We spoke with Steve Kirkpatrick, CFO and Head of Biz Dev at Focal Upright Furniture—one of the first companies to hire a Fellow—to hear more about how the Providence-based company is revolutionizing the work day by creating ergonomic furniture.
Designed by Martin Keen, founder of Keen Footwear, Focal’s standing desks and leaning seats are radically different from traditional office furniture. Working with Steve to further the Upright revolution are four current Fellows and one 2013 alum. Speaking from experience—we have two of Focal’s Locus Workstations at HQ, and a brand new Confluence conference table, complete with a whiteboard top—Focal Upright Furniture is changing office life for the better.
To learn more about Steve and Focal Upright Furniture, visit their website.

On Startup Life & Building a Successful Company

Where does the Focal Upright story begin?

Our Founder, Martin Keen, designs unattractive products.
At least that’s what he’s been told.
As an industrial designer, Martin is relentlessly driven to create products that are, above all, functional. For him, form must follow function. This simple philosophy has led Martin to create products that radically challenge convention.
It’s hard to remember now, but back in 2002, before Martin launched KEEN Footwear, the idea of a sandal with a protective toe covering was inconceivable. Then, open-toed sandals with nylon strapping were everywhere. When KEEN Footwear debuted, the sandals were hailed as the ugliest shoes ever. Yet, even in a world where fashion reigns supreme, they became an instant hit. KEEN was named the 2003 Launch of the Year by the footwear industry and is now a $300+ million lifestyle brand.
While KEEN Footwear was taking off, Martin was already busy with his next big idea. A perpetual fidgeter, Martin found that he did his best thinking while standing up, but he could only stand comfortably for an hour or two at a time. So, Martin set out to design himself a new kind of chair: one that kept him both physically engaged and comfortable. His fix was a leaning seat that put him in a position halfway between sitting and standing. This seat hardly looked like a chair to anyone but Martin. One friend said it looked like a medieval torture device, and his own wife rolled her eyes at the design. But Martin remained undeterred.
In 2012, Martin took his leaning seat to the premier design show in NYC, where it quickly won people over with its healthier working posture. Focal Upright was born, and this new company is busy defining a whole new category of active ergonomic seats. Since its inception Focal has introduced several new products, won ergonomic and design awards, and grown to over 20 employees, including 4 VFA Fellows and one VFA Alum.

What’s one unexpected perk and one unexpected challenge of life as a startup executive?

One unexpected perk is getting to be a part of a team that is fundamentally trying to change the way the world works.
Everyone at Focal Upright is driven to create products that bring play back to the workplace.
Let’s face it, very few people consider their work play. Why? Because they aren’t engaged with their work or their workspace. Focal Upright’s designs shake up the normal workplace order. They empower you to move and think freely, so you can be fully in the flow.
Like most startups we have had our shortcomings and setbacks, but the team seems to derive resilience from the fact that we buy into our mission and enjoy working together towards a higher goal. That is a big psychological perk.
One unexpected challenge is the multi-disciplinary nature of being a C-level executive in a resource-constrained company. Every day I have to pivot between sales, marketing, finance, accounting, manufacturing, logistics, legal, information technology and human resources. It’s difficult to switch from one thing to the next and maintain effectiveness. As we grow, figuring out how to separate roles and responsibilities and hire or promote people to own these disciplines seems critical to success.

What do you believe are the three most important ingredients of a successful company?

1. People.

In the end, it all comes down to the employees, management, and the board, who collectively are responsible for serving customers profitably. If you have great people with strong mission alignment you’ve got a far better than average chance of doing this well.

2. Business Model.

Starting with a business model that is structurally sound (favorable economics, high barriers to entry, high switching costs, short sales cycle, low capital spending, etc.) is a good way to stack the deck in your favor. Adding operating complexity, long cash conversion cycles, or the need for deep upfront capital investments with uncertain payoffs seems to increase the likelihood of wipeout.

3. Access to Capital.

Entrepreneurship is defined as “the pursuit of opportunity without regard to the resources currently controlled.” This implies that a successful entrepreneur will quickly figure out how to get the requisite resources. I think having access to sufficient resources is critical so as not to spend valuable company building time looking for capital. Too much capital early on can lead to waste, but it is important to scale the resources against the opportunity as it, and the company’s potential, are validated.

Who’s the first person that comes to mind when you hear the word success and why?

My maternal grandmother who immigrated to the US from Germany in the early 1930’s.
She and her husband arrived in the US with no English language skills and very little money. Before too long they started a restaurant Queens, right next door to a factory where there were no good breakfast or lunch options for the workers. 
They identified the market opportunity, delivered a quality product, and became economically productive in a very short period of time. Sadly her husband died a few years into running the business, leaving her to run the restaurant while also raising two kids.
 She managed to raise the kids, run the business, and get remarried to a man she remained happily married to for over 45 years. After retiring from the business they moved to a house they built on what had been a two-acre potato farm in Huntington, NY they bought while running the restaurant. She grew copious quantities of fresh vegetables and berries, and hosted big family reunions well into her late 70’s – for which she did the lion’s share of the cooking!
 

Tips, Trick, and Advice

What’s an app or platform that you can’t live without?

This may sound a little old school, but I can’t live without The Economist Podcast—which is basically, word-for-word the articles from The Economist. I’ve got about a 40 minute commute each way to work and listening to The Economist Podcast helps me feel like I’m in touch with business, finance, politics, international relations, science and technology, and other stuff that is both interesting and potentially relevant professionally.

One book or website every aspiring entrepreneur needs to read?

The Entrepreneurial Venture, Harvard Business School Press. Again, pretty old school, but while the widgets change the fundamentals usually don’t.

There’s a lot of career advice out there on how to choose a life path. Some like Joseph Campbell advocate for following your bliss; others like Georgetown professor and best-selling author, Cal Newport, say master a “rare and valuable skill”; and our very own Mike Tarullo says “follow the headroom.” Do you have a helpful motto or maxim for those just beginning or at a crossroads in their career?

Do what comes naturally and what you enjoy. Don’t work with people you don’t like or worse, don’t trust. Make time for the really important things in life like family, friends, exercise and fun—there is always more work to do, so don’t waste your life being totally one-dimensional.
 

On talent & building a strong team

What do you look for above all else in a new team member? Any advice for other companies who are hiring a new team member?

I like to hire people who have a history of success in competition. Whether it is sports, debate, or performing arts, every successful person has to have the desire and ability to succeed, combined with the resilience to go back to practice the day after a tough loss. Getting back up after defeat, reframing, and moving forward is exactly analogous to a challenging and rewarding professional career. I want to work with people who are prepared to do this every day.
My advice to other companies looking to hire is to wait for Focal Upright to pick our favorite VFA Fellows… and then hire anyone else in the VFA program.

In the world of startups, shorter employment terms for young professionals can be common. What’s your philosophy on creating a culture and experience that retains top talent?

We try to give our young professionals plenty of opportunity. They learn quickly, partly out of necessity and partly because they know that on any given day we may ask them to run this part of our business. This unbounded opportunity seems to be both inspiring and at times overwhelming—probably a lot like what they are used to as students from top colleges and universities.

What advice do you have for recent college grads joining a startup?

Joining a startup is a great opportunity to get a global perspective on how business works. In a startup you can begin to understand all the parts of the business and how they interrelate. I’m not sure if the same can be said for a recent graduate plugged into a line management role in a large organization. Startups have their downsides, so be certain that the experience is worth the risks you’ll bear as a part of one.

More about Focal Upright Furniture

Why is Focal Upright a game changer? Is it really worth it to switch to standing desks?

Focal Upright is a game changer.
Before Focal Upright, people either worked standing up or sitting down. There was no healthy in-between.
Focal Upright allows people to get all the benefits of standing (more movement and physical engagement) and all of the comfort of sitting.
 Our leaning seats and perching stools encourage you to twist, spin, bounce, move, and groove. Our adjustable standing desk seats, standing desks, and standing-height conference tables keeps your body moving so you can keep your work flowing.
Recently we’ve shifted our marketing tagline to Make.Work.Play. By making work more play-like, users will be able to be tap into their humanity at the office, and become healthier, happier and more productive by doing so.

Where is the ergonomic furniture space headed in the next 5-10 years and how is Focal well-positioned for the change?

We think furniture generally is going to become more human-centered and body-conscious over the next 5-10 years. Research is focusing more and more on what types of environments we need to be healthy and productive and this will play out in all types of products from furniture, to lighting to collaboration space layouts.
Focal is trying to be a leader in challenging the status quo by offering solutions that people want to use because they are more fun, engaging and comfortable than the alternatives. By being an early leader in seating for use with standing desks, we hope to become the de facto seating standard as workplaces around the world embrace the upright revolution.

Where can people go to learn more about you and what you’re building at Focal Upright?

Our website is a great resource and we always welcome visitors to our world HQ in North Kingstown, RI.

In this episode of Smart People Should Build Things, Jeremy chats with Daniel McRorie, Owner and Operations Manager at Knickerbocker MFG, a private label manufacturing company operating out of a 60 year old warehouse in Bushwick, New York, attempting to recreate the American manufacturing model by combining new and old techniques, machinery, and technology.

Click here to listen

If you’re a senior in college, congratulations! You’re in the home stretch. The main question that comes up each day with classmates, friends and parents is “What are you doing after you graduate?”
You know the answer is supposed to be, “I’m working at a big well-regarded company” or “I’m going to grad school.”  But what if, in your heart of hearts, what you REALLY want to do is start your own business?
In some respects, college is the perfect place to start a business.  You have time on your hands.  You’re surrounded by potential collaborators and customers.  You’re young enough to be endearing anytime you ask for advice or support.  There are resources on campus to access.  And if it doesn’t work out you can put it down, graduate, and it won’t appear on your resume.  It’s like a risk-free trial run.
There are many legendary entrepreneurs who got started out of their dorm room.  Michael Dell started Dell Computers at the University of Texas. Billionaire Elizabeth Holmes founded Theranos as an undergrad.  Kevin Plank came up with Under Armour while sweating on a football field at the University of Maryland.  Investor Josh Kopelman started his first company his sophomore year – and has now founded the Dorm Room Fund to support student entrepreneurs.
That said, starting a business is never easy – most businesses never really find their market or reach critical mass.  Realistically, it’s a steep hill to climb.
If you’re thinking of starting a business while on campus, here are some things that might help:

Find a partner.

One of the main ways for you to learn while you start your business is to work with someone who knows things you don’t.  Maybe you have an idea for an app but don’t know how to code.  Or you have a food idea and your friend loves to cook.  Try to enlist that smart friend of yours you’ve always wanted to work with as your partner.  You’ll pick up a lot from him or her.  You may even make a friend for life.  And if it doesn’t work out you’ll at least get a better sense of the people you want to work with in the future.

Network off campus.

This depends a little bit on where your school is, but most universities have real businesspeople located nearby that are eager to help mentor.  They are often looking to source talent for their ventures.  If you reach out, you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to get meetings.  Sitting with a CEO of a local company is a phenomenal way to learn and meet role models. There may be some people who are already affiliated with a university program – but go beyond campus.  The world won’t come to you.

Build on your experience.

What have you spent the past summers doing? What skills have you picked up or industries have you been exposed to?  Does your family run a business?  What do you see as your strengths?  Chances are that there’s something in your background that will lead you to the sort of company you might want to start.  Reflect on what motivates you – you’ll be more likely to succeed and stick with it if it’s something you care about.

Start small.

Kevin Plank’s first business at the University of Maryland wasn’t Under Armour; it was Cupid’s Valentine, a business that sold roses on Valentine’s Day.  He made $17,000 from Cupid’s Valentine that he used as seed money for Under Armour.  Mark Cuban ran a bar, gave dance lessons and hosted parties while he was at Indiana University.  The principles of running a business – delivering a service, getting the word out, managing people – are universal.  Don’t sweat the big picture.  Embrace the real opportunities in front of you.  They may lead to surprising places.

Don’t fixate on investment.

A common approach for first-time entrepreneurs is to spend all of their time obsessing over meeting and finding investors.  Try to avoid this by either figuring out what you can do without lots of money, or find ways to make progress in the meantime.  Bootstrapping a business is often the best approach.  As one investor said to me, “the companies we want to invest in are the ones that don’t need our money anyway.”

Share your idea far and wide.

You may think that your idea is a homerun – and it might be.  But the real danger your business faces is not getting the resources it needs to have a chance to succeed.  Hiding your idea or requiring non-disclosure agreements is generally going to hold you back more than help you.  You should take the other side and shout your idea from the rooftops. You’ll have a better chance of getting support, partners and customers if you tell as many people as possible.

See it as an education.

You’re at college to learn.  What better way to learn than to see what it takes to start a business?  Win or lose, you’ll have a much better sense of what you want to do, the kind of people you like to work with, the roles you’re good at, how to talk to potential partners and customers, etc.  People spend tens of thousands of dollars getting credit towards a degree. Business experience is often many times more valuable.  No matter what, your time trying to start and run a business is going to make you a savvier and more knowledgeable and desirable employee for whatever firm you join.
Starting a business can seem like a daunting challenge, but entrepreneurship is like a lot of other things – you tend to get better at it over time.  If you start now, there’s no telling what you’ll be able to do five, ten, or fifteen years from now.  Take advantage of your time in college.  Keep your eye on the future and just resolve to learn and grow.  And remember that a dance teacher or bar owner and party thrower today can be a world-class entrepreneur tomorrow.
 

Dane Atkinson, CEO, SumAll & former CEO, Squarespace

Welcome to another edition of Meet Team VFA! This week, we sat down with Lauren Gill, our Senior Talent Manager. After two years of teaching with Teach For America, Lauren joined VFA as one of the earliest team members (#6!), and her wisdom, hustle, and keen judgment have helped shape VFA from the beginning. These days, Lauren heads up the Selection team, helping us identify which candidates have the potential to be topnotch Fellows. Lauren also happens to be the punniest person we know. We might groan a little at her quips, but VFA wouldn’t be the same without her—and that’s no joke.

Name: Lauren Gill
Position at VFA: Senior Talent Manager
Department Name: Selection
College or University: LeHigh University
Job before VFA: Teach for America Corps Member

What does your team do and why is it awesome?

We’re more or less the admissions office of Venture for America. We get to know the thousands of applicants to the Fellowship to figure out who can hang. And by “hang” we mean use smarts, skills, and grit to add value to a startup and the VFA community, all while making people’s days, and communities, brighter. We work hard to make sure that each class of Fellows is talented, high-character, passionate, and diverse. Our goal is to create an engaging, edifying application process that leave everyones better than before, regardless of whether they’re a fit for the program.

What do you do?

My job is a fantastic mix of nitty-gritty operations and (think: customizing workflows in our application software, compiling interview RSVP lists, responding to candidate emails) and big-picture thinking (designing the entire selection process, helping strategize with the recruitment and marketing teams, and guiding VFA’s broader take on talent acquisition and talent development). 

What are you known for at VFA?

I’m known for my my high expectations and lowbrow humor. I’m known as Laurán, LG, or Ms. Gill (a nod to my days as a teacher).

How did you come to work at VFA?

I like to think it was fate.  After teaching 6th grade science for two years as a TFA corps member, I almost got seduced into the world of consulting. But then the clouds parted, the angels started singing, and I found a posting for a job at VFA.. and somehow convinced Andrew, Eileen, Mike, Megan, and Eddie (the team was only 5 strong at the time) to hire me!

Favorite part about your role at VFA:

Watching people transform from nervous interviewees to leaders at their startups is incredibly rewarding. I also happily accept when Fellows give me a hard time, reminiscing about my strict interviewing style, especially when they’re doing so in the context of being on the other side of the table… sometimes even as company founders about to hire their first employees.

One thing you do every day at VFA that you probably couldn’t do at another job:

I probably get away with a lot more corniness here than I could anywhere else. For a long time, I ran a “daily standup” meeting with my team that I kicked off with a joke. I eventually stopped after maybe the 100th eye-roll/groan combo response to a bad pun, but it was fun (for me) while it lasted.

Favorite annual VFA event:

The VFA team holiday dinner is always a feel-good, delicious event. It’s one of the few events that we don’t open up to Fellows or other supporters; as much as we love our broader VFAmily, it’s nice to get dressed up and celebrate the work we do at VFA HQ and each other.

Favorite Training Camp memory:

Taking in Providence’s Fourth of July fireworks while watching Fellows hustling, selling bottles of waters to the crowds of people in order to make $ for their Profit Challenge (shoutout to 2013 Training Camp team “Baby Ruths”!), was a great moment. Nothin more American than that!

Coolest thing you’ve done outside of work with VFA team members in the last year:

A group of us go to Governors Ball, a nearby summer music festival, every year, and it. is. AWESOME. I like to say GovBall is my happy place, but so is really anywhere that I can hang out outside, listen to music, and drink wine to-go with my pals. 

What newspapers, websites or blogs do you kick off your day with?

The Atlantic, theSkimm, CNN.

What are you reading right now?

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It’s beautifully-written, honest, devastating… and everyone should read it immediately. Or, in the case of my coworkers waiting to borrow it—as soon as I’m done. 🙂

Most significant thing you’ve learned during your time as a VFA team member?

Character trumps skills. It’s not a shocking revelation, but with each year and class of Fellows, it becomes more clear to me that optimism, resilience, and integrity will better predict happiness and success than any measure of intellect or skills.

Best tip or life hack for increasing productivity during the work day:

Each day, I like to chip away at a weekly to-do list (recorded in Evernote) by separating it into a smaller list, and organizing it chronologically, and adding estimated times. It keeps me accountable for total output for the day, ensuring I don’t spend too long on any given task.
 

This week, Jeremy sits down with Brian Buchwald, Co-Founder & CEO of Bomoda, a company that helps leading brands connect the dots to understand what drives customer behavior around the world. Download this week’s episode to hear about Brian’s fascinating career and how he helped get Hulu off the ground!

Click here to listen

This might be one of the most entertaining episodes of The Venture for America Podcast we’ve had thus far! This week, Jeremy chats with Ben Hindman, Co-Founder & CEO of Splash, a marketing software the maximizes event impact- before, during and after. Ben gives Jeremy the rundown on his storied career as a tour guide in DC and how Splash pivoted from their initial budgeting tool to a world class marketing and events product.

Click here to listen

Listen to the most recent episode of Smart People Should Build Things: The Venture for America Podcast, a play.it original in collaboration with CBS!