I do believe it was always an internal desire to do more than graduate from college and find a job to make a living. There was a lot of change to be made in the world and technology was at the forefront of this change. I think the Cause.It guys and I really wanted to come up with a solution that would alleviate problems for individuals and make their lives easier.

With Cause.It, we can directly see the impact we have on organizations and an industry and at the end of the day there’s no better feeling than knowing your life’s work is making someone else’s life much easier.

However, becoming an entrepreneur is much easier said than done. I was very fortunate to grow up in the right environment and be at the right place at the right time to take advantage of the opportunities that were presented to me. It’s interesting to see how choices we may find minuscule at the moment end up making a huge difference in your life and its path later on.

Cause.It is all about driving social change and creating an impact in communities through technology and the data it generates. We rely heavily on consumer’s interests in smartphones and the mobile apps that spur from them to derive the actionable data we need. It’s pretty safe to say that without the invention of the iPhone there would be no Cause.It, or many of the other popular apps we use on a daily basis.

By learning what type of causes and initiatives really motivate citizens in communities we are able to create grassroots movements to facilitate change. The data gathered from Cause.It can help fill up a Blood Bank when it's running low or help staff the local homeless shelter when there aren’t enough volunteers. Those are life-changing actions that are taking place, and they’re happening thanks to the data we capture through our platform.

Data creates feedback that can show where customers are having issues and what steps can be taken to resolve those issues quickly. The greatest benefit for data relating to customer service is that it allows for efficiency. This efficiency allows businesses to keep their costs low and also provide their customers with quality care at all times.

Listening and adaptability. You have to listen more than you talk to be successful in today’s business environment. Being a leader or being in charge doesn't mean that you’re the only one who gets to voice an opinion. I believe leaders are put into their position so they can listen to and solve problems. Listening not only gains the respect of your peers but also opens you up to employees and creates transparency and trust. Every business culture needs trust to survive and it all begins with the leadership.

Adaptability is very important because there is only one thing common in life: change. You have to be quick to act and make decisions that benefit your organization and never question your judgment. Employees, sales figures, projections, bosses all change over time and it’s up to the person in charge to be able to keep a cool head and move things forward.

If we can provide a tool to facilitate change in communities that allow individuals to have a sense of personal fulfillment, then our work here at Cause.It will be a success.