[quote style=”boxed”]I write in my journal a lot, ideas, inspirations, random thoughts. It helps me to process the massive amount of information that we consume. I also rely on many many people to sound ideas and to collaborate. I’m a firm believer in surrounding myself with people smarter than me. I ask lots of questions and listen.[/quote]
Seth Price is a polymath. He is continually fascinated by process, craft and mastery. A serial entrepreneur and consummate salesman in industries ranging from hospitality and data services to internet security. In his spare time he managed to earn black belts in 3 different martial arts disciplines. His most recent “side” project is TurlyTag, a system of next-generation ID tags that help lost belongings quickly make their way home. Seth was inspired from his work providing data security and identity theft solutions to large companies where losing a laptop and valuable data is a daily occurrence.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a few things right now. I just left a job managing sales and client relations for a niche data security company called IDT911. It was a great experience, but now I am looking for the next challenge. So I have been meeting with lot’s of startups in the data loss prevention space, it’s an area that fascinates me greatly. At the same time, TurlyTag which soft launched in June, has had a fantastic response. We are about to add an insurance component that will help folks in the event of an identity theft and loss. We want to make lost and found easy.
What does your typical day look like?
There is no such thing. I seem to do a lot of problem solving right before I wake up when I am still aware that I am dreaming. Once I get up, I check my email. Have some Quality Time with my wife and family then start on the phone or in meetings. I work long days and make sure I squeeze in a workout even if it’s only 30 minutes. I unwind at night by cooking a late dinner for my wife. She has grown accustomed to eating at 10pm after the kids are asleep. It gives us time to be together after a long day.
What is the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
When I was 13 I had a paper route, which I enjoyed. To make some extra money I searched for a place that would employ a minor. The only thing I could find was picking daffodil bulbs. It’s back breaking work and gave me great compassion for unskilled labor.
3 trends that excite you?
Near Field Communication: With both Apple and Google controlling more of the mobile space, we are soon to have a powered mesh network accessible to the masses. The first use will be payments and reward cards but the possibilities are endless. The network of things is coming soon.
A level playing field: The barriers to entry for bringing an idea to fruition have been reduced greatly. Lower computing and programming costs, crowd sourced design and the ability to test ideas in an open marketplace almost instantly. I spent some time in Providence’s version of the Fab Lab. The tools are available if you know where to look. I see a time when entrepreneurship will be a part of every families life. Not a replacement for traditional employment but an enhancement. We all have ideas, now there are fewer excuses.
The intersection of technology and food. An area where technology has the ability to enhance our day to day lives and the things we eat. I love to cook and have become very fond of some great kitchen gadgets like the sous vide cooker, the Thermomix and cooking with liquid nitrogen. These tools and others are changing the foodservice industry from fast food to fine dining. If you ever wanted to cook like David Bouley, now you have a chance with some better tools.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I write in my journal a lot, ideas, inspirations, random thoughts. It helps me to process the massive amount of information that we consume. I also rely on many many people to sound ideas and to collaborate. I’m a firm believer in surrounding myself with people smarter than me. I ask lots of questions and listen.
What inspires you?
Children, my wife, passion, nature, ideas, craftsmanship, breaking bread, conversation, reading, good food, wine and great coffee.
What is one mistake you’ve made, and what did you learn from it?
Only one? I have made so many mistakes but been fortunate enough to bounce back from all of them. I think my biggest mistake has been in choosing partnerships. Not so much the choice of individual but the contingency planning for their eventual end. In the future. I will have that discussion early and often.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Start, test and fail as soon as possible. You will never get there if you don’t start.
What do you read every day, and why?
I read the New York Times and WSJ fairly religiously. I listen to lot’s of podcasts and internet radio. SmartPlanet, This Week in Tech, Mixergy, HBR Ideacast, NPR, PRI.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read, and why?
I just read Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It’s a classic novel about the battle of Gettysburg. One major battle told form the perspective of the commanders on each side. The opportunities lost, the good ideas ignored and the thousands of people who fought neighbor against neighbor. An illustration of what could happen if the red and blues states took up arms against each other. I also suggest books on tape. I listen to two a month while running, biking or driving. It’s a great way to get extra value out of a monotonous task.
What is your favorite gadget, app or piece of software that helps you every day?
First it would have to be my iPhone. I don’t use an ipad anymore. It turned out to be a third wheel. Not that I won’t use it in the future, I just can’t ditch my laptop yet. As far as apps, one of my favorites is 1Password for encryption. Our phones and laptops are the gateway to our entire life. It would be foolish to leave it unprotected.
Three people we should follow on Twitter, and why?
Anil Dash. @anildash. He’s a great tech blogger who actually knows his stuff. He isn’t always pitching which is a relief.
Michael Bloomberg @mikebloomberg. A Politian who brings entrepreneurial idea to life in the real world.
Cornell West @cornelwest Always thought provoking and talks openly about politics, life, race in a way that few others can.
Who would you love to see interviewed on IdeaMensch?
Jack Templin, founder of BetaSpring and Lockify
When is the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it.
I laugh out loud almost every day. I have four kids and find myself laughing with my wife about their conversations and our responses to them. When my son tells us he got a deal on his eyebrow piercing, we have to laugh. Thank god my wife has a fantastic sense of humor.
Connect :
@sethstuff
Turlytag.com
www.facebook.com/turlytag
[email protected]
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.