Lessons from Serial Entrepreneur Ben Fischman
On July 15th, Summer Venture Program participants went on a field trip to MassChallenge. The 2014 SVP cohort had the pleasure of listening to Ben Fischman share his story. Fischman is a serial entrepreneur and business executive. Fischman was the founder and CEO of Lids Corporation, an exclusive sports retailer, and Rue La La, a General Catalyst portfolio company. Fischman was also the CEO of SmartBargains.com, an off-price e-commerce marketplace. 
Fischman emphasized obsessing about details and customers and that it is important to really understand what the consumer wants. For entrepreneurs, Fischman asked to put business first than one’s ego. Fischman pointed out that you do not have to be a super genius with all the answers, but that you should surround yourself with smart people to get answers for you.
Fischman stressed the importance of company culture and involvement of employees. Whenever Fischman was working, he wanted his team members to share a similar sense of urgency and be proactive. Fischman believes in getting to know people and seeing how they are going to fit in the company culture, so Fischman oftentimes spends time interviewing or meeting people.
Fischman concluded by recommending to audience members to be attentive to daily life. Find something that works and discover how you can make the daily life better by reinventing.