12. Thinking slow and tuning out the noise. Lessons from a serial entrepreneur.

William Erbey, or Bill, as I like to call him, is a successful entrepreneur, investor and a retired public company Chairman/CEO.  Prior to his involvement with System 73, Bill’s career included founding and scaling six multi-billion dollar public companies traded on the NYSE and NASDAQ. While the industries Bill has operated in are diverse, the common theme is the use of innovative technology and mathematics to serve large and inefficient markets.

To me, Bill was a larger than life figure. I worked for one of the six public companies he founded. I spent 7 years there and got to be a VP, but I still had 4 layers of separation from Bill, the chairman (and the founder and largest stakeholder of our company). So I never really spoke to Bill directly during this time.

I was eventually asked to leave that company. And I started venturing into entrepreneurship. 

I got into business development, and then, an unexpected LinkedIn conversation with Bill turned into an opportunity. Before I knew it, I was working directly with Bill at one of his new tech companies. I spent almost two years there, and I learned tons about business and sales.

Bill continues to be a larger than life figure to me. But now, I also know that he is a true gentleman, and a passionate leader who is willing to spend the time to coach his people so they understand their role in achieving his vision. I also know he is a tireless serial entrepreneur that has a unique approach to solving problems.

I had a wonderful conversation with Bill, about entrepreneurship, problem solving, work ethics and so much more. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.