BLIB #5 - Kevin May, CEO of GenB

I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin May, the Co-Founder of GenB at The Sovereign in Georgetown recently.  GenB is a boutique digital product development firm that Kevin co-founded with Pawel Chicon back in 2011.  Over the past five years GenB has worked with enterprise clients as well as startups to build custom enterprise-grade web, mobile, tablet and private cloud applications.  Kevin also happened to be in the Georgetown area because he is in the process of securing new office space for his company.  Kevin told me that he is currently working on getting a spot on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown and that once this happens, he'll be leaving his Dupont Circle WeWork space for real business digs.  I found Kevin fascinating for several reasons:  1) he recently received his PhD in Entrepreneurship from George Washington University, 2) he got his degree at the same time that he was building his company, and 3) his secret superhuman power is an uncanny mastery of Saved by the Bell trivia.  When I asked Kevin how he was able to get a Doctoral degree while also building and running a technology company, he told me that doing both at the same time nearly killed him.  If not for yoga, exercise, and healthy eating, Kevin probably wouldn't be doing this #BLIB right now!

The Bar:
Kevin and I met at The Sovereign in the ritzy, yet collegy neighborhood of Georgetown in Washington, D.C.  The Sovereign is Neighborhood Restaurant Group's new Belgian bar concept located on Wisconsin Ave.  You might know of NeighborhoodRestaurant Group as the company that runs a number of successful restaurants and bars in D.C.  ChurchKey, Rustico, Bluejacket and Iron Gate are just some of their notable locations.  As we walked into The Sovereign, we noticed that it was dark and dimly lit.  We walked upstairs and sat down at a large wooden bar that was flanked by several standing tables.  It was quite busy and there was so much noise that having a conversation proved to be a bit challenging.  But the vibe at the bar was great and there was a ton of energy for a weekday evening.  With close to 50 beers on draft and around 200 different types of bottled beer, this bar is definitely not for the beginning beer drinker.  Not to mention that most of the breweries on tap are Belgian breweries that many U.S. beer drinkers would have a hard time recognizing (and pronouncing).  Don't go here expecting to see Sam Adams, Flying Dog, Dogfish Head, or any other popular domestic craft breweries on the draft beer menu.  We did have two knowledgeable bartenders who guided us through the options and who made helpful recommendations about what we should try.   When I asked Kevin what kind of bars he usually frequents he mentioned that he loves bars with "character and soul."  He wants to go somewhere that's authentic and not the typical "meet markets" where people go to pick up the opposite sex.  He recommends JV's in Falls Church because it's a down-home bar where locals hang out and swill domestic beer while listening to live music.  It’s been family owned and operated since 1947 and Kevin notes that "The owner Lorraine comes out, walks around, and talks to everyone at the bar. It makes you feel really welcome."  He also used to frequent Tonic when he was in graduate school, because of its proximity to GWU and because they have Brouwerij Huyghe's Delirium Tremens (91) on tap. 

The Beer:
I started our beer adventure with a Jolly Pumpkin Rojzilla (88) and Kevin grabbed a DuPont Pilsner.  Jolly Pumpkin was the only domestic brewery that I saw on The Sovereign's draft menu.  I've had Jolly Pumpkin a few times before, and while they're somewhat of an obscure (but awesome) brewery, I figured I'd go domestic early.  I really enjoyed the Rojzilla (Jolly Pumpkin calls it "their little monster"); its tangy, sour flavor with a little bit of red fruitiness did it for me.  Jolly Pumpkin is a great little brewery located in Ann Arbor Michigan, and they have a reputation for producing fantastic U.S.-made artisan ales.  Kevin enjoyed his Dupont Pilsner as well.  He liked the crispness of the beer and told me that the flavors of the beer "grew on him the more he drank it."  The Dupont brewery is a small brewery in Belgium and came to prominence in the U.S. with their Dupont Saison which is sold in a large liter bottle.  You can even get it in DuPont Circle D.C!  Kevin generally likes hoppy IPA's and tries to avoid rich, heavy beers like Guinness.  His favorite breweries include Star Hill and the now defunct Old Dominion BrewHouse because they make (made) solid beers and because he likes to support Virginia breweries.  He loves Star Hill's Grateful Pale Ale (82) and Northern Lights (82) and feels that Starr Hill has been consistently cranking out great brews.  And while Kevin likes some of the beers put out by mega craft brewers like Sam Adams, including the Rebel IPA (82) and Noble Pils (87), he feels that the quality isn't any better than what you would get from a local or regional brewery.  Kevin explained to me that "it always makes him feel good to support the little guy."  Kevin went to William and Mary for college in the early 2000's and while there his go-to beers were Natural Light (47) and Colt .45 (58).  Congrats to Kevin for graduating from college and for graduating from drinking bad beer!

The Business Leader:
GenB currently has 9 employees; they are growing, and they are hiring.  Kevin explained that one of his biggest challenges right now is differentiating GenB from other digital firms within the industry, as GenB is closer to a software development house than a marketing agency.  One way that GenB does this is by being extremely picky about the clients that they work with and the work they agree to do, since “technology is not a commodity.”  Kevin also mentioned that finding and recruiting talent can be a challenge as well as setting a good example for his existing employees.  I then asked Kevin what he needs from the universe right now.  He told me that he's always looking for new clients.  But they need to be the right clients.  One of the key elements of #BLIB is that I always ask business leaders what advice they have for other business leaders.  Given that Kevin has a PhD in Entrepreneurship and ran and judged GWU's PitchGeorge and New Venture competitions for several years, I knew he would have some interesting advice.  Kevin explained that he has two different pieces of advice; one for would-be entrepreneurs/business leaders and the other for current entrepreneurs/business leaders.  He wants the "would-be's" to know that they should follow their passion and trust their gut, and he tells the "currents" that self-doubt is natural and normal, but to not let it stand in the way of doing great things.  Whether it's beer advice, bar advice, or business leadership advice, I suggest that our readers take Dr. May's advice to heart!

BLIB #4 - Vinay Raman, CEO of CAARMO

For this week's #BLIB we met up with Vinay Raman, CEO of CAARMO, at World of Beer in Arlington, VA.  CAARMO is leading the way in the connected car industry, which is part of the Internet of Things (IoT) that you keep hearing about.  Vinay told me that by 2020 the connected car industry is projected to become a $119 billion industry and some 80 million vehicles are projected to be connected to the IoT.  Vinay and the folks at CAARMO build trust and transparency in the auto care industry by empowering drivers through the use of their technology.  Think of CAARMO as like a fitbit, but it's for your car instead of your body, and instead of the gadget telling you how many steps you've taken or how many calories you've burned, it tells you (and your mechanic) what's right and what's wrong with your automobile.  CAARMO currently has 5 employees and is raising some funding from private investors and local governments.

The Bar:
World of Beer is a great setting for a #BLIB.  While it's a chain bar that has locations all throughout the U.S., you rarely go wrong by offering your clientele over 500 beers to choose from.  With that many beers, one might feel that there are just TOO many options at World of Beer.  In short, World of Beer is not for your beginning beer drinker.  Vinay had never been to World of Beer before, and when I arrived he already had one of their giant pretzels waiting at the table.  I had been to this location several times before, and every time I arrive and leave dumbfounded by their beer selection.  WoB's selection is comparable to what's offered at the Bier Baron Tavern in DC, minus the dark, 1960's basement feel that Bier Baron offers.  The service at World of Beer was excellent, and we took the opportunity to drink some nice dark draft beers.  Good stuff!  Vinay lives in McLean and the Arlington World of Beer location was a short trip for him. Being in McLean, Vinay told me that his go-to bar is usually Cafe Deluxe because of the food, the atmosphere, and because he always runs into people he knows there.  He told me "it's like my very own Cheers."  Vinay also frequents Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church because of the atmosphere and ambiance there and he loves hanging out and drinking a few pints of Guinness out at Murphy's in Old Town Alexandria.  Who doesn't?!?

The Beer:
Vinay started his night with a pint of Midnight Brewery's Not My Job (NR) and I selected a Founder's Porter (94).  Midnight Brewery is a little brewery located in Rockville, Virginia; and Founder's is a much larger craft brewery located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Neither were super adventurous beers to match the variety of the location, but choosing the right beer at World of Beer can be hard.  Vinay chose Not My Job because it reminded him of the brown ales and Irish/English beers he grew up drinking.  He likes hartier, more bitter beer, and it's no wonder that he loves beers like Boddingtons (73) and Killians Irish Red (71).  I didn't have the heart to tell Vinay that his favorite Euro-beers from the 80's and 90's were now being mass-produced by AB InBev and Coors (but I'm guessing he probably already knew that).  Vinay told me that when he visited France in 1998 for the World Cup, he drank plenty of Leffe (81).  That's getting a little more picky, but is it even possible to escape the AB InBev reach these days?  Vinay also confided in me that his favorite beer is not a craft brew or a small batch ale, but rather a very basic lager from America's oldest brewery: Yeungling (77).  I thought this was funny as I recently heard the same thing from another BLIB'er in the past.

The Business Leader:
Vinay started CAARMO because he's always been a closet gearhead.  He told me bluntly that he should have been a mechanic, but because he's an Indian guy, his family made sure that he knew he was supposed to become a doctor or an engineer.  Vinay decided to address those family expectations by founding an electronic medical records company in 1999.  His business eventually got him to think about electronic records in general. "Why can't cars have electronic medical records?"  Vinay would ask himself.  And that's the idea that eventually sparked CAARMO.  Right now, one of Vinay's biggest challenges is dealing with the uncertainty of the future.  As an entrepreneur, that goes with the territory, but in talking to Vinay I noticed that he also seemed comfortable with uncertainty.  He mentioned to me that "there are times when you don't know what you don't know, and I'm trying to do better at acknowledging and understanding that."   Lots of self reflection and introspection here - something that's great for entrepreneurs and business leaders - especially with a cold beer in hand.  When I asked Vinay what advice he had for other business leaders and entrepreneurs, he wants to tell  them Be curious.  Curiosity is the best tool that you'll ever have.  Vinay likes to say that curiosity did not kill the cat, and in business you have to always be curious in order to keep moving forward.

A huge thanks to Vinay for drinking beers with us and for being a part of BLIB!

#BLIB is part of an ongoing series.  For more information about Business Leaders in Bars Drinking Beers you can click here.  

BLIB #3 - Lily Cua, COO of Aspire

For #BLIB number 3 we got together with Lily Cua.  Lily is currently COO of Aspire.  Originally from Boston, Lily made her way to D.C. to earn her degree at Georgetown.  This is where Lily first met her Aspire co-founder Neil Shah.  After graduating from Georgetown with a degree in Finance and Chinese, Lily got a job consulting for PWC.  She and Neil then went on to co-found Aspire in 2013.  Aspire is a platform that helps companies manage their workplace perks and benefits.  They assist companies with the ideation of perks, the vetting of partners who oversee the perks, the administration of the perks, and the analytics that take place around those perks.  Aspire works with companies who have 20+ employees that are looking to offer unique perks and benefits as part of their culture.  Aspire currently operates in D.C. and Boston and has five full-time employees.  Aspire has changed their model; at one point they offered companies employee discounts, similar to Y Combinator grad AnyPerk.  Aspire now focuses on setting up perks and events for other companies so that those companies can have great cultures.  Examples include Wine/Beer tastings, St. Patrick's Day Parties, Team Lunches, and Lunchtime Yoga.

The Bar:
It was a beautiful day and our goal was to find a place in Dupont Circle where we could sit outside and have a drink.  Apparently everyone else had the same goal.  We moved our meeting location from Kramer Afterwords Cafe to Bar Dupont to Ping Pong, and then finally settled on Pizzeria Paradiso.  I had been to Pizzeria Paradiso before and remembered that in addition to killer pizza, they also have a great beer list.  Lily had been to Pizzeria Paradiso before as well, but usually frequented their original location which is in Georgetown.  Pizzeria Paradiso was pretty crowded, but their beer selection did not disappoint.  They have a good mix of draft beers, bottles/cans, ciders, spirits, and wines.  One cool feature about Pizzeria Paradiso is that they post their beer menu online.  They clearly take beer seriously.  During our chat, Lily mentioned that she lives in the Chinatown neighborhood of D.C. and appreciates bars that have bar games and entertainment.  She called out Penn Social and Buffalo Billiards as being places that she frequents.  She also loves the speakeasy-style and laid back atmosphere of 2Birds, 1Stone and mentioned that Copycat on H Street has amazing cocktails. Copycat is an awesome spot, and if you have never been there before, I suggest you drop whatever you're doing and take an Uber there right now.

The Beer:
Right as we saddled up to the bar Lily made a confession to me:  She's not that into beer.  I told her there wasn't any problem with that, and that I just needed her to be a connoisseur of something. Lily told me that she likes wines, ciders and cocktails much better than beer.  She called out Barrel Oak's winery and mentioned that they have some delicious wines.  When it came time to drink, Lily decided to give Urban Farm Fermentory's Dry Hopped Cidah a try.  The Fermentory is located in Maine and Lily gave the drink a shot because she likes cider and wanted to represent her New England roots.  The cidah came in a "stubbie" bottle similar what Red Stripe comes in, it had a cool looking label on it, and someone at the Fermentory should get paid big bucks for calling it Cidah instead of Cider.  But based on Lily's facial expressions, I don't think she was crazy about the hoppiness of the Dry Hopped cider.  However, she was a good sport and managed to finish the bottle.  I went with Union Craft Brewing's Altbier with Figs (85).  It was a cask beer, which I'm occasionally in the mood for.  I usually like my beer strong and cold, and this altbier was neither.  It did have a fig-like taste to it - not too sweet and the color was perfect.  I'm not sure I'd order the beer again, but it was a good one to try.  Union Craft Brewing is just one of the breweries in Baltimore's burgeoning beer scene.  I'm a big fan of a Baltimore brewery called The Brewers Art.

The Business Leader:
Next, Lily and I talked about her role as an entrepreneur and business leader.  Aspire has five full time employees and they are looking to raise a round of financing in the near future.  They would like to use that money to double the number of full-time employees they have on staff.  When we spoke about her challenges as a business leader, Lily told me that staying focused is one of her biggest challenges.  She has so much energy and wants to do so much, that sometimes it can be hard for her to focus on just one thing.  Her advice to other entrepreneurs:  Stay focused!  Figure out what your limitations and boundaries are and then stick to them.   We also talked a little bit about trends in the workplace at which point Lily mentioned something that I completely agree with.   She said that companies with the best cultures are the ones where the leadership is engaged with their employees and willing to listen to them. She also encouraged leadership to care genuinely about their employees and take the time to figure out the best way to act upon their needs while balancing that with business needs.  Lily did say that "there's no shortcut to creating a great culture."

A huge thanks to Lily for drinking beers (and Cidah) with us and for being a part of BLIB.

#BLIB is part of an ongoing series.  For more information about Business Leaders in Bars Drinking Beers you can click here.  

BLIB #2 - RJ Bee, SVP Operations of Hattaway Communications

For our most recent #BLIB we met with RJ Bee.  RJ is SVP of Operations at Hattaway Communications.  Originally from Northern Ohio, RJ came to Washington, D.C. in 2002.  RJ met his current boss - Doug Hattaway - while they were working on political campaigns together.  RJ was hired at Hattaway as employee #3 in 2008 and since then has been instrumental in building the firm.  Hattaway Communications focuses on developing research-driven content, strategy, and campaigns for organizations that benefit people and the planet.

The Beer:
RJ's beer knowledge is formidable and his understanding of the beer landscape is vast.  He's never attempted to brew his own beer, but instead asks, "Why brew my own beer when I can just go buy my favorite six pack?"  When I asked RJ to describe his beer mastery level -- a non-existent scale that we came up with on the spot -- he called himself an "Intermediate Consumer."  He enjoys drinking IPA's and describes them as being "delicious and flavorful."  His favorite brewery in DC is DC Brau, and he has an affinity for The Public (87).  He's also a big fan of Tired Hands Brewery and Right Proper Brewing Company.  Specific beers that RJ enjoys are Session IPA's and he made a point to call out Founder's All Day IPA (87) as a good one.  He also mentioned liking 21st Amendment's Down to Earth Session IPA (86) and Lunch IPA (96) from Maine Beer Company.  And what BLIB would be complete without a discussion referencing The Alchemists' elusive and exclusive Heady Topper (100)?  When it comes to dislikes, RJ brought up Belgian beers and Wheat Beers.  RJ didn't knock any breweries when I asked him about his least favorite beer, but he did say that he thought that Ballast Point was a bit overrated.  Maybe it has something to do with Ballast Point recently being acquired by Constellation Brands?

The Bar:
RJ and I met at Smith Public Trust which is in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C. This wasn't RJ's first rodeo at SPT, as he comes here for the "serious" beer selection.  He likes SPT because it's big and open, a place where he can let his kid run around and make a lot of noise, and because there's not a single "pedestrian" beer on their draught menu.  He described the food as "good and interesting."  RJ recommended a backup spot of Brookland Pint, which is located down the street and has close to 30 beers on tap.  While at SPT, we managed to quaff tulip glasses of Bells Hopslam (98).  For those who aren't familiar with Hopslam and the buzz around it, they can read more about the legendary beer on Popville's site.  For round two, I had a Ommegang Witte (85) - which RJ wanted no part of - and RJ drank a Sierra Nevada Hop Hunter (90).

The Business Leader:
Next, RJ and I delved into challenges that he sees in the business world and in his own business. One of the challenges that RJ brought up was related to managing growth within organizations.  Specifically, RJ mentioned having to reevaluate and re-calibrate every time you hire 4/5 new people.  The new training, orientation, education can be daunting -- not to mention existing employees getting used to new employees (and vice versa).  Hattaway Communications has about two dozen employees right now and they expect to continue to grow, so RJ will have his work cut out for him.  RJ also talked about "enforcing" a culture, while at the same time admitting that "enforcing" is such a weird word to use.  He feels that culture has to be natural and that there has to be a balance between creating standards and allowing employees to be individuals.  When I asked RJ what he thought was most important to growing as a business leader, he mentioned "letting go" and realizing that there are many ways to get from point A to Point B.  Embracing that concept when it comes to employees and culture is something that RJ feels is important.

A huge thanks to RJ for drinking beers with us and being a part of BLIB.

#BLIB is part of an ongoing series.  For more information about Business Leaders in Bars Drinking Beers you can click here.  

BLIB #1 - Tim Spell, CEO of OpenWater

For our first #BLIB we met with Tim Spell.  Tim is the CEO of OpenWater, a provider of cloud-based awards software.  Tim and his co-founder, Kunal Johar, originally started OpenWater as web design and development company in 2009.  They have since morphed into one of the most prominent awards software (SaaS) companies in the awards industry.  You might be asking yourself, what is awards software? Tim tells us that the most obvious and recognizable example would be the Oscars or the Emmys.  But in addition to these huge awards programs, many companies and groups issue their own awards. And in order to mange the application submission and award issuance process they use OpenWater's software platform.  Tim tells us that OpenWater is a term that rowers use to explain a full distance (of OpenWater) between their boat and their competitor's boat.  He explains that it's also a philosophy of never giving up and continuing to beat a competitor even after it's clear that you're winning.

The Beer:
Tim and I started off with some relatively basic draught beers.  Nothing too complex - Tim ordered a Peak Organic IPA (83) and I grabbed a Smuttynose Old Brown Dog (88).  Tim began by telling me that his favorite brewery is Stone Brewing.  He likes Stone because they offer unbelievable tours and they're located in San Diego (and what's not to love about San Diego!?!)  We then talked about Tim's favorite type of beers:  IPA's - because they're flavorful; and his least favorite type of beers:  wheat beers - because they're too light and fruity.  Tim explained that he likes a good Belgian/Trappist beer every once in a while too.  But it wasn't long into our discussion until Tim started releasing his booze secrets.  Tim is actually a bigger fan of red wine than he is of beer.  His favorite red wine is  made by a Washington winery by the name of 14 hands.  He also likes the Jordan Winery's Cabernet.

The Bar:
Tim and I met at BarCode which is located on 17th and L street in Washington, D.C. Tim frequents BarCode because it's close to the OpenWater offices and because there is outside seating available. Our bartender was busy but nice, and the ambiance - while a bit upscale for beer drinkers - was friendly and inviting.  We went during happy hour and I couldn't believe that our beers ran $3 a piece.  I don't think that beer gets any cheaper than that in Downtown D.C./Farragut North.  When discussing bars and restaurants, I learned that Tim's favorite bar is 51st State Tavern on L Street near Foggy Bottom.  Tim recommends going there for the "local bar" feel and for the beer and wings.  Maybe we'll do our next BLIB there!  

The Business Leader:
Next up, Tim and I discussed his role as a business leader.  He explained that his philosophy is to make sure that the company is constantly growing, cranking out new features, and that the organization is never letting up.  He does this by hiring competitive people who are relatively junior and then training them on OpenWater's software and sales strategy.  He has found that salespeople who have sold in the past can be challenging because often times they come with bad sales habits.  One interesting cultural element of OpenWater's sales team is that they take an annual trip each year to a location outside of D.C.  As part of the trip Tim requires each of his salespeople to book two appointments in the trip location prior to the team arriving there for their trip.  It's a way to expand business while also engaging sales employees prior to an exciting trip.  OpenWater has about 12 full-time employees right now, and at least that many contractors who work with the company.  Anyone interested in applying for a job with OpenWater can click here.

A huge thanks to Tim for drinking beers with us and being a part of BLIB

#BLIB is part of an ongoing series.  For more information about Business Leaders in Bars Drinking Beers you can click here.  

You can't hack HR, Finance, and Law

On a pretty regular basis we meet business leaders who are what we would call "business hackers."  This isn't a good thing or a bad thing, but more of a mentality we see in people.  We call them business hackers because they try to hack certain functions of their business.  We think that hacking these functions makes complete sense - up to a point.  When businesses start to grow and the complexities begin to mount, it's time to replace those hacks with legitimate services...or better hacks.  This is where we see most business hackers stumble.

Here's a situation that we see all the time.  A couple entrepreneurs start a business.  They use a common online platform to set up their business.   They have some success and make some money, and then they use a full-service online finance/accounting platform to manage their books. Hey, we've got financial statements. We're a real business!  Success continues and the company then uses an online HR platform to manage their HR function.  The company has duped themselves into thinking that they have Legal, Finance, and HR.  These platforms are getting paid monthly and are never going to be the ones to say to their clients "you've outgrown us, time to find someone new."

But what happens when the business really starts to grow.  What happens if they want to raise money, or convert their entity, or create an investor deck, or terminate an executive, or enhance their culture?  This is when things start to get a little messy.  The 800 number that you usually dial, and the PoliSci grad-turned-business advisor that you usually talk to probably won't be able to answer to your questions.  This is where the breakdown starts.  This is where we advise you to Get Suitless.   Or please just get someone, because you can't hack HR, Finance, and Law.  

As on of our partners puts it so eloquently:  "I can hack law because I practice it daily, I have the law degree, I have the masters in law, and I have the years of experience.  You can't. And that guy on the other end of the 800 number DEFINITELY can't."

Ruby Developer and Linux Systems Administrator

Two new opportunities!

Linux System administrator with a Top Secret clearance paying in the low six figures. The work is in downtown D.C. near Metro Center.

Mid level developer (no clearance required) experience in Ruby is a plus but not required as this position can be trained on the job. The job is paying in the mid 80's and is based in Arlington, VA (Courthouse).