Social Entrepreneur Rose Shuman Thinks Outside Of The Box

I was fortunate enough to meet the phenomenal Rose Shuman in Santa Monica, LA over my Christmas break. Over coffee I got to learn more about this human ball of energy and inspiration. A TED Fellow and Social Entrepreneur, Rose is incredibly engaging and her enthusiasm is infectious.

What I admire most about Rose is that she cares passionately about every aspect of her enterprise. She describes herself as very opinionated and uppity as well as strongly motivated and unafraid of challenging situations..

Question Box is no exception. She knew that 4 billion people in the world aren’t online but increasing numbers have mobile phones. She asked how do you take the promise of the internet and deliver it to people speaking obscure regional languages? Her answer – why not build something that does it for you and uses the networking ability of GPS and mobile phone network infrastructures that even Grandma could use?

She spent three years incubating it and 5 iterations of software and produced a brilliant yet simple innovation. Literally a box with a big button on the front that’s hooked up by mobile phone, it helps users ask for exactly what information they want, when they want it, and how they want it – live, in their local language.

It’s currently being used in Pune, India and piloted last summer in rural Mbale and Bushenyi, Uganda. Callers ask about anything they wish – agriculture, education, sports, health.

As Founder and CEO of Open Mind, she’s on a mission to bring Internet information to everyone who lacks access. On a daily basis she handles major strategy and company vision, investor relations and fundraising, business development, marketing/collateral development, complex international project management, research, operations management. What’s more she directs 15 team members on three continents, including engineering staff!

It’s clear from her background that Rose lives life differently to others. She gained 3 degrees in 5 years from Brown University and had a habit of moving to villages and volunteering including Nicaragua at 18, India at 19, Uganda with the United Nations, and then six months in Honduras.

Her job with the UN came about after writing 40 snail mail letters to every High Commission Office and receiving 2 responses for job offers – that’s tenacity in action. So is flying to a conference where Larry Brilliant, then head of Google.org, was speaking and buttonholing him to ask for an interview, which she got. I feel lucky to have got one too. Here’s Question Box time with Rose:

What are the key strengths/qualities you’ve found in yourself as an entrepreneur?

Rose Shuman: A very maverick sensibility. An interest in every aspect of the organization. Strong ability to connect with people, and to recruit them into the team. A willingness to grow into the person who is needed for the job, and to take responsibility for the careers of people working for you.

What’s your secret to keeping focused on your business and the vision you have for it?

I wish I knew the secret! Starting a company requires obsessive tendencies. Whatever it is must drive you to the point that you don’t tire of explaining it for the 950^th time. I am constantly analyzing in the back of my head how to shape the organization and grow it.

If you want someone to structure your day, priorities, and life, and to have the luxury of knowing when you are at work and when you are home, consider working within an established organization.

Do you have any daily habits as entrepreneurs that propel you to success?

My newest favourite is to make a daily schedule the night before, listing realistic tasks and timelines. It keeps me focused, my expectations tethered to reality, and provides a satisfying list of things completed at the end of the day.

This technique is best paired with a To-Do list, so things can migrate off of To-Do and onto the Schedule. Then, stick by the schedule as religiously as possible. Essentially, I am walling off strategy-time from execution-time.

What are the most influential books you’ve and why?

Anything by Krishamurthi. He is an Indian philosopher of life. I read just a page or three at a time, when I need to slow down and shift to a longer, deeper perspective.

I gobble up Malcolm Gladwell books; Outliers: The Story of Success, the idea that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve excellence in almost anything made a deep impression.

Seducing the Boys Club: Uncensored Tactics from a Woman at the Top – Nina DiSesa – Nina DiSesa is a pioneer. She gritted her way up to the top of one of the biggest advertising companies in the world. She’s crazy.

The Happiness Hypothesis – Jonathan Haidt. Happiness is a decision. Good book.

How To Get Rich – Felix Dennis. A totally rowdy, no holds barred awesomely honest book by a person who is very charming and rude .

Which females are your personal source of inspiration and why?

My mother. She was the youngest partner in the history of a big DC law firm, and isn’t a lawyer, but rather an economist. She managed corporate government strategy for both the pharmaceutical industry and Archer Daniels Midland. She’s made over 100 trips to Japan. All the while raising two independent daughters, and wanting nothing but the best for us. A tough, wonderful woman who is also inflexibly moral. She’s broken tons of barriers for the rest of us.

There’s really no place for a #2 or #3….

What are your future plans?

Build Question Box into a self-sustaining technology incubator, specializing in developing world technology solutions. Branching out into for-profit related offerings.

On a personal front, building a strong consulting practice specializing in: a) Helping Western companies enter and work better in the developing world; and b) Helping aid organizations implement appropriate technology solutions in the developing world.

What is your key piece of advice to any female considering becoming a social entrepreneur?

Social enterprise is still a nascent & unproven category. Some argue that anything that creates jobs and doesn’t do harm is inherently a “social enterprise.” Don’t start anything that doesn’t make good business sense, because ultimately you are a business, no matter how you market it. Otherwise, no shame in starting a nonprofit (which is how Question Box is incubating.) Last tidbit – social enterprises frequently emerge when there are failures in infrastructure, especially infrastructure commonly offered by the government. Good luck!

If you have any burning questions for Rose please ask them in the comments section below so she can respond.

WomanzWorld has been fortunate to interview several inspiring female entrepreneurs. You’ll find them in the Interviews tab.

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