Every day, I get a solid seven hours of sleep and 45 minutes of interval exercise. Those things, plus some daily introspection and gratitude, put me in the right headspace.
Judy Hackett serves as CMO of Emerging Businesses at Dun & Bradstreet. Dun & Bradstreet has the largest commercial database in the world and helps customers build smart relationships by uncovering truth and meaning from data. B2B solutions include sales and marketing, trade credit and supply chain management.
Hackett has more than 25 years of experience in consumer and B2B strategic planning, marketing, advertising, brand development, and product management. She was previously CMO at Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., which merged with Dun & Bradstreet in 2015. Prior to Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., Hackett was CMO at Web.com. She also served as CMO at CareerBuilder, where she led consumer marketing, corporate communications, and product development. Prior to CareerBuilder, Hackett was senior vice president of marketing and communications at Headhunter.net and helped take the company public in 1999. Hackett also spent time in television as senior vice president of marketing and advertising at TBS.
Hackett has received numerous industry awards, including an Emmy, an Addy, a PRSA Phoenix Award, and a Promax/BPME Gold Medallion. She graduated from Kent State University with a B.A. in journalism.
What does your typical day look like, and how do you make it productive?
I’m a master of multitasking. Each morning, I hit the ground running with a quick workout and a hot cup of coffee. On my way to the office, I knock out East Coast calls.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Nobody brings ideas to life alone. You can dream big ideas all day, but without team buy-in, they’re not going anywhere. To get others on board, I pitch passionately and roll up my sleeves.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Automation and the Internet of Things will change our lives in unimaginable ways. I’m excited for this, but I’m also afraid. These technologies could destroy jobs and personal privacy. On the upside, automation will help entrepreneurs specialize like never before.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Every day, I get a solid seven hours of sleep and 45 minutes of interval exercise. Those things, plus some daily introspection and gratitude, put me in the right headspace.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I wish I’d built a global business and traveled more. Those things bring a broad perspective that’s hard to find when you’re young. Unfortunately, they get a lot tougher after you start a family.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on?
Money isn’t everything. Most entrepreneurs spend too much time thinking about the money they’ll make when they exit.
If you’re going to chase money, do it for your stakeholders. Start by building a strong financial and cultural bedrock. When times get tough — and they will — a loyal team is less likely to ditch you.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Have courage. You have to be passionate in the face of failure, or you’ll never get that big win.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
A few years ago, I invested in some early-stage companies. They looked promising on paper, but I saw a lack of leadership at the top.
I thought I could steer them in the right direction, but as you might guess, I didn’t win that battle. Before investing or joining a business, be sure you have faith in its leaders.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I bought a sleek raincoat from Montréal-based Lolë when I visited Santa Barbara, California, last month. Since my return to Los Angeles, it hasn’t stopped raining!
Maybe I need to purchase a beach towel and sunscreen next. I miss those sunny, warm California days!
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
The novelty will probably wear off, but I’m in love with Amazon’s Alexa. With just a voice command, it’ll queue music, read recipes, and answer questions. I haven’t connected it to my home electronics yet, but I will soon.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read, and why?
Two books I’m reading right now are rocking my world. The first is Jeremy Rifkin’s “The Zero Marginal Cost Society ,” which is about how the IoT is driving us toward an era of nearly free goods and services. That’s creating a global commons and sort of eclipsing capitalism as we know it. It’s an intriguing read, especially for the young entrepreneur. What’ll the role of entrepreneurs be in a society when half our jobs are extinct?
The other one is “Born to Run ” by Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen is the ultimate entrepreneur. He had few mentors, but his passion and work ethic were unmatched. His story blew me away.
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Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.