The InfiniTeach team took a field trip to see Howard Tullman in a fireside chat last night at Startup Grind, hosted at 1871 Chicago. After a little networking, we listened to Howard talk about his views on starting businesses and his entrepreneurial savvy. He was funny, insightful and obviously very good at what he does. Part of that comes from his unbelievable schedule: he wakes up at 4:30 every day. He exercises and consumes media content. Has breakfast. Then he starts a fourteen hour day of work.
When someone in the audience asked why he did such an insane amount of work, Howard said it was because he was in charge of important things. He runs the Flashpoint Academy in Chicago, with thousands of students and hundreds of staff that rely on him. He also has businesses he is a part of. And he said he does not just invest in a business (“One thing I am not is a bank”), he likes to be a contributing member and help it grow.
He also spoke about the barriers to starting a business are at an all time low. And distractions are at an all time high. This was evident by the number of people taking photographs and checking email on their phones during the talk.
It was great to meet other Chicago entrepreneurs – a life coach, an attorney, an insurance broker, and many more. It is exciting that InfiniTeach is part of such an amazing community here in Chicago.