Alex Kronman
An investor once told Alex, “to be a great entrepreneur you need to have the heart of a pirate and the execution of a marine. You’ve got the heart and damn do you work hard to improve your execution.”
It may not have been the best compliment Alex ever received, but it’s emblematic of the power of The Journey. The gift of opportunities to improve, grow, and learn are so easy to take for granted – but therein lie fulfillment, exhilaration, and joy.
As with many young entrepreneurs, Alex’s path was shaped from his youth. His parents – both successful business people in New York City advertising – were amazing models of work ethic, integrity, and perseverance. Their success never came at the compromise of family. It was through that privilege that Alex learned that true abundance could be achieved by following one’s skills, passions, and without compromising one’s “self”.
At no point has it been easy but Alex has toiled in the startup laboratory for three years – developing his ability to solve complex problems, attract key individuals to accomplish next right action, and achieving product/market fit – to find the success he’s had with flytedesk. His learning curve was ignited when he earned to opportunity to participate in Boomtown Boulder, a passionate, cutting-edge business accelerator. Subsequently, Alex and his team were selected to participate in the world-renowned startup program, Techstars.
Alex is adept at building process, uncovering the kernel of market opportunity, working with technology, growing teams, and, of course, at finding the resources to actualize dreams.
He works well with entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes and believes that the same core tenants are the tools with which to tackle the challenges of any stage: authenticity, gratitude, grace, integrity, patience, persistence, timing, and perseverance.
Guiding an individual who is on a path of starting a new endeavor or helping an existing business get unstuck is a passion much aligned to the thrill and challenge of his humble business beginnings. A significant lesson he has learned is to listen to his gut, his intuition. Yes, there are some incredible programs and entrepreneurs that are willing to share their success stories and models of success – there were and remain significant gifts on his path. But it is equally important to understand that they seldom escape the trappings of “traditional, one size fits all” models.
Fundamentally, Alex wants to share the gift of what select teachers and experiences have given him. His work with Russell have sharpened his reflexes in the boardroom and helped him place mile-markers on what can be a grueling entrepreneurial trek. This gift is the knowledge to accept the “rules and absolutes” given to us that we need for our vision and leave the rest behind.
At first blush, learning to experience self-awareness and trust in ourselves seems simple, but in reality is no easy feat. However, it’s there that we might begin to weave our own, unique, authentic path. It’s there that might be able to build our foundation on our greatest strengths, selecting what we’ll need from a world of advice and anecdotes and gently leaving the rest behind.
The startup world is laced with the traps of ego and esoteric gimmickry, with the “field of dreams”, when we identify them we build our own path. And hey, isn’t that what it’s all about at the end of the day?
Alex is the CEO of flytedesk a Boulder based media startup. He believes that over the course of the entrepreneurial journey, authenticity is your best asset – just not in a quixotic sort of way.