Advice From a Serial Tech Entrepreneur
I recently spoke to Ben Lamm. Ben is a serial technology entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Hypergiant, a next-gen AI and defense company.
Prior to founding Hypergiant, Ben was the CEO and founder of Conversable, the leading conversational intelligence platform that helps brands reach their customers through automated experiences on all major messaging and voice platforms. Conversable was acquired by LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN) in 2018. Ben was also the founder and CEO of Chaotic Moon, a global mobile creative technology powerhouse acquired by Accenture (NYSE: ACN). During his time at Chaotic Moon and as a Managing Director at Accenture, Ben spearheaded the creation of some of the Fortune 500’s most groundbreaking digital products and experiences in the emerging tech world of IoT, VR, Connected Car, Mobile, Tablet, and Wearables. After leaving Accenture, Lamm focused his attention on other ventures, including the consumer gaming company he co-founded, Team Chaos. Team Chaos was focused on making fun, original games that people can easily play across a variety of platforms. In 2016, Team Chaos was acquired by Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA).
In addition to leading and growing his own companies, Ben is very active in angel investing, incubators and startup communities, with investments in the software and emerging tech space. He actively mentors fellow entrepreneurs on how to build disruptive businesses through accelerators and corporate programs. In addition to supporting startups, Ben also serves on Adweek’s advisory board, the Planetary Society’s advisory council and the advisory board of the Arch Mission.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Ben: Right now, I’m the founder and CEO of Hypergiant Industries, a next-gen AI defense company that is focused on space, defense and critical infrastructure which we believe is the backbone of humanity. We focus on the areas that make up the elements of civilization because we know those areas are the most uniquely in need of modernization and advancement. I love this company because I believe it's helping us to get to a place where we are able to actually live in the future we were promised.
Before founding Hypergiant, I created four other companies across the fields of e-learning, mobile software, gaming and conversational intelligence that were ultimately all acquired by Fortune 500 companies.
Over my career, I also invested in the research and development of a number of technologies like biometric tattoos, robotic agriculture systems, and even advanced space-based imaging platforms. I have learned so much from the journey I have been on with my companies. Way more so than any destination. I have been so lucky to work with people who are so much smarter than me and help me learn entire new fields of business and science.
Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of failures but mostly, I have been lucky, worked very hard and have surrounded myself with people I really believe in that I can learn from each step of the way.
Adam: How have you come up with your different business ideas? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas?
Ben: I have an insatiable curiosity. I am always trying to learn new fields that interest me. I also truly believe that intuition is based on having great research and understanding of how things work. I spend a lot of time reading and consuming content about pop culture and science and technology. As such, I’ve developed a deep sense of intuition about the intersection between technology and pop culture. As a result of that, I just seem to know what needs to be done and when and how. So I come up with ideas by reading about everything that fascinates me and then running with those ideas that feel right.
My advice to others would be the same: read more, watch more tv, play more video games, and watch more movies. Be an active consumer of and participant in the culture around you.
Adam: How did you know your current business idea was worth pursuing? How did you know your previous business ideas were worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea?
Ben: For me, it’s a big mix of intuition and planning. I develop a good idea and then I test it. I talk about it with people I know, I build out a business model and a plan and I develop the idea further and further. Eventually it just becomes obvious that it is my next step. If a business keeps me up at night, it is probably worth starting. When it becomes a slight obsession, I am definitely on the right track. The next step for me is then finding the top people in the field, and often just calling them and asking a lot of questions and listening to their advice and thoughts. It’s amazing to me how willing people are to share ideas, collaborate, and give feedback if you open the door to have the conversation.
Adam: What advice do you have on how to grow and scale a business?
Ben: Set a big enough vision and hire really great people. That’s where you start. You need something that people can sync their teeth into and get excited about and then you need to be able to scale that with people who are capable of doing the work and making parts of it their own. Hire great talent and allow them to go do the things they are great at doing. It is also ok to let people fail. Learning how to delegate and being ok with someone not doing something the exact way you would have done it is critical to scaling a company.
Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips?
Ben: I live and die by a great brand. Build a brand universe for your products to live in. Your brand is everything about your company: the spirit, the words, the way it takes form on the page and the screen. This is how people know who you are and what you stand for. So invest the money in a brand to make something that is truly magical and groundbreaking and interesting. That’s my single greatest tip. If you have the right vision and right brand, marketing isn’t really necessary. Also, hire a brand agency; I guarantee they are better at building brands than you are.
Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Ben: There are a lot of different kinds of leaders and we should all figure out the best form of leader we are individually. I, for one, lead by having big creative ideas and finding teams of people who can execute on those ideas. I’m sometimes more like an artist or an explorer than an entrepreneur. However, what I do know is that everyone must be able to set a big vision for the team to respond to and that this vision must be clear and addressable. When you do that, you bring people with you because you are leading them into something new. Everyone wants to go on an adventure.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?
Ben: Innovate early and often. I’m really focused on new technology and bringing big transformative ideas to market: this means that I’m constantly looking for ways to innovate, to grow and to develop our team. Good products require innovative minds. Innovation is a muscle. The more you flex it the better you get. Flex more often and you become more innovative.
I also recommend finding your own style. Do not try to copy how others do it. Most people would say the way I build companies is different than most people, but it works. The key though is that it works for me. It will not necessarily work for you. Find your individuality and don't try to be anyone else.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?
Ben:
Think about how your actions impact the world and then make the world better for your actions.
Be unafraid. Never be afraid to chase a crazy idea and see where it gets you.
Never stop learning. Always be researching, learning, consuming, and changing because of that journey.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Ben: Rank has its privileges. If you want to be the boss, don’t work for someone else.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Ben: The world is in a strange place right now, and there are a lot of people feeling pessimistic about what happens next. But everything that happens in our world is driven by humans. So, humans can also change the world. You have the power to change more than you think possible. So go change things.