Business Job Indiana

How Will You Measure Your Life?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 by Brandon Russell

Success is measured differently by each person. The school you attended, the company for which you work, the balance in your bank account, among other criteria, are all yardsticks by which people measure personal success.

I was recently handed an article by my CEO, asked to read it and share my thoughts.

The article came from the Harvard Business Review, and was authored by Clayton M. Christensen (Yes, the Clay Christensen who penned The Innovator's Dilemma - the penultimate authority on disruptive technology, and a great read for anyone interested in technology and how it interacts with and impacts society.)

The article, titled, "How Will You Measure Your Life," discusses the common pitfalls college and graduate school students experience when plotting their futures - and puts forth a simple, yet poignant truth - success is defined by how you, not others, measure your value and merit.

A Harvard Business School professor, Christensen's theories on management, disruptive technology, and leadership serve as the foundation of his lectures as he empowers his students to dissect real-life organizations and understand how decisions and practices, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, can have a major impact on an organization.

That's all great, but I know those of you who have bothered to continue reading are wondering, "How does this relate to me? Why is this relevant to the Orr Fellowship, and why do they let you write these blogs, Brandon?"

I was getting to that. But first I had to lay some groundwork. On the last day of class each semester, Christensen asks his students to turn these theoretical lenses on themselves. How have their decisions, even small ones, impacted their lives, and eventually led them to where they are today?

He asks them to study themselves, and find answers to 3 simple questions:

How can I be sure I'll be happy in my career?

How can I be sure my relationships with my friends and family become an enduring source of happiness?

How can I stay out of jail?

Okay, the third question is a little odd, but Christensen was classmates with former Enron President and current resident of the Englewood, Colorado Correctional Facility, Jeffrey Skilling - so it's relevant.

After reading the article, I turned these lenses on myself and the decisions I've made that have led me to where I am, and have reached out to others in the Orr Fellowship to do the same here's what I've found:

1) How can I be sure I'll be happy in my career?

This was big for me. Like many other Orr Fellows, and I'm sure many Orr Fellowship candidates - I had offers for distinguished post grad jobs from companies whose names have serious brand equity, companies where my entry-level paycheck would have allowed me to purchase many leather-bound books and housing that smells of rich mahogany, but with me, as with the other Orr Fellows I included in my little experiment - it isn't all about the money, the title, or the bravado that comes from saying, "I work for Company X."

We joined the Orr Fellowship and took positions at high-growth startups because of the opportunity the program offers. The opportunity to network with professionals and leaders in the community, to grow personally and professionally, and the opportunity to create strategies for our lives. What the Orr Fellowship lacked in glamour, our clout, it has made up in spades through the opportunities we've been afforded.

Orr Fellowship companies are some of the best places to work in Indiana, and the entrepreneurial spirit in each organization, and the dedication to the personal and individual success of each employee is something you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere but a high-growth startup.

2) How can I be sure my relationships with my friends and family become an enduring source of happiness?

I know. This is a blog about work, and business, and technology, not the Dr. Phil Show. But, It's time to get personal. Plus, let's face it - to be productive at work, you need to be happy outside of work, and vice-versa. Relating this to my, and others' time in the Orr Fellowship, the common thread was the relationships I've developed within the program ARE an enduring source of happiness for me. Digging deeper, it's not just the relationships with other Fellows that add value to our experiences, it's our relationships with our non-Fellow co-workers, our executive sponsors, and the people who speak at our Business Leader Meetings, who augment our experiences.

Yes, as Orr Fellows we spend a lot of time together and get to know each other on a personal level. But our culture as an organization, goes beyond that. We develop common bonds. We become friends. And these interactions, both positive and negative, ensure we continually grow as professionals and as people.

3) How can I stay out of jail?

I don't really need to go into much detail on this one - it's pretty self explanatory. Just don't do anything illegal. One Fellow went a philosophical on us and asked, "Why does jail have to mean prison?" He continued, "I think sometimes people build jails for themselves as a result of the choices they make, so I would challenge everyone to not only stay away from the illegal, but go one step further and stay away from the immoral, the ill-advised, and the unjust, as well. I'd challenge us to live lives of which we can be proud, not just try to stay out of jail - because a lot of guilty people aren't in prison."

At the end of his article, Christensen offered one extremely sage piece of advice, and that's how I'll end this post.

"Choose the right yardstick."

Only you know what's best for you. Do not measure your success by how others measure you. Choose the path that will allow you to be happy in your career, happy in your relationships and interactions with others, and keep you out of jail.

If you've read this far, I applaud, and thank you. I can be a bit long-winded. If you'd like to read Clay Christensen's full article, and turn this lens on yourself (I'd recommend it), Click Here.

Attention College Seniors: You'd be crazy not to look at the Orr Fellowship

Thursday, August 25, 2011 by Alec Synnestvedt

Today marks my two month anniversary at T2 Systems. What's it like so far?

Awesome. I love my team, my executive mentors, and the work I get to do daily. I'm already contributing meaningfully. Nothing feels better than that. Of course, a grown-up salary and this great city make me feel pretty good, too. Yep, T2 Systems was voted one of the best places to work in Indiana and one of the INC 5000 for the sixth year.

Plenty of classmates that graduated with me in May are still in training at their respective jobs. And, unfortunately, plenty more are still on the job hunt. But you already know that the Orr Fellowship involves an exciting job opportunity at a fascinating company. My job is to tell you what you can't learn on our website.

As promised, here's a bit of what I've been up to in the past few weeks:

Elevated my host company's social media presence across all channels
Helped revamp my host company's blog plan & wrote a few posts
Attended a concert at the Vogue
Rode my new bike from my Woodruff Place apartment to Mass Ave downtown countless times
Spent the weekend with the rest of the awesome Orr Fellows on our retreat at Bradford Woods--you guys rock!
Written a few email marketing campaigns, one of which almost had a 40% open rate

Interested? Cool. Are you qualified? I hope so! Here are the requirements:

Cumulative 3.5 GPA or higher (students with as low as a 3.2 GPA will be considered if they have extensive leadership experience)
Demonstrated leadership potential (leaders in on- and off-campus clubs/organizations/athletics)
Strong interest in entrepreneurial business or organizational leadership
An expected graduation date in 2012 with one or more undergraduate major
Graduate of an Indiana college or university (or a native Hoosier graduating from any school around the country)

The application deadline is quickly approaching! All you have to do to get started is submit your resume.

Fellows + Community

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 by Abbey Wilson

Tomorrow is certain be a gloomy day. In addition to the fact that local meteorologists are predicting rain and stoms, it also happens to be the day DePauw University begins classes for the 2011-2012 (wait, 2012!?) school year. While many friends (including my younger sister) enter the historic halls of Abury and the bright, welcoming rooms of Julian, I'll be at my desk weeping silently for the past 4 years that passed all too quickly and have left me counting PTO days for the rest of my life.

Perhaps I'm being too dramatic. Because alas, after graduating and being placed at a high-growth startup, I have something many of my DPU peers do not: The Orr Fellowship. This past weekend 40 of us "roughed it" in the deep woods of Martinsville, gathering to solve important issues with exercises such as capture the flag and campus golf. Oh, we had bonfires and smores, too.

I got to know many of the Fellows better during our stay in the middle of nowhere (no disrespect), and I continue to admire and appreciate each Fellow's unique talents and experiences. Each Fellow is so unlike the next, yet the group of us shares many key characteristics that defines our interest in high-growth Indianapolis companies, entrepreneurship careers and post-graduate networking.

This weekend showcased an ever-present human element to the Fellowship: accomplished, smart people with great ideas who also happen to be friends that get along, dance and cook together very well. Hearing this Fellowship community existed sold me on applying last Fall and now I'm experiencing it first-hand.

We can't wait to meet new faces interested in technology and business jobs in Indianapolis, because we're partners with some of the best places to work in Indiana, and because we're looking for more fun people to do fun things with :-)

Email me at abbey.wilson@orrfellowship.org or follow me on Twitter if you want to know more!

Juggling 2 Jobs

Monday, August 15, 2011 by Kyle Rawn

It seems like just yesterday that I graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and took off for a month in Europe. Coming back was difficult, but starting at Fifth Gear, an Ecommerce fulfillment company looking to double revenue in five years, and the Orr Fellowship Indiana was an abrupt trek back to reality. However, it is great to be in a high-growth Indianapolis company, were the focus is on people. Management recognizes that in order for profitable growth, new people will need to be brought on; and brought on I was. On my very first day with Fifth Gear I left before lunch to visit our 500,000 square feet warehouse location in Louisiana, Missouri. Louisiana had the wonderful smells and feel of a small Middle American town with approximately a third of the town employed by Fifth Gear. I toured the twin warehouses on the outskirts of town, less than two miles from the center! The warehouse was hot and my stomach was growling for food, but the warehouse was never-the-less impressive. With thousands of horse, house restoration and enough contact lenses to keep me seeing for life, I was prepared to whip out my Visa and go on a never-ending shopping spree.

The next morning started with a delightful visit to a local favorite café called Daybreak, located a stone’s throw from the Mississippi River. A pleasant man took our orders. Delicious omelets, California style with spinach and feta cheese is what I got. At the end of breakfast, a nightshift worker recognized our badges and gave us recommendations on how to improve the warehouse. The recommendations were genuine and thorough. After breakfast, it was back to the warehouse. The community office that is shared by temporary visitors is quant with street views. The information I attained over the next few days advanced my knowledge incredibly more than sitting in Indy for four days starring at my computer wondering, “What does this Operations Analyst role I have really mean.” Later, I was invited to sit in on a freight meeting with our CEO, President, and VP of Operations; yet again emphasizing the honor it is to be an Orr Fellow. Two more days of business meetings and shadowing carried on like this. Except on the last day where we all splurged with homemade cinnamon donuts from Daybreak. It was hands down the greatest donut these taste buds have experienced.

The five hour ride back home allowed for reflection on what I learned, as well as a vital phone conference with my manager, we couldn’t find time to meet in Louisiana, further emphasizing exactly how important time is to growing companies. I walked away with valuable insight of what Fifth Gear does, but more importantly I put a face with a name and each person I met was able to do the same. The warehouse was hot, the restaurants were only opened a few nights a week, but the people had the right attitude needed for growth. The people were friendly and everyone acknowledge my existence in passing. It felt simply like home away from home.

In addition to my exciting new role with Fifth Gear on August 1^st the Orr Fellow crew met and I was placed in the Fellow Development Group. The group plans the all-Fellow retreat coming up in mid-August, as well as, five personal and professional growth seminars throughout the next year. Finally the group is responsible for smoothly transitioning our next class of Fellows. Though starting “two” jobs in quick session was a brain shock, I am already seeing the benefits from both. I am excited to spend more time with current Fellows and learn more about Ecommerce.

Like a good whiskey

Sunday, August 7, 2011 by Alec Synnestvedt

The Orr Fellowship just keeps getting sweeter as time passes.

When I was going through the recruitment process almost a year ago, I was all kinds of fired up about the chance to be mainlined into a high growth Indiana company. The prospect of learning from host company executives and Indianapolis business leaders in my first job out of DePauw University had my mouth watering. The idea of gaining more experience in two years than most college grads get in five thrilled me. And in December, after I earned a position in the Orr Fellowship and my host company, T2 Systems, I could hardly wait to get started in June.

But I also had a lot of unanswered questions. I had no idea what life as an Orr Fellow was like. As a creative writing major, I didn't know what to expect from the tech industry. And, being from Detroit, I wondered about what life in Indianapolis had in store for me.

Maybe you, like me, are excited by the Orr Entrepreneurial Fellowship. (You would be silly to regard it as anything other than a wonderful opportunity). And maybe you also want to know more about what it comes with. So my next few posts will constitute a snapshot of my experience so far, a month and a half in.

Here are some of the things I did today:

Attended a Venture Club of Indianapolis meeting with Chris Palmer and an executive at my company. Our CEO spoke on the guest pannel.
Helped develop my company's social media presence
Worked on my salesforce database skills while sending messages out to customers
Had a bbq pork sandwich and a beer in the office as part of our thirsty Thursday tradition.
Wrote this post.

Questions? Email me at alec.synnestvedt@orrfellowship.org

Business Leader Meeting with Rob Smith: President of Lilly Foundation

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 by Corey Kime

Today we had the amazing opportunity of having Rob Smith come and speak to us at our Orr Fellow Business Leader Meeting. Rob is the President of the Lilly Foundation and currently runs Lilly's Corporate Responsibility efforts. Rob spent over an hour talking with us about issues ranging from the responsibility of corporations in today's age to initiatives that the Lilly Foundation is working on to improve education and health care both in Indianapolis as well as worldwide. Below are a couple takeaways I had from his talk:

Just adding people will no longer solve the problem: Rob talked with us about how not too long ago, simply adding educated people to a country's workforce and not necessarily worrying about productivity gains within that workforce would bring about increases in economic growth for the country. That day in age is long gone now and becoming more productive as a workforce with less resources is driving economic growth much more than simply adding another body to the stem.
Finding new and innovative ideas to solve big problems is as important now as it ever has been: Much of the time in conversation with Rob revolved around the issues that the Lilly Foundation has identified in education and health care and how they are trying to solve them. One thing I found refreshing about his approach to solving issues was trying to find workable solutions on a small scale before advocating them on a large scale. For example, in the education field, the Lilly Foundation doesn't try and solve entire country's problem in one big cash-flush solution, but instead they take small, but calculated, bets on Indianapolis and Indiana based initiatives that are innovative and take new approaches to solving problems of things such as getting more students to graduate and improving the quality of education. Then if they see success in these smaller initiatives they advocate these solutions on a larger scale, thereby advocating for more proven and refined solutions then ones that are great in theory but may not be great in practice.

It was obvious to all of us in attendance that Rob is extremely passionate about his job and has taken on great challenges in his time at Lilly. Being able to have this kind of informal meeting with a highly respected and successful business leader is just another example of the exciting opportunities that the Orr Fellowship provides us. Not only was this a great networking opportunity in Indianapolis for us as fellows, but it was a great learning opportunity that we wouldn't have gotten at a regular out of college job. Business Leader Meetings like the one we had with Rob Smith today are just another reason that the Orr Fellowship is a great opportunity for college graduates!

2011 Orr Fellow: Jamie Steiner

Friday, June 24, 2011 by Fellow Stories

Name: Jamie Steiner

Alma Mater: Purdue University
Major: Quantitative Agricultural Economics
Host Company: Angie's List
Hometown: Berne, IN

Bio:
As most of you have noted about yourself, I am an overinvolved, organized, overachiever. I truly enjoy the rush of knowing I need to get so much done in so little time. Most of my time is taken up by the activities of serving as the Vice President for Purdue Student Government. My second biggest commitment right now is my undergraduate honors thesis on consolidation of schools in the State of Indiana. In my (almost non-existent) free time, I enjoy hanging out with friends, sleeping, and reading.

Why did you choose to be a part of the Orr Fellowship?
I chose the Orr Fellowship because of the mentorship opportunities, networking opportunities, flexibility it will provide, and the chance to make 26 new best friends.

What are your long-term career ambitions?
Long-term I honestly don't care what type of job I'm doing. As long as I am in a job that I am passionate about doing, my career ambitions will be fulfilled.

What will your first role be at your host company?
For the first 3-4 months, I will be working in the call center. After that, I could be moving to marketing, IT, or whatever division needs an additional brain.

Just the facts:
Typically blunt and to the point. Interested in way too many things. Love medium to large sized dogs, especially Labrador Retrievers. Enjoy playing guitar and snowskiing. Grew up showing cattle, swimming, and playing soccer, basketball, and softball. Events that require business casual or business formal attire truly excite me.

2011 Orr Fellow: Julie Bowman

Thursday, June 23, 2011 by Fellow Stories

Name: Julie Bowman

Alma Mater: Indiana University

Major: Finance and International Business

Host Company: Interactive Intelligence

Hometown: Newburgh, IN

Bio:
Like many of you, I’m proud to be organized, involved, and busy. I love love love all things IU, so graduation will certainly be bittersweet. On campus, I am co-president of a student-run non-profit organization called Camp Kesem, which puts on a free week-long summer camp for 95 kids who have/had a parent with cancer. Camp Kesem takes up a lot of my time, but I love it! At IU, I also am in a microfinance club (not as boring as it sounds, I promise! Microfinance is basically providing microloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries as a poverty alleviation tool.) I have volunteered over spring or winter break each year as part of an Alternative Break Program. I love ethnic food, traveling, and sightseeing. I aim to visit six of the seven continents (Antarctica may have to wait…) before I’m 30. My friends and family are my world, and I’m excited to expand that circle of friends in the next chapter of my life with the Orr Fellowship!

Why did you choose to be a part of the Orr Fellowship?
I’m excited for the networking opportunities the Fellowship will provide. The Fellowship seems to provide the perfect transition into being a “real person,” and I am ready to experience that transition with 26 driven, intelligent, and outgoing college graduates!

What are your long-term career ambitions?
I see myself eventually working on the operations side of a nonprofit organization or for the foundation of a corporation.

What will your first role be at your host company?
I will spend a few months in the finance and accounting department, possibly rotating around the department. Eventually, I will be able to experience other departments as well.

Just the facts:

Obsessed with mixers/ice breakers/”camp games” and would lead those for a living if that were a real job! ;) Love the color pink. Rarely watch TV or movies, save Glee and DVDs of the show Friends. New favorite clothing item: my panda bear footed pajamas that I got in the children’s section at Target. Love the Kelley business school and IU. Generally optimistic and enthusiastic about everything I do. :)

2011 Orr Fellow: Mitch Causey

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by Fellow Stories

Name: Mitch Causey

Alma Mater: Indiana Wesleyan University

Major: Marketing & Business Administration + some Computer Graphics

Host Company: Slingshot SEO

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Bio:

I love, live and breath SEO - that's why I'm so glad to be placed at Slingshot SEO. I'm engaged to my high school sweetheart (getting married June 18th). I really don't have much of a life outside of my fiance, work and trying to make more money online... it's a vicious, but wonderful cycle.

Why did you choose to be a part of the Orr Fellowship?
Choosing to be a part of the Fellowship was a pretty "DUH" decision. As soon as I heard about the incredible opportunities we would be given, the fact that it is Indy-based and the special access to executives shot the Fellowship to the top of my job hunt.

What are your long-term career ambitions?
My long-term goals for my career are to simply continue to grow and push myself to the next level. I love a good challenge and view the Fellowship as one. I would love to start / continue my own business and see where that leads. Multiple streams of income is pretty much a must for me ever since reading "Rich Dad Poor Dad" so I love to stay busy and have a multi-tracked mind.

What will your first role be at your host company?
I am currently an SEO Consultant for Slingshot SEO. That includes analyzing websites and forming strategies to make them perform better in search engines.

Just the facts:

Engaged, IWU grad, 22, SEO, 5'8", loving life as an Orr Fellow.

Orr Fellow Alum

Tuesday, February 8, 2011 by Fellow Stories

Name: Brennan Knotts
School: Indiana University

Brennan Knotts is currently the Director of Marketing for Xemion web design directory and MobileDeveloper.net, a directory for mobile developers. As a former Orr Fellow, he spent 2+ years working for his host company Cantaloupe.tv and co-founded Pocket Tales, a social reading game for kids whose investors include east coast-based Startl and Dreamit Ventures.

Welcome to the newest Orr Fellows and congratulations! This post is for you. It's a short collection of advice I received or wish I'd received when I entered the Orr Fellowship. Follow this plan and you will earn the full potential of your salary in the Fellowship, which if no one told you is actually a lot more than that number on your paycheck.

1. Schedule drinks/coffee/lunch whatever with alumni as soon as you can

One of the smartest things I ever did as an Orr Fellow was reach out to alumni before I even started work. I'll admit it wasn't a master plan of mine - I just happened to meet some cool Fellows and wanted to hang out with them more (okay, I was in no condition to drive so I crashed on their couch and got brunch the next morning).

Not only did I build lasting friendships during those early days, but I received advice on my career and life that is still useful 4 years later.

I can promise you no alumni will turn you down. Even if they're not local they will make themselves available for a phone call. Just ask and be respectful of their time.

2. Don't ever miss a business leader meeting

I'm proud to say I never missed a business leader meeting during my tenure. No one is handing out trophies for this accomplishment, but you owe it to yourself to take advantage, exploit even, the opportunities you get during your two years.

Sometimes you will be tempted to believe that working late the night of a business leader meeting is more important than attending the BLM, but I assure you it isn't. Unless your boss is demanding you stay (in which case, we need to have a talk about that boss...), find a way to go.

At some point you'll grow tired of hearing someone else's "how I made it" story. You'll become restless and want to stop all this meeting and talking and start doing.

THAT's when you'll know you've internalized everything you've learned from these stories, because when you boil each down to its simplest element, each is a story about someone who went out and DID something.

3. Get a side project

Your work at your first job post college will not be intellectually stimulating. You'll hear this a million times but for some reason you won't believe it until you experience it yourself. (I think the bottom line is that only 20% of the meaningful work anyone does is the hard-thinking type of work and the other 80% is the tedious execution work, but that's for another post to debate...)

This is an advantage for two reasons: 1) because it allows you to learn the blocking and tackling of being in the working world, learning to work with people, prioritize your tasks, work effectively in meetings, etc. and 2) when you get home from work you're not emotionally and intellectually drained.

Use this leftover energy to work on something meaningful to you. Learn to code, start a business, help run a non-profit, pick up the guitar, start a blog, write for someone else's blog - just do something. You will never have as much available energy as you do at your entry-level job.

This side project also has the benefit of giving you something interesting to talk about when your networking with alumni.

4. Think big

Indiana is a big greenfield. That might be true literally, but I mean it figuratively. There are so many ways for you to leave a permanent mark on this community. Get an ambition and take up a cause. No idea is too big. You decided to come to Indiana so take advantage of the fact that it's not New York or San Francisco and that you can actually get access to the movers and shakers in the community and that everything hasn't "been done before."

Co-founding Hackers and Founders, now Verge, was my contribution in this regard. And although Verge has addressed a huge gap in the Indianapolis tech community, there are so many more big opportunities - and that's just the tech community. I challenge you to find your own big idea and go after it.

Are you looking for entry-level jobs in Indiana or business jobs in Indianapolis? Learn more about the Orr Fellowship at www.orrfellowship.org.

No Tree Luggers This Year?!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011 by Allison Bowen

Yes folks, you read that right. Unfortunately, the Orr Entrepreneurial Fellowship is not taking on the challenge of lugging trees. You may think that it's because our new Fellowship class just couldn't cut it. While you might be correct (I'm a second year Fellow, I can say that, right?), the reality is that this wonderful program just didn't fit this year.

With the expansion of our new class, we've begun growing in other ways. For example, our business meetings just keep getting better and better - Gov. Mitch Daniels, Ellen Annala (CEO of the United Way of Central Indiana)... And more! Not to mention, we've all been incredibly busy with each of our high growth start-ups. Your first job is never easy, but since we are all holding a full-time position in such fast-paced and growing companies, our jobs keep up hopping even more.

So you may be wondering, what in the world will you do with your tree this year without Tree Luggers?! Here are a few options that we've been able to locate around the city:

The Indy Parks recycling locations:

http://www.sustainindy.org/press-events.cfm?news_id=356
- This is a list of the recycling locations – individuals wanting to recycle their trees here will need to bring the trees there themselves or find another group/company who is offering a pick-up service.

Pick-up: Simple Mans Tree Service

http://www.smts.us/
- Pick-up is $20. (Yes, we checked and they are highly rated on Angie’s List!)

Thank you to each and every one of you that has chosen to take part in Tree Luggers in the past. We certainly appreciate your generosity and could not have done it without you! Through the years we've been able to make some great donations and help out many worthwhile causes.

Keep an eye out in the future... Just because we're busy with our entrepreneurship careers doesn't mean we won't be taking the time to stop and help others!

WWOD: 'What Would Orr Fellows Do?'

Thursday, December 2, 2010 by Jonathon Corwin

David Simons, an Orr Fellow alumnus from the class of 2006, shares his program experiences with potential candidates at the Reception on the Circle event. His speech highlights the two sides of business: the Machiavelli approach and the Orr Fellow approach. Simons graduated from DePauw University in 2006 with a degree in Economics. He remains at his host company, Author Solutions, as Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis.

Watch the video coverage to discover 'What Would Orr Fellows Do?'

Are you looking for entry-level jobs in Indiana or business jobs in Indianapolis? Learn moe about the Orr Fellowship at www.orrfellowship.org.

The Essence of the Fellowship

Monday, November 15, 2010 by Brant Howell

The Orr Fellowship's ROTC took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, just a few days ago, and with all the wonderful new candidates to speak with, inspiring presenters, and some great MCing by Bob Reish and Matt Lubbers, there was plenty to be excited about. My favorite part, however, was after the event had ended. The last candidates were trailing out and the hosts were gently herding the current fellows towards the exits while flipping the lights off behind us.

Outside, the conversations continued. For a good 30 minutes, almost twenty of the current fellows stood in the not-so-tropical Indiana night, catching-up, telling jokes, and making plans for both the short-term (weekend) and long-term (career). It was already late, we all had work in the morning, and we had already been together for nearly four straight hours. Yet somehow we were simply having too much fun enjoying each others company, conversing about business jobs in Indiana and pleasure, and bouncing our latest ideas off one another to be bothered.

To my left, the ever enthusiastic Jon Corwin rang out, saying he wished the candidates were still around, as this scene was the best example he could think of of what it really means to be a fellow. I had to agree.

Meeting a "Thought-Entrepreneur"

Monday, October 18, 2010 by Felix Lukose

I concede that I am a nerd. No contest. As a friend recently put it, I "got to meet my Taylor Swift."

Prof. Steven Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics was a recent speaker at Purdue for the Krannert Leadership Speaker Series which I had the privilege of attending and covering (article here). Aside from being a personal hero of mine, he has been heralded as the "Indiana Jones of Economics" by the Wall Street Journal. Time named him to the "Top 100 People Who Shape Our World" in 2006.

The man embodies everything that is entrepreneurial, minus the directly creating a business part. He has made a career out of challenging conventional wisdom and taking a moment to step back, and look at common problems at a slightly different angle. Isn't that essentially what an entrepreneur aims to do? Creating a need, solving a problem, explaining the abnormal, defining a connection, etc.

How does he apply to entrepreneurship careers? Like his father, he set out to answer the questions that others in their respective fields failed to. Therefore, he doesn't consider himself a "real" economist, but something gives me the feeling that he is OK with that. As members of the Orr Fellowship, placed in fast paced jobs, Fellows thrive on innovation. Whether it is expanding our role within our host organization or bouncing off ideas with other 20-somethings, I would like to think that we are trying to ask those unasked questions and seeking answers to ones that have been given up on.

If I learned anything from Prof. Levitt, it's that a key element to creating an industry is questioning the norm. Figuring out whether the way something has been done is in fact the best way to do it. Taking something that is granted and proving its worth.

Indianapolis Living

Thursday, October 14, 2010 by Kate Carrico

If your friends are anything like mine were senior year of college, a bunch of them are talking about getting out of Indiana after school is over and heading to a big city like Chicago. You could even be one of those people that thinks Indiana is only made up of corn and basketball and can't wait to leave after graduation...

But don't discount Indiana that fast! As the commercials for Indiana Beach say, there's more than corn in Indiana! Indianapolis is home to one phenomenal football team, a huge number of conferences and sporting events, multiple cultural districts, museums, art galleries, and a symphony orchestra. There is always something going on around town and it's a breeze to get involved. Also, there are many great neighborhoods to live in, the commute times are short, and the city is easy to navigate!

If you're interested in high growth start-ups or technology jobs, Indianapolis could also be for you! There is a great small business community as well as a phenomenal network of high tech start-ups throughout the city.

The Orr Entrepreneurial Fellowship is a two-year commitment for new college grads that takes advantage of the business culture in Indianapolis and looks to keep it booming by bringing incredible young talent to promising companies. From industry leaders such as ExactTarget to up and coming companies such as BlueLock, the Orr Fellowship partners with the outstanding business community to provide a phenomenal experience for both host companies and Orr Fellows.

If you're a college senior looking for jobs, check out the Orr Fellowship today!

Thinking Outside the Box When Job Searching

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 by Robert Tichy

A year ago seems like yesterday as I begin remembering my job recruitment journey. At my alma mater, Indiana State University, the career fair is very local-heavy with companies and opportunities. The only jobs that were outside of the Wabash Valley were with Target as a part of their retail training program. I'd worked retail throughout my entire college career, so I knew that wasn't going to be in my best interest. Therefore, I was in a bit of a bind - how do I find more opportunities without blindly submitting my resume online?

Luckily, I remembered that there was a nationally recognized undergraduate business school less than an hour away from ISU - the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

I started researching when the career fairs took place, and found the sales and marketing fair to be my best bet. I called a good friend of mine who attended IU and asked if there were any prerequisites to get into the career fair. He mentioned I needed to have an IU student ID, which I obviously didn't have, but said I could use his - I'm in!

I drove down to Bloomington and was able to get in to the career fair without any issues. I walked in and was amazed at all of the tremendous companies and names: Procter & Gambel, Kimberly-Clark, Otis Elevator Company, News Corporation, among others. I stopped by all of these booths, but was somewhat displeased with their demeanor and bland answers to questions.

I decided to start going to a few smaller companies and my first stop was the Orr Fellowship. Talking for just a few minutes, I knew immediately that the Fellowship was a unique experience that would allow me to work in a small company (as I had interned in college) and could have an impact right away.

As they say, the rest is history. I applied to the Orr Fellowship, went through the interview process and was lucky enough to land with ExactTarget in Indianapolis.

The moral of my journey to IU is that when looking and applying for a job, get creative. Now more than ever it's imperative that graduating seniors stand out from the rest, and having the opportunity to tell recruiters that I had driven from ISU just to attend the career fair was a great talking point, not to mention it introduced me to the Orr Fellowship.

The magic of donuts and Catch Phrase

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 by Katie Veatch

Last year as I began the Orr Fellowship, I really wanted to find ways to stay involved in the community. Throughout high school and college, I had always kept myself busy and was a member of various student and volunteer organizations. Now, as I began an entry-level job in Indiana, I found myself in a new city and without the structure of school-organized activities. I wasn't sure where to begin.

Shortly after I started work I realized that the Orr Fellowship would not only provide me with a great networking opportunity in Indianapolis and an instant group of friends, it also helped me ease the transition to the "real world" by making it easy to stay involved.

I heard about the Orr Fellowship's involvement with Common Goal, an organization that strives to help kids stay in school and graduate. Mentoring seemed like the perfect way to stay active in the community.

Allison Bowen and I were given a group of high school freshman that we met with every other week throughout the school year. Some days we covered specific topics, other times we talked about what was going on in their lives and sometimes we just played Catch Phrase and other games. We learned was that what we did during our sessions wasn't as important as the fact that we were THERE each time.

Even if we weren't able to see immediate results from our efforts, we knew that we had an impact. We became something stable and consistent in their lives, and we could tell that they were happy to see us (and the donuts) each time.

Today starts my second year of being a mentor at New Tech High. As I walk into New Tech this morning, I can truly say that I am excited to see the eight familiar faces looking back at me.

Eight students who are now beginning their sophomore year and are one step closer to graduating high school.

Maximize The Alpha

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 by Trey Buck

In the financial world, the term "alpha" is meant to signify a measure of performance that is adjusted for risk. But how do we measure risk in the real world? Are some entry-level jobs in start-ups more or less risky than others? How can we know when we've found a winner, that coveted "diamond in the ruff"?

Some may say that it is nearly impossible to assess the risks of any new venture considering the volatility of markets, the unpredictable nature of competition, and the influence of shear luck and ingenuity. While some of that may be true, there are certainly places that have been historically more successful than others: the Silicon Valley specifically. But for the last decade or more, the Valley has seen stiff competition, with distinguished post-grad jobs popping up across the nation (and the world).

I would argue that Indiana is one of the places most suited for companies hiring new grads to establish their roots: our cost of living is significantly lower than other states; our central location within the US places almost any major city within a day's drive; and Indiana has managed to keep its state and local government budgets contained while others have moved even closer to bankruptcy.

And these advantages have not gone unnoticed by the entrepreneurial community: Start-Up Indiana is focused on developing high-growth start-ups in the region; Indianapolis now has its own start-up newsletter, Startup Digest, a free service helping entrepreneurs find events that might peak their interests; and the Orr Fellowship which is aimed at finding and growing tomorrows business leaders through placement in entry-level positions in entrepreneurial companies. All of these initiatives are great examples of organizations driving jobs and opportunity within Indiana and sewing the seeds of growth and fortune.

So when thinking about how to evaluate job opportunities, remember to find those places that minimize the risk of failure and maximize the chances of success. Look to the local community and their support for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Ask questions. Seek guidance. And most importantly, do all you can to maximize the alpha in your life and career.

Start of a New Chapter (In more ways than one)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 by Skip Tokar

So here I am writing my first ever blog, something that I never imagined I would ever do, and a million thoughts about a possible topic are running through my head. Throughout the next two years and roughly 24 posts I plan to blow all my readers minds and expose them to the world of Skip Tokar and his time in the Orr Fellowship. I will cover a myriad of topics including The Orr Fellowship, Brightpoint (my company), Indianapolis, sports, and any other thing that might pop into my brain. This will be such a ground breaking source of information and wealth of knowledge that you will literally be counting down the days until the first of every month (or thereabouts) when my blog is posted. And while I may not have the supreme blogging abilities of people like my good friend Matt Hudson: http://blogs.wabash.edu/matthudson2010/ or http://en.wordpress.com/tag/matt-hudson/, I give will give a valiant effort in my writing and, with any luck, by the end of my two years I will be somewhat competent in my blogging ability (Note the last sentence, along with pretty much this whole paragraph should be read with a sarcastic undertone... just saying).

Anyways, back to my original line of thinking for the blog. Since this is my first blog, I was pondering about all the other "firsts" that myself and all my other Orr Fellows (not to mention many of my recently graduated college friends) are experiencing this summer. Last year at this time I was worrying about finding a job. I was looking for high growth start-ups, Indianapolis job opportunities, specifically looking at the "best places to work in Indiana list", various leadership development/ rotational positions, and even some consulting and investment banking positions. I was lucky enough to find the Orr Fellowship, make my way through their recruiting process, and eventually receive an offer from Brightpoint. After evaluating all my options, I realized that the Orr Fellowship and Brightpoint offered a tremendous opportunity (more on this in a later post, that was a teaser by the way).

Flash forward to today. I am now in my first real job after college, writing my first blog, and am now in one of the fastest growing Business Fellowships in the country. I am excited to start this new chapter of my life and am glad that I get to muddle my way through these next few "adult" years with over 25 other Orr Fellows who are in the same boat as myself.

So I hope you liked my first blog and I apologize in advance for any mistakes that I might have made (I blame my editor). I suggest that you keep track of my progress through the Orr Fellowship by marking you calenders for October 1st when my next blog hits the streets.

What Do Orr Fellows Really Do? - A Day in the Life

Monday, August 30, 2010 by Bryan Povlinski

With school now back in session we're quickly approaching the fall recruiting season. It's an exciting (and somewhat stressful) time for college seniors as they look to secure jobs after graduation. It's also an exciting time for Orr Fellows because we'll be back on campus over the next couple months trying to bring some of the best and brightest in Indiana into our program.

The biggest question that I had through the entire recruiting process when I was looking for entrepreneurial job opportunities in Indiana was - What will I be doing on a daily basis? What kinds of responsibilities will I have and what kinds of things will I need to get done?

8:15-9:00 - Check web analytics
I manage all of the marketing analytics for our corporate web site as well as the 2 ecommerce sites that we run. When I get in on Monday morning I check through the stats from the past week and make a note of any major events or abnormalities. For our corporate site I take a look at all of the networks that Google Analytics has listed as accessing our site and parse those down to actual prospects for our sales team.

9:00-9:30 Make changes to pay-per-click campaign
Through the analytics I can see how our pay-per-click campaigns have been performing for our ecommerce sites. We just recently started a new campaign and it needs to be constantly monitored and improved. Today I tweaked a few of the under-performing ads to see if we can improve our campaigns and drive more targeted visitors to our site.

9:30 - 11:00 Begin drafting requirements for enhancements in new software release
Fifth Gear provides services to companies who sell goods online - so order fulfillment, ecommerce software, and marketing services are our specialty. A big part of that is constantly improving our ecommerce/order management software. All of our clients run their businesses on this software, as well as our warehouse so it is important that we keep it updated. I am a quasi project manager that acts as a facilitator between our software development team in India and our warehouse and operations team in Missouri. I spent some time this morning writing out the requirements for 2 new enhancements in our software platform

11:00 - 11:30 Send emails to our development team in India
To make sure everyone is on the same page I'm often communicating with our team in India to see if they need any additional information to complete their software development work and also to check on the status of projects in motion to see when we can schedule our next meeting to discuss new enhancements

11:30 - 1:00 Lunch with a local business owner
Although this particular lunch had more to do with my own personal networking than the Orr Fellowship many Orr Fellows will set up lunch meetings with others involved in the program or other business people in the community. It's a great way to expand your network and to find more growth opportunities

1:00 - 2:00 Continue drafting requirements documents
Spent some more time getting the requirements finished up. We're working on incorporating an exchange rate API into our software with the addition of an international client and also working on simplifying our order import process.

2:00 - 3:00 Systems/Operations team meeting
We have a weekly meeting to discuss all of the different projects going on within our team, and we get updates on what might be coming up next.

3:00 - 4:00 Miscellaneous Planning and Email
I wanted to make sure I kept a few smaller projects moving and that required sending emails and talking with a few people around the office. I scheduled a meeting with a new liquidation client that will be selling goods on one of our ecommerce sites, talked with a manager about next steps in the financial analysis that I prepared on one of our sites, and sent emails to set up a meeting with development team on an upcoming enhancement

4:00-5:30 Write blog post and prepare for career workshop
It's not every day that I spend time working on Orr Fellowship activities, but today I spent the end of my afternoon writing this blog post and preparing for our career planning workshop that I'm organizing in 2 weeks.

So that's my day in a nutshell, and the best part about working for a high growth start-up is that it will likely be completely different tomorrow. I have a few recurring responsibilities, but projects and priorities can change quickly and I always have to be ready for the next thing that might be thrown my way. It's also likely that my day looks almost nothing like some of the other Orr Fellows. Some people might be working in finance or going out on sales calls so our experiences at different companies might be completely different.

For those of you interested in joining the Orr Fellowship I hope that gives you a better idea of some potential day-to-day tasks, but don't be afraid to press any of us to hear different perspectives.