Jamie Beasley, Latino Program Director, Mountain BizWorks
Since 2007, Jamie Beasley has helped entrepreneurs through Mountain BizWorks, where he currently serves as Latino program director. The Asheville-based organization is a certified non-profit community development financial institution (CDFI). Mountain BizWorks’ mission is to help small businesses succeed in Western North Carolina, with an emphasis on lending, consulting, training and investing.
Describe your background.
I am originally from Ethiopia and I moved to US when I was 13. I studied Biological Science in College but after graduation I was not interested in working in a lab so I got a job at E*Trade financial.
What made you decide to enter into the banking industry?
Once I started working at E*Trade in Finance I enjoyed the atmosphere dealing with people and helping in all aspect of the Market.
Question
I see that you started out as a farm partner. How did you get from that position to where you are now?
I grew up on a dairy farm in New York. After attending Cornell, my first job was working for the federal government for what is now called Rural Development in at a farm loan program. The family farm expanded and I went back and worked there. Things didn’t work out quite the way I thought they would. So then I got into banking, specifically ag lending. New York State is one of the leading dairy producers in the country. Agriculture is a big banking business in New York because farms are so capital intensive. From there I went across to a local bank and became more involved in commercial and small business lending.
Question
Brad Feld is a top venture capitalist. He founded Intensity Ventures, and co-founded Mobius Venture Capital, TechStars, and Foundry Group. Companies he has invested in include: Harmonix, Zynga, CrowdTap, Cheezburger, CloudAbility, and awe.sm. A more detailed portfolio and biography can be found at foundrygroup.com.
Mr. Feld is also an entrepreneur, author, and marathon runner. He is a nationally recognized speaker, chair of the National Center for Women & Information Technology, co-chair of Startup Colorado, and he is on the board of UP Global. The VC also authors several popular blogs: Feld Thoughts, Startup Revolution, and Ask the VC. His most recent publication is Startup Life: Surviving and Thriving in a Relationship with an Entrepreneur, which came out earlier this year. Mr. Feld is known for speaking his mind, and being very generous in answering all of his emails. The following is my interview with Mr. Feld.
