Kip Wetzel, VP of Social Media Strategy at Capital One

@kipwetzel

Kip Wetzel claims he’s just a “dirty hippie” despite the fact he’s probably the most dapper person in the room.

Fifteen years ago, he abandoned an Andersen Consulting gig to embark on an odyssey, hiking the 2,600 mile Pacific Crest Trail with 2 of his buddies. Lessons he learned on that trek continue to illuminate his work in technology innovation as VP of Social Media Strategy at Capital One. Today, he shares 10 of those lessons.

Lesson 1: Be Bold
“We hear that from everyone, for big companies and startups. You have to be willing to blaze a trail.”

He says boldness can be offensive or defensive. “Sometimes you’ll be leaning in to get your ‘thing’ moving forward in an offensive way. Other times, you’ll be on the defensive, selling that thing to a bigger company.”

Lesson 2: Embody Your Vision
“If you don’t live what you’re building, it’s going to show through.”

“I left Andersen Consulting, the biggest consulting company in the world. I convinced them this trip was the right thing for me to do, and they gave me a job when I got back.” He even shaved his impressive PCT beard for them.

Lesson 3: Frequently Seek Perspective
“We lose perspective in day-to-day life.”

Somewhere in the thick of seeking out the next water source on their trek, Kip and his pals took a picture of themselves at the 1200 mile mark. “It took me 15 years to realize the enormity of that moment. We were halfway.”

Kip believes it’s important to seek perspective on what you’ve accomplished. “We’ll retweet something at 11 p.m. to make sure people will come the next day to hear you speak. But we don’t celebrate our victories enough.”

Lesson 4: When You Think You’ve Got it Tough, Step Back and Look Around
“Maybe someone in the world has it harder than anyone else. But it’s easy to get caught up in our own challenges.”

Kip came across a story about hikers who did the same trail he did. Except they did it in the dead of winter. “They had to walk the same 30 miles to the next water source as we did, but then they had to cut a whole in the ice and extract the water. In a company, there’s always going to be some other organization who’s working harder and relying on you to get your job done.”

Lesson 5: KISS
Sometimes there is value in keeping it simple. “We were prepared. We did our research. Ultimately, though, we walked. For 6 months of my life, I put one foot in front of the other.”

“When your work days are rough, boil down what it is you need to do. Our jobs are hard, but can you boil down the simplicity of what you’re doing to get to the next deliverable. And apply humility to your day.”

Lesson 6: A Bear is Going to Shit in Your Water at Some Point
“You have to adjust to adverse circumstances.”

Kip and his buddies reached the location of one of the water sources on their journey. The water was located at the bottom of very steep switchback. “When we got there, we heard sounds. We thought ‘oh, this is going to be fun,’ meeting other people, drinking chamomile tea. When we got down there, though, a black bear was shitting in the water.”

It’s the same in business. “You have to adjust to adverse circumstances. You ration, you evaluate, you think. How will you respond?”

Lesson 7: Plan Spontaneity
Somewhere on their trip, Kip and company stopped to ingest famously enormous pancakes. “Each one is 24 ounces. I ate 2.” It wasn’t a planned stop, but it was an important detour. “It’s like planning when you need to take your team out for a beer because it’s St. Paddy’s Day.”

Lesson 8: Without a Team, You’re Nothing
“Avoid a bozo explosion.”

Kip finds it crucial to surround yourself with people smarter than yourself, in order to avoid what Guy Kawasaki calls “the bozo explosion.” “I can’t think of a single instance, except maybe in a decathlon event, where the individual is greater than the sum of its parts.” In his PCT team, Kip was completely inept at map reading. But he had other strengths.

They picked up a guy named Hersh in the Sierras who ended up hiking with them for awhile. “The face of your team will change. Based on the growth and maturity of the product, you team will—and should—change.”

Lesson 9: Balance the Journey with the Destination
“We are in an era of where we talk a lot about the journey.”

“We talk a lot about the journey, but we might lose focus on the destination if we get too caught up in the journey. It’s a balance.”

Lesson 10: Hike Your Own Hike
“Be inspired by people around you, but ultimately, you have to do it in the way that you need to do to be successful.”

“There are a million opinions, about hiking the trail or running a company. You have to do it in a way that you know you can be successful.”

Kyle Riggle, Partner at EWS, CEO of Orth Cleaners

@OrthCleaners
@EWSystemsInc

Kyle Riggle wants your dirty laundry.

Seven months ago, the New York City-based entrepreneur bought Orth Cleaners, a dry cleaning business with locations in Coatesville and West Chester, Pennsylvania. As he delved into the industry, he found that traditional dry cleaners struggle with making the connection between customer and service.

“I want to disrupt the laundry model,” he says. “I should come to your house, pick up your laundry, clean it, and drop it back off. And the process should be enjoyable.”

He didn’t start out with the intention of cleaning up the laundry business, though.

Origins
“I’ve always been able to find passion in whatever I’m doing.”

Kyle’s entrepreneurial spirit first unfolded at Safeway, where he ended up after high school. “I’ve always been able to find passion in whatever I’m doing, even if it was chucking bananas out on the floor. I worked hard and was gung ho about it.” His enthusiasm quickly moved him up the ranks, managing stores and moving out to Seattle along the way. “I learned how to manage within a big corporation. I learned to delegate and to follow up.”

Safeway wasn’t enough, and after 3 years Kyle went back to school, completing a degree at Columbia University and then getting a job on Wall Street. “I hated it immediately,” he laughs.

Next Steps
“Joynture has allowed us to see a lot of cool ideas coming through the door.”

Kyle didn’t give up on New York City, getting a job with EWS, which had been an early investor in his very first startup venture, Advisoray. EWS focuses on helping clients become more effective by strategically using technology-based tools and processes.

His EWS team started seeking out some startups in which to invest. “We wanted to find a few that we thought had a good idea with a product we could get behind.”

Kyle and his team founded Joynture, a coworking space on Wall Street. “So far, the companies in the space have raised about 15 million dollars. With 30 private offices and extensive conference space, Joynture has allowed us to see a lot of cool ideas coming through the door.”

Cleaning Up
“One thing I found is that everyone has had at least one bad experience with dry cleaning.”

Kyle’s latest endeavor is reinvigorating Orth Cleaners through technology. Feeling that the traditional dry cleaning model was not very focused on customer service, he started asking around. “One thing I found is that everyone has had at least one bad experience with dry cleaning. I realized that being successful at it means you make as few mistakes as possible.”

One of his buddies from out of town told him about the text messages he receives from his dry cleaner when his clothes are ready. “I can schedule a delivery and they bring them to my work. It’s not memorable; it’s just easy. The dry cleaner is making a killing on me because I use it a lot more now.”

The lightbulb went off, and Kyle sought out a mentor, which he found in fish-purveyor-turned-dry-cleaning-entrepreneur Bill Albert. Bill had built an elaborate tech solution for his fish business, whose customers included big retailers like Costco. After he sold the fishing business, he applied the technology to his dry cleaning enterprise.

Bill flew his development crew out from San Francisco to help Kyle build Orth’s system. “Bill’s developers stayed on my couch in Brooklyn and drove to Pennsylvania with me,” Kyle recalls.

How it Works
Orth’s Android-based platform relies on heat-sealed barcodes applied to every garment to provide tracking information throughout the cleaning, packaging, and delivery process. Once a dry cleaning order is flagged as complete, the customer receives a text message with the option for delivery. Everything is handled through the system, including payment.

“New customers sign up with a few steps, but existing customers could, in theory, just leave a bag of their clothes outside my door and we’ll take care of it. That’s how easy it is.” Of course, they can also schedule their service through Orth’s web site.

For the future, Kyle plans keep building Orth, recently hiring a former Marine who is a fellow Columbia grad. Down the road, though? “I might tackle the parking problem in New York City.”