I can think of nothing more thrilling than starting your own business. In some ways, it’s as risky and exciting as jumping out of an airplane, having a baby, or getting married. In fact, anyone who has started their own company knows that the experience contains elements of all three! So when Jared and Matt offered me the opportunity to come onboard at under30ceo.com to help build out the New York City website, I did not hesitate to accept.
I enjoy collaborating on new projects. I’ve written countless proposals, shot and edited footage for sample reels, applied for grants and pitched for investors. I’ve worked in development, on spec, and on faith. I’ve collaborated with artists, musicians, designers, lawyers, teachers, tech geeks, producers and poker players. I never shy away from an idea I love. Some have come to fruition, others haven’t. But always, there is the challenge of putting together a team, developing ideas and giving it your all as you work to realize its true potential. It’s a gratifying process, guaranteed to yield benefits, regardless of the outcome.
This is, I believe, the spirit of the entrepreneur.
It’s also one of the reasons why I love New York City, with its intricate web of business, culture and the arts. Over the coming months, I’m looking forward to speaking with many young entrepreneurs who are devising new ways of advancing their industries, blending commercial aspirations with socially responsible initiatives or just being fabulously successful at whatever it is they do!
With plenty of content to inspire you, I’ll be exploring many facets of the unique brand of exuberance, passion and commitment that drives the newest generation of New York’s entrepreneurs. I hope you’ll stay tuned as I talk to these young people who are continually pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation. I can’t wait to share our conversations with you.
If you’re a young entrepreneur in New York City apply to What’s Next NYC for a chance to be interviewed on Under30CEO New York.
Deborah Oster Pannell, a Smith College graduate, is a writer who specializes in the arts, media, holistic health, advocacy and events. As Director of Communications for the tech start-up eventwist, she writes about iconoclastic NYC spaces and the people who plan and produce great events in them, at their blog. Some of her favorite work is featured on modernlifeblogs.com and lizkingevents.com, where she writes anecdotally about life, art and event production. Her own blog, Nothing Original Here (soon to become She Says Yes), features profiles and interviews with notable figures in the theatre and dance community including Deb Margolin and Elizabeth Streb, photographer Mel Rosenthal and anti-death penalty activist Shari Silberstein. Currently she is launching Project Mavens, a literary, editorial design collective, with partner & writer Lillian Ann Slugocki, co-author of The Erotica Project.
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