Q&A with Carl Smith

I’m a husband, dad, son, brother, runner and extremely lucky business person.

I started a web shop called nGen Works that now runs itself. I’m a partner in at The Bureau which is an organization bringing the web industry together through events and education. I’m helping launch Meros Academy which is an education startup looking to redefine how kids learn. I co-host a podcast called Bizcraft and host one called Digital PM Radio. I co-organize a conference called ConvergeFL and also blog and speak at events. Most of my work time is spent talking with people or writing.

Software / hardware

In terms of software, I use Mailplane for email, ToDoist for keeping up with stuff I said I would do, the native Twitter app, Paper for Facebook and Slack for group chat. I use MixPad for editing podcasts and Mindnode for mind mapping. The Google suite of office apps. And Skype and Google Hangout for video chats. The hardware I use is an 11” Macbook Air, an iPad Mini and an iPhone 5.

I don’t know that I really love any of those things as much as I love leaving all of them behind and going for a walk with someone and hearing their story.

Inspiration

My work inspiration comes from nature, science and history. I used to read a lot of business books, but one day I realized that looking outside of an industry is the best way to see patterns that relate to issues you face. Nature has so many answers to business problems.

Creatives you admire most

Creatives I look up to are actually business innovators. Daniel Pink, Simon Sinek and Dale Carnegie. Also Athletes like Muhammed Ali stood up for his beliefs and continued to innovate in his career to stay on top. World leaders like Nelson Mandella who kept his eye on one goal and accomplished it when he changed his strategy from fear to love. Also people like Walt Disney who continuously threw all of their wealth into every idea causing them to cycle between being bankrupt and multi-millionaires.