Originally from Denver, Colorado, Ben Labra brings 20+ years of experience in management, operations, technology and leadership. An entrepreneur at heart, Ben started a successful IT business at the age of 16 while working the counter at a local KFC restaurant. Over two years, Ben raised enough start-up capital to purchase two franchises by the age of 18. Two years later, he sold both businesses for a strong return and enrolled in college to pursue a degree in information technology and business.
Ben visits with Mitch on the podcast to tell his back story, how he got into the start-up tech business and what his company, Gesture, is all about. You can also watch a video of their discussion on our YouTube Channel.
Immediately following graduation, Ben began a career in finance with Citi as a desk trader and later moved to the risk and compliance department. After 5 years with Citi, Ben made his way into higher education. In 2010, Ben joined the executive team of a large beauty, health and wellness education firm as the Chief Admissions Officer, where he eventually managed 150+ people and held various roles in Admissions, Revenue & Marketing. During this time, he also pursued executive education degrees at Columbia Business School followed by WashU Law School.
After leaving corporate life, Ben returned to his entrepreneurial roots and founded the first LinkedIn for high school students; yondster.com. This afforded Ben experience in coding & software development, startup operations, data science, and technology management. A few years later, realizing that flower & gift delivery is very expensive and the delivery process is extremely slow & unreliable, he and his co-founders created a less expensive, more attractive, faster option to send thoughtful gifts; flowers, wine and more. Think of 1-800-flowers meets Doordash.
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The Accidental Entrepreneur is brought to you by Beinhaker Law, a boutique business & estates legal practice in Clark, NJ. To learn about shared outside general counsel services and how to better protect your business, visit https://beinhakerlaw.com/fractional-gen-counsel/
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Digital Accelerant - the digital business card that generates leads. Get a custom branded digital card with information and links to all your social media, email and other information. Text LAW to 21000 to connect with us and request more details.
Fetch Internet. Fetch Pro is an app that creates a secure and high-speed mobile internet connection for laptops and desktop computers.
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