspire others to start a wild-food journey of their own. Headquartered in the Lakes Region of Maine, he lives with his beautiful wife Avani and their Plott Hound Ellie. Connect with him at Wild-Fed.com, as well as on Instagram @danielvitalis and Facebook.
Del H. Smith - Author of Discovering Life's Purpose: Re-Examining The Club
Del H. Smith is the author of an inspiring book, Discovering Life's Purpose: Re-Examining The Club. He has devoted two decades of research into discovering the purpose of life. His research includes the study of philosophy and participation in religious retreats. His work is fueled by the extensive reading of books by Atheists, spiritualists, and religious apologists. His personal pursuit of life's purpose ran the gambit from Atheist to unfulfilled convert to fervent Christian. His journey involved a critical examination of The Club, the multi-denominational Christian Church. Smith has developed a video channel, entitled the Meaning of Life Video Series, as well as a blog. Smith is the developer of an experiential learning methodology that applies one's unique life experience to their reason-based thinking. He retired as an international marketing consultant. His clients included IBM, Microsoft, Dell Computers, Hewlett Packard, and many other global companies. He has developed financial and sales process methodologies that have been adopted in over a dozen countries. Upon retirement, he directed his business experience to the development of reason-based thought processes in pursuit of establishing one's life purpose. His family includes his three children, their late mother, his three grandchildren and his wife, Marcelle. He lives in Markham, Ontario, Canada.
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Benjamin Katz - CEO of Happy Head
I am using AI to help rewrite emails in more clear and concisetones, helping role play a conversation with an employee or vendor,and using AI based models rather than doing live photo shoots.
Benjamin Katz is the founder and CEO of HappyHead.com. After graduating from The Wharton School with an MBA at age 22, he worked briefly on Wall Street, then in Hollywood. He went on to found CARD.com and Haven Coliving. Benjamin Katz is a seasoned entrepreneur with experience in the health and wellness industry. He founded Happy Head in 2011 with the goal of providing affordable, high-quality massages to the public. Since then, the company has expanded to include multiple locations throughout San Diego. Benjamin is passionate about creating positive experiences for his customers and building a strong team culture within his organization. He has been recognized for his leadership and entrepreneurial accomplishments by various publications. He lives in Los Angeles, where he raises his daughters, and uses as a base for ski trips and off-roading in Baja. On May 5, 2006, He became the FIRST-EVER customer of TOMS Shoes. TOMS has sold 60 million shoes, and donated another 60 million in the process.
Dr. Melissa Crum -Herbalist and Founder of "The Flower Remedy"
I chose to do this as a business so I could reach more people and I wanted to have some freedom as far as always being there in person. I wanted to craft a lifestyle where I could travel and run the business from wherever I am.
Dr. Melissa Crum is an acupuncturist, herbalist and founder of "The Flower Remedy". She studied at the International Institute of Chinese Medicine, where she earned her professional degree as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, and where she also received a national certification in herbology. She has treated thousands of patients using Traditional Chinese Medicine and other cutting-edge alternative health treatments. She has spent the last two decades expanding her knowledge base and developing expertise in the use of flower remedies, homeopathy, reiki, tui na, guided meditation and the use of other natural remedies for weight loss and beauty. Dr. Crum is a lifelong learner committed to discovering and sharing all the best healing tools that allow her, along with her friends, family, colleagues, clients and customers to prolong their health and feel young again.
Wednesday Apr 19, 2023
Wednesday Apr 19, 2023
Steve Berry - NY Times Best Selling Author of The Last Kingdom (Cotton Malone Book 17)
I have faith in America. I have faith in the Constitution. It's a magnificent system and I think it will survive. I think we're going to be just fine.
[caption id="attachment_54374" align="alignright" width="150"] Steve Berry[/caption]
Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen Cotton Malone adventures, five stand-alone thrillers, and several works of short fiction. His books have been translated into 41 languages with 25,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. Somewhere in the world, every thirty seconds, a Steve Berry book is sold. History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It’s his passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 Steve and Elizabeth have crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures, raising money via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners, and their popular writers’ workshops. To date, 3,500 students have attended those workshops, with over $1.5 million dollars raised. Steve’s devotion to historic preservation was recognized by the American Library Association, which named Steve its spokesperson for National Preservation Week. Among his other honors are the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award; the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award given by Poets & Writers; the Anne Frank Human Writes Award; and the Silver Bullet, bestowed by International Thriller Writers for his philanthropic work. He has been chosen both the Florida and Georgia Writer of the Year. He’s also an emeritus member of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board. In 2010, a NPR survey named The Templar Legacy one of the top 100 thrillers ever written. Steve was born and raised in Georgia, graduating from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a founding member of International Thriller Writers—a group of nearly 6,000 thriller writers from around the world—and served three years as its co-president.
Nanci Smith - Divorce Attorney and Author of Untangling Your Marriage: A Guide to Collaborative Divorce
Your children are watching like a hawk. You have the opportunity to demonstrate how we handle adversity and conflict. You can demonstrate for your children doing things in an intentional way with respect and dignity.
[caption id="attachment_54405" align="alignright" width="150"] Nanci Smith[/caption]
Nanci Smith is an attorney based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, with over 20 years of experience in family law. In addition to her expertise in estate planning, trust administration, and probate law, she has also authored a book entitled "Untangling Your Marriage: A Guide to Collaborative Divorce." As a family law attorney, Ms. Smith has helped many couples navigate the difficult process of divorce. She is a strong advocate of collaborative divorce, which is a process where both parties work together to come to an agreement without going to court. In her book, "Untangling Your Marriage," she provides a step-by-step guide to collaborative divorce, including strategies for effective communication and problem-solving. Ms. Smith believes that divorce doesn't have to be a traumatic and adversarial process. Through collaborative divorce, couples can work together to find a solution that is in the best interests of both parties and any children involved. Her book offers practical advice and tools for couples considering this approach to divorce. On her website, Ms. Smith offers information and resources on collaborative divorce, as well as traditional divorce and other family law issues. She also provides personalized legal services to clients in the Bay Area and beyond, helping them navigate the often-complicated legal system and find the best solutions for their unique situations.
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Darryl Callum - Owner of Infinite LLC
Negotiate with a landlord and tell them you are going to rent the propertyas an AirBnB. It's a low to no-money way to start with AirBnB andgenerating passive income.
Darryl Callum is a leader in the financial literacy and business funding space, with over five years of experience in helping individuals and small business owners achieve financial success. His Infinite Freedom program is designed to empower his community to build generational wealth and create passive streams of income. In this interview, he shares great information about using rental property to start an AirBnB business. In other words, you don't even need to OWN property to be in the AirBnB space. Also, we talk about establishing business credit and how important that is.
Darryl Callum - Owner of Infinite LLC
Negotiate with a landlord and tell them you are going to rent the propertyas an AirBnB. It's a low to no-money way to start with AirBnB andgenerating passive income.
[caption id="attachment_54354" align="alignright" width="150"] Darryl Callum[/caption]
Darryl Callum is a leader in the financial literacy and business funding space, with over five years of experience in helping individuals and small business owners achieve financial success. His Infinite Freedom program is designed to empower his community to build generational wealth and create passive streams of income. In this interview, he shares great information about using rental property to start an AirBnB business. In other words, you don't even need to OWN property to be in the AirBnB space. Also, we talk about establishing business credit and how important that is.[social_icons type='circle_social' icon='fa-facebook' use_custom_size='yes' size='fa-lg' custom_size='' link='https://www.facebook.com/darrylcalluminfinite' target='_blank' icon_color='' icon_hover_color='' background_color='' background_hover_color='' background_color_transparency='' border_width='' border_color='' border_hover_color='' icon_margin='' /][social_icons type='circle_social' icon='fa-instagram' use_custom_size='yes' size='fa-lg' custom_size='' link='https://www.instagram.com/darrylcalluminfinite/' target='_blank' icon_color='' icon_hover_color='' background_color='' background_hover_color='' background_color_transparency='' border_width='' border_color='' border_hover_color='' icon_margin='' /][social_icons type='circle_social' icon='fa-linkedin' use_custom_size='yes' size='fa-lg' custom_size='' link='https://www.linkedin.com/in/darryl-callum-3aa3aa9a/' target='_blank' icon_color='' icon_hover_color='' background_color='' background_hover_color='' background_color_transparency='' border_width='' border_color='' border_hover_color='' icon_margin='' /]SFS Minute 162: Better Biz CreditDr. Simon Whitney - Medical Ethicist and Author of From Oversight to Overkill: Inside the Broken System That Blocks Medical Breakthroughs—And How We Can Fix It
The doctor's computer has been designed to optimize the amount of money they can extract from you or your insurance. The computer is not optimized to figure out what is wrong with you and treat it.
Simon Whitney, MD, JD is a family physician and ethicist. He taught at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he held the William O'Donnell and Regina O'Donnell Chair in Family Medicine, for twenty-two years. He is retired from the practice of medicine but continues to publish and teach about medical ethics. Dr. Whitney has studied the Institutional Review Board system, including its origins, its triumphs, and its failures, since 2007. He has spoken at national and international conferences and published in professional journals including Pediatrics, Annals of Internal Medicine, Risk Management, and the American Journal of Bioethics. In 2023, he published From Oversight to Overkill: Inside the Broken System That Blocks Medical Breakthroughs—And How We Can Fix It (Rivertowns Books). This book brings to life how scientists struggle with excessive oversight, how the process delays cures that we all need, and what we should do about it. In 2015, he published Balanced Ethics Review: A Guide for the Institutional Review Board Member (Springer). IRBs have long been seen as having a single purpose: to protect research subjects from abuse. This is the first manual to show how IRBs can fulfill their second, unspoken purpose: to allow scientists to save lives without unnecessary bureaucratic hindrances. He has also published articles about breaking bad news to cancer patients, about how patients and doctors should share in medical decision-making and other topics in medical ethics.
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Greg Kihlström - Principal, Chief Strategist at GK5A and Author of House of the Customer: A blueprint for one-to-one, customer-first, employee-driven business transformation
It comes down to companies that put a lot of effort into training employees. It'snot just saying we want to treat our customers well, it's training your employeesand motivating them to do a great job and that they get satisfaction whencustomers are satisfied.
Greg Kihlström is a best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, currently an advisor and consultant to top companies on customer experience, employee experience, and digital transformation initiatives as Principal and Chief Strategist at GK5A. He is also the host of The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. He is a two-time CEO and Co-Founder, growing both companies organically and through acquisitions, and ultimately leading both to be acquired (one in 2017, and the other in 2021). As a strategist, digital transformation, and customer experience advisor, he has worked with some of the world’s top brands, including AOL, Choice Hotels, Coca-Cola, Dell, FedEx, GEICO, Marriott, MTV, Starbucks, Toyota, and VMware. He is a member of the School of Marketing Faculty at the Association of National Advertisers, currently serves on the University of Richmond’s Customer Experience Advisory Board, was the founding Chair of the American Advertising Federation’s National Innovation Committee, and served on the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Marketing Mentorship Advisory Board. Greg is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified, is an Agile Certified Coach (ICP-ACC) and holds a certification in Business Agility (ICP-BAF). Meaningful Measurement of the Customer Experience, Greg’s eighth and latest book provides guidance on how to create a customer-centric culture that prioritizes customer needs while aligning internal teams around a common goal. His previous book, The Agile Workforce (2021) explores the current and future state of the workforce and envisions a world where individuals thrive in a new world of work opportunities enabled by technology, decentralization, and a shift in the power dynamics between employers and employees. Greg’s book, The Center of Experience (2020) talks about how customer and employee experience can be operationalized into a cohesive brand experience. The Agile Brand (2018), follows the evolution of branding from its beginnings to the authentic relationship with brands that modern consumers want, and gives practical examples of what you can do to create a more modern, agile brand while staying true to your core values. His podcast, The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström, launched in early 2019 and discusses brand strategy, marketing, and customer experience with some of the world’s leading experts and leaders. Greg is a regular contributing writer to Forbes and CMSWire, and has been featured in publications such as Advertising Age, SmartCEO, Website Magazine, and The Washington Post. Greg was named a DC Inno 2018 50 on Fire winner as a DC trendsetter in Marketing. He’s participated as a keynote speaker and panelist at industry events around the world including Internet Week New York, Internet Summit, EventTech, SMX Social Media, Social Media Week, Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit, ABA Bank Marketing Summit, and VMworld. He has guest lectured at several schools including VCU Brandcenter, Georgetown University, Duke University, American University, University of Maryland, Howard University, and Virginia Tech.Charles McCarrick - 10x Patent Holder, Founder and CEO of Micro-Ant and Author of Lessons My Brothers Taught Me: How to Transform Your Personal Qualities Into A Successful Business
Passion? You need something pushing you rather than pulling you.
Charles D. McCarrick is an entrepreneur, inventor, and lead visionary of Micro-Ant. With more than 10 patents to his name, he pioneers and supplies unique equipment to the communications industry. Charles' most defining characteristic is enthusiasm—for new ideas, for the people who work with him, and for continuous improvement. By cultivating people's confidence and creativity, Charles has forged a top-notch team that delivers new technologies into the hands of customers and value to investors.
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Dr. Jonathan Baktari - CEO at e7 Health & eNational Testing & US Drug Test Centers
You can't just have a great idea. So what? Lots of people have great ideas. Lots ofpeople have great ideas that fail. How are you going to execute? How are you goingto differentiate? Just because you're a nice guy doesn't make you a leader!
Dr. Jonathan Baktari is the Founder and CEO of both e7 Health, a company that leverages technology to offer innovative medical care while providing cost savings for their patients and clients, and US Drug Test Centers (USDTC), the nation's leading drug and alcohol testing service provider. Both of these groundbreaking technology companies were born out of a combination of Dr. Baktari’s expertise as a doctor, medical director, and educator and his over 20 years of clinical, administrative, and entrepreneurial experience. A former triple board-certified physician with specialties in internal medicine, e7 Health pulmonary and critical care medicine, being a healthcare CEO is only the latest chapter in Dr. Baktari’s life mission to help others by making integrative preventative medicine available to everyone. Dr. Jonathan has always believed that helping others was the ultimate achievement in life. Now, as a business leader, sought-after speaker and podcast host, he’s excited to share his expertise in preventative health, tech entrepreneurship and other topics that can’t be found anywhere else.
R
ob Behnke - Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Halborn, Cybersecurity for Blockchain
The general Internet that we use is web2 or the Internet of information. Emails, social media are all information. Web3 is the Internet of value.
Rob Behnke, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Halborn. Rob is a multi-disciplined entrepreneur, growth hacker, and decade-long bitcoin fanatic. His career has seen him as CEO and co-founder of companies in several industries including CPG, Consumer App, AdTech, Web3 and Cybersecurity. Founded in 2019 with Steven Wahlbroehl, Halborn is an award-winning blockchain cybersecurity firm that uses ethical hackers to provide end-to-end cybersecurity advisory services and products to Web2 companies and over 250 Web3 organizations, including Coinbase, Avalanche, and more. Since 2019, the team has grown to over 100 fully-remote engineers and employees based around the world. Rob would be happy to discuss a wide range of topics, including what he’s learned in his career in startups, managing a global remote team, and the importance of cybersecurity in today’s business climate.
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Monday Apr 10, 2023
John Baldoni - Top 10 Thought Leader and Author of Grace Under Pressure: Leading Through Change and Crisis
Grace fosters the ability to connect with others. That's what we look for when we create community.
John Baldoni is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and author of 16 books that have been translated into ten languages. He is also ranked globally as a top ten leadership coach. John’s thought leadership is reflected in his writing as well as his choice of media: columns, videos and books. John also integrates piano improvisations into his keynotes which he illustrates with his still life photos. John is also the host of LinkedIn Live’s GRACE under pressure interview series, a platform that has enabled him to interview more a hundred global business, academic and thought leaders and doers. John’s books include Grace Under Pressure: Leading Through Change and Crisis; Grace Notes: Leading in an Upside-Down World; GRACE: A Leader’s Guide to a Better Us; MOXIE: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership; Lead with Purpose; Lead Your Boss and The Leader’s Pocket Guide. In 2022, Thinkers 360 named John a Top 10 Thought Leader for both Leadership and Management. Also in 2022, Global Gurus ranked John a Top 20 global leadership expert, a list he has been on since 2007. In 2021, the International Federation of Learning and Development named John a World-Class Mentor and named him to its Hall of Fame. In 2018 Inc.com named John a Top 100 speaker and Trust Across America honored John with its Lifetime Achievement Award for Trust. In 2014 Inc.com listed John as a Top 50 leadership expert. John is also a member of the renowned 100 Coaches, a group of executive coaches and thought leaders from the worlds of business, academia and social service. 100 Coaches was founded by Marshall Goldsmith. John established a career as a highly sought-after executive coach, where he has had the privilege of working with senior leaders in virtually every industry from pharmaceutical to real estate, packaged goods to automobiles, and finance to health care. John has authored more than 800 leadership columns for a variety of online publications including Forbes, Harvard Business Review and Inc.com. John also produced and appears in a video coaching series for SmartBrief, a news channel with over 4 million readers. John is the author and host of two online leadership courses: “Leading through Change & Crisis” and “Leading with Resilience + Grace” for Methods of Leaders/100 Coaches.
Marshall Davis Jones - Flounder of MindBodySpeak
Marshall Davis Jones is the founder of MindBodySpeak; a leading authority in Tonal Influence™ for communication. His techniques win negotiations, deescalate conflicts and acquire business relationships across multiple industries. He has worked with renowned speakers, industry leaders and various organizations from youth development to law enforcement. He sits on multiple advisory boards for tech companies as an expert on human vocal performance and affective presence. Besides writing and speaking globally, he has played a narrative consultant role for two documentaries and contributes to industry strategy via think tanks. Marshall was awarded recognition as one of the top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD Class of 2022) via the UN. He’s also had poems flown by NASA into space.
Friday Apr 07, 2023
Friday Apr 07, 2023
Mike Fata - Co-founder of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods and Author of Grow: 12 Unconventional Lessons for Becoming an Unstoppable Entrepreneur
When you are selling a product, it is about being an inch wide and a miledeep. You are better off if you are in one store where you sell dozens of productseach month instead of being in 100 stores where you sell one product each month.
Mike Fata is Co-founder of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods in 1998, and served as Chairman of the Board and CEO until 2016. Mike helped guide the strategic sale of the company to Tilray for $419 million dollars in 2019. Since then, Mike has celebrated and supported other business ventures as an entrepreneur, investor, advisor and mentor. Mike is an author, speaker, and has won numerous awards. Currently Chief Executive Officer of Fata & Associates, Mike is now host of Founder to Mentor podcast, Lifetime Member (Past Chairman) of the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA), Lifetime Member (Past Chairman) of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO Manitoba) and investor/advisor to a portfolio of world class companies.
Wayne Goshkarian - Director of Communication at Association for Entrepreneurship, USA https://afeusa.org/ and President of Dylan Consulting
For the 70 million gig entrepreneurs, we provide meaningfulresources on the insurance side, and networking and education.
Wayne Goshkarian is an entrepreneur as an insurance broker and gives back via a great organization. His career in the insurance industry has been one of continuous refinement –– reinventing and improving standard practices and implementing a range of cutting-edge systems. He is the Founder and President of Dylan Consulting, LLC, a Scottsdale, AZ firm that develops advanced solutions necessary for the marketplace in an ever-changing world –– including the developing gig economy. The Association for Entrepreneurship, USA (AFEUSA) is one of Wayne’s clients and he serves as director of communication for the organization, as well as providing key marketing support for its member insurance programs.
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
James Nelson - Principal, Head of Tri-State Investment Sales at Avison Young and Author of The Insider's Edge to Real Estate Investing: Game-Changing Strategies to Outperform the Market
Real estate is an inefficient marketplace. Selling owners do not get the highest price because they did not market the property, but allow investors to get great buy-in prices so they can unlock the true potential of the property and get outsized returns.
Highly acclaimed investment sales broker James Nelson is Principal and Head of Avison Young’s Tri-State Investment Sales group in New York City. During his 25-year career, Nelson has sold more than 500 properties and loans totaling over $5 billion. His accolades include being named Commercial Observer’s Power 100, CoStar’s Power Broker, and receiving the Deal of the Year award by REBNY. James is also a serial real estate investor and has launched two real estate funds with total capitalizations of over $350 million. He is passionate about helping others achieve real estate success and offers regular training through his podcast “The Insider’s Edge To Real Estate Investing.” He regularly lectures at Columbia, Fordham, NYU, Wharton, and his alma mater Colgate.
Ed Hajim - Author of On the Road Less Traveled: An Unlikely Journey from the Orphanage to the Boardroom
My goal is for people to have a better conversation with themselves. It's the most important conversation you have. It's the only constant in life - you and your inner voice talking for your entire life.
Ed Hajim, the son of a Syrian immigrant, is a seasoned Wall Street executive with more than fifty years of investment experience. He has held senior management positions with the Capital Group, E. F. Hutton, and Lehman Brothers before becoming chairman and CEO of Furman Selz. Hajim has been the cochairman of ING Barings, Americas Region; chairman and CEO of ING Aeltus Group and ING Furman Selz Asset Management; and chairman and CEO of MLH Capital. In 2009, he became president of Diker Management and is now the nonexecutive chairman at HighVista Strategies. In 2008, after twenty years as a trustee of the University of Rochester, Hajim began an eightyear tenure as chairman of the university’s board. Upon assuming that office he gave the school $30 million—the largest single donation in its history—to support scholarships and endow the Edmund A. Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Through the Hajim Family Foundation, he has made generous donations to organizations that promote education, health care, arts, culture, and conservation. In 2015, he received the Horatio Alger Award, given to Americans who exemplify the values of initiative, leadership, and commitment to excellence and who have succeeded despite personal adversities. At the age of 3, Ed Hajim was kidnapped by his father, driven cross-country, and told his mother was dead. He pressed his face against the car window, watched the miles pass and wondered where life will take him. Where you’d least expect. In a memoir filled with human drama, wisdom and timeless life lessons, On the Road Less Traveled: An Unlikely Journey from the Orphanage to the Boardroom (Skyhorse; March 2, 2021) tells the improbable story of how Ed bounced from foster homes to orphanages, in a daily struggle to survive, to living the American dream as an accomplished Wall Street executive and model family man with great moral fiber and the means to give back to a world that seemed intent on rejecting him.