VentureSpur Entrepreneurial Interview – Renzi Stone

by Kraettli Lawrence Epperson in Startup Philosophy

Here’s the latest entrepreneurial interview from a VentureSpur mentor, Renzi Stone. Renzi is the CEO of Saxum Strategic Communications in Oklahoma City. Saxum is the leading integrated full-service communications firm in the region, and Renzi has interesting things to say.

Mentor Renzi Stone, Chairman and CEO of Saxum, explains the importance of listening and being bold as an entrepreneur.  Check out his full interview with VentureSpur below!

Click here to learn more about Renzi on our mentor page!

What was the most important thing a mentor ever did for you? 

Listen. As an entrepreneur, one of the most difficult things to do is verify ideas, good and bad. The best mentors I have had are good sounding boards who have helped me avoid making dumb decisions.

What do you think an accelerator can do for Oklahoma?

There is a ton of data that shows venture capital in our region, and specifically Oklahoma, is well below average. The irony is how many creative, smart and ambitious people who live in Oklahoma. Besides lack of capital, the lack of resources for entrepreneurs is what holds back the creation of new businesses. That is all changing, thanks in-part to groups like Trailblazer and Venture Spur.

What do you think a mentor can do for a startup? How can a mentor help?

Spend time, spend money and help them avoid doing something stupid.

What kind of technologies and companies do you currently find interesting? 

Obviously the world is flat and is getting flatter every day. Anything that connects previously difficult to connect communities both for social and business interactivity is important.

What is the most important part of a company’s application when applying to an accelerator?

Be bold or don’t apply. Accelerator means faster than normal growth.

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Kraettli Lawrence Epperson

Managing Director at JumpPhase Ventures
This blog is dedicated to providing advice, tools and encouragement from one entrepreneur to another. I want to keep this practical and accessible for the new entrepreneur while also providing enough sophistication and depth to prove useful to the successful serial entrepreneur. My target rests somewhere between the garage and the board room, where the work gets done and the hockey stick emerges.