My entrepreneurial journey launched when I founded TriNet in 1988. I served as CEO for the company’s first 20 years and Chairman till 2010. Before TriNet, I worked as a human resources manager for Navy Exchanges and enjoyed assignments in New York, New England, Seattle, Japan, Italy and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Playing a role in TriNet’s growth from startup to $1 billion+ in revenue has been a life shaping experience that now drives much of my other activities. Not just the experience of building a big company, but also personally benefiting from the Silicon Valley environment in ways which I now share with others through my activities across multiple causes and geographies.
In recent years I’ve become less involved in operating businesses to instead focus on growing teams that help others. These tend to involve building scalable mechanisms that connect entrepreneurs to the people and resources who can in turn help them start and grow companies beneficial to their local community. Much of those efforts are outlined in my book More Good Jobs: An Entrepreneur’s Action Plan to Bring Change In Your Community.
Companies and organizations I am responsible for starting or co-founding and which I maintain active roles with include:
Companies:
- Founding CEO/Board member – TriNet Group, Inc. [NYSE: TNET] (Retired from Board in June 2022)
- Founder/Managing Director – UpVentures Capital
- Co-Founding Investor/Advisor/Mentor – StartFast Ventures
- Co-Founder/Board member Rock City Development
- Founder/Owner – Rock City Centre
Non-profit social enterprises:
- Founder/Chairman – Upstate Venture Connect
- Founder/Board member – Unite NY
- Founder/Chairman – Entrepreneurs Across Borders
- Founder/Chairman – UpMobility Foundation
Common threads across multiple activities
Time leverage is something I’m always looking for more of.
I’ve found that one of the best ways to get that leverage is to work on things (and with people) having common threads across several of my activities. As an example, finding startup teams, mentors or investors from one of my companies in turn may end up supporting one or more activities in my social enterprises – or vice versa.
You may come into contact with me because of one of these activities, and after browsing through some of my other things going on perhaps you’ll find we have more in common than you thought.
If so, – bring it up to my attention. Bingo! We then have some time leverage and can help each other on two or more fronts. And hey – this is also a nice way to deepen a relationship even further. That’s fun.