Monthly Archives: December 2018

How To Blast Out Your Story, Boombox Not Required

BoomboxBy: Lewis Dvorkin, Entrepreneur in Residence

Every summer, a bunch of wide-eyed interns rolled into Forbes. As chief product officer, I would cross paths with many of them. The real fun for me came as their stint was ending. That’s when I met with the entire group — perhaps 30 from across the company — to explain how the media business really worked, or how the sausage is made. My HR colleague jokingly said she lived in fear of how candid I might be. She had good reason. I will never forget what one Ivy League student told me as we left the conference room: “That was the most terrifying and exhilarating hour of my education. Continue reading

After Mastering The Art of ‘No,’ CSUN Offers The Joy of ‘Yes’​

Cal State Northridge MatadorsBy: Lewis Dvorkin, Entrepreneur in Residence

I got a really good piece of advice when I started a news platform company 10 years ago: learn to say, “No.” So, I did. It took me little time to say no when a trusted colleague urged me to launch a mobile site with our desktop site. Sure, MVP (minimal viable product) was on my mind. Mostly, I wanted to avoid chasing shiny objects. Back then, the iPhone had just been released and mobile was still glitter. I practiced the art of saying no (mostly nicely, I hope) after Forbes bought my startup. It enabled us to reimagine an iconic media brand with innovative products and minimal distraction. Continue reading