Joseph Vessecchia

Learn how to listen and really understand other perspectives.

 

Joseph C. Vessecchia was born at Montefiore hospital in the Bronx, New York in 1991. After a few years of living in the city, he moved to Chappaqua, New York–about 45 minutes from Manhattan with his parents. He also has a little sister who he loves very dearly.

Joseph enjoyed academics, all different sports, and hanging out with friends and family growing up. After attending Horace Greeley High School, Joseph Vessecchia went to the University of Michigan where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Outside of school, Joseph enjoyed volunteer coaching at the Ann Arbor YMCA, his community service fraternity, and teaching religion at Saint Mary’s Student Parish. He was also part of the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club where he was a tenor 2.

Today, Joseph Vessecchia works at a Private Equity-backed technology company selling software as a successful Account Executive at Quick Base.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

A group of young adults had attended a “Life in the Spirit” seminar hosted by Frank Kelly at Saint Clement’s Eucharistic Shrine in the Back Bay of Boston. After much prayer and discernment, a friend and I decided to recruit people who we thought would enjoy a weekly prayer meeting. The group has been growing strong for a couple years now since that seminar.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I wake up in the morning and go to 7am mass at my local church. After church, I go straight to work and head directly for the coffee machine. Next, I fuel with some fruit and protein and start my day at my desk.
Usually I spend the first 15 minutes of the morning drinking coffee and planning out every hour on my Outlook calendar–not a minute goes to waste. After completing my morning tasks, I hit the gym for 30 minutes to reinvigorate myself for the afternoon and eat lunch at my desk. Lastly, I finish the day strong with client meetings, calls and helping out others in the office when I can.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I bring ideas to life usually when I run on the treadmill or outside. I find my mind is like a clean slate then, and I can really find peace when I hear only my heart beating. This time is also great because I can completely unplug from technology and “unplug” for a bit.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I love the cloud technology movement. It is making the information technology space more agile, flexible, and easy for consumers and end-users alike. Not only that, it presents a great opportunity for salespersons to help laggards take their first steps forward in technology transformation, resulting in a large positive impact on an organization from a ROI perspective for years to come.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I’m able to function on very little sleep, I’m intellectually curious, and I’m impervious to denial at this point in my career. Not sleeping much allows you to simply accomplish more, questions fuel personal and professional growth, and letting denial roll off your back are all crucial to moving forward and being productive.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Do not be so hard on yourself. Perfection does not exist and allowing yourself to fail is the best gift you can give yourself. Failure = learning. I took failure pretty hard when I was younger, and I wish I had seen the tremendous growth opportunity at the time of those failures.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

In the spirit of full transparency, I do not like this question.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I believe it is incredibly important to read at least one book a week. I also believe it is crucial to learn how to listen and really understand other perspectives. I know it sounds a bit trite, but there truly are many people in this world who have amazing/different ideas and ways of looking at things that we can all benefit from. Be open not only mentally, but with your heart as well.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

First and foremost, there have been lots of strategies I’ve implemented in my career that have helped me grow. I think the biggest would be the importance of understanding your audience and who you are really trying to appeal to. It does no good to focus on folks who are not going to be receptive or need what you are trying to sell.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

There have been a good amount of failures, but I think the true mark of a person is getting back up when you fall. There are going to be obstacles–you have to accept that going into the process. It is really a game of mental toughness at the end of the day. Long story short, I cannot point to a single one as it would be injustice to the others.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I think there is a lot of money to be made by helping companies advertise–whether that be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.–there is a wonderful opportunity there.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

The best $100 I spent went into my 401k and my stock portfolio.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I like Evernote because it keeps all of my notes extremely organized. Everything from personal notes to notes I take in the office.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

A classic book that everyone should read is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It is an absolute classic.

What is your favorite quote?

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss

Key Learnings:

• I don’t like to talk about myself
• Anything difficult takes time and effort
• Always, always, always be yourself when starting any endeavor

Connect: