San Francisco Entrepreneur Says Succeeding In Business Takes Passion
A successful business career in San Francisco takes "passion, integrity and positive evaluations." Those are the words of Suzanne So, Co-Founder of a Bay Area ed/tech business honored by TiE Silicon Valley as among the top 50 new start-ups in 2013. She spent a few moments to share her background and career advice for people interested in a career in business.
What is your current position and education level?
"I graduated from the University of New South Wales with a degree in accounting and marketing, spent a couple of years in tax accounting, earned a chartered accountant degree, and later received an M.B.A. Recently I have taken a short postgraduate course at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. As the co-founder of Joy Sprouts, we work with prominent publishers including BBC and Oxford University Press. We understand that young children can't tell their parents what they need, and parents in general are not experts in education and they don't have a way to find out - so we help them with child development."
What do you enjoy most about your work?
"I naturally love children. All my previous works are children related: brand and licensing manager for Angry Birds and the Smurfs in Asia. I enjoy doing things that help move the needle of the future of education by learning more about the child's behavior, strengths and weaknesses."
What career advice can you give to people interested in a career in business?
"Passion – there are times in your career when you have to make hard choices in your career path. Take time off and hear your true self regarding what you are really passionate about, and have faith that you can excel in it.
Integrity - many businesses collapse, not because they are limited by their ability in reaching higher, but by their inability in protecting their bottom line of ethics and integrity. For us - children, parents, educators, employees, partners and investors are our key stakeholders, which we have to take care of in all our decisions.
Feedback and Results – From getting a promotion to getting funding, you will be evaluated by the past results you have generated. Consistently get well-rounded feedback from your co-workers, customers and partners to learn how to do better and what it takes to get results."
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.