Episode Details

Have you ever thought about striking out on your own? Maybe you want to start a nonprofit, a private company, or a consulting practice. Perhaps you want to be “solopreneur”--a one person startup.

Whatever road you choose, you need think about carefully about the road ahead. Being a founder offers many benefits, but you should be clear about why you want to do it and understand what it takes to succeed.

This week on Find Your Dream Job Mac talks with serial entrepreneur Russ Finkelstein. Russ was co-founder of Idealist.org, as well as several other nonprofit and social good ventures. He also mentors entrepreneurs who are working to build their own startup organizations. Russ has experienced success and failure as a founder and shares his experience with our listeners.

In this 37-minute episode you will learn:

• The good (and bad) reasons for starting your own organization
• The importance of mentors, advisors, and people whose opinions you can’t ignore
• The different stages of the startup process, and how the role of the founder changes
• When to go it alone and when to partner with a co-founder
• The three questions you must answer when starting a new organization

This week’s guest:

Russ Finkelstein (LinkedIn)Founder and Managing Director, Clearly NextAdvisor, The Talent Philanthropy ProjectCo-Founder, Idealist.orgPortland, Ore.

Listener question of the week: 

• I'm thinking about self-employment but not sure if I’m ready. What are the big issues I should consider to make my decision?

Do you have a question you’d like us to answer on a future episode? Please send your questions to Cecilia Bianco, Mac’s List Community Manager at cecilia@macslist.org.

Resources referenced on this week’s show:

• ChrisGuillebeau.com
• Pioneer Nation
• World Domination Summit
• The $100 Startup
• ClearlyNext
• The Talent Philanthropy Project
• Idealist.com
• Ashoka.org
• Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond) - 2016 Edition

If you have a job-hunting or career development resource resource you’d like to share, please contact Ben Forstag, Mac’s List Managing Director at ben@macslist.org.

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Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Mac Prichard:   

This is Find Your Dream Job, a podcast that helps you get hired, have the ca