Kerrin Mitchell is a woman who aligns herself with managers who are mavericks. And, we feel it takes one to know one. As the co-founder of Fluxx, a company by philanthropists for philanthropists, that makes software to manage the grants process for foundations, nonprofits and government agencies, Kerrin is a woman truly making a difference.
Fluxx strives to elevate grantmakers, empower grantseekers and help change the world one grant at a time. The company, which has experienced triple-digit annual growth for the past four years – has a client list that includes Citibank’s Citi Foundation, charity: water, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and even the government of New Zealand, which manages all of its grants through the company’s software. In fact, 7 of the 11 largest foundations globally use Fluxx for their grants process.
“I feel lucky. I think oftentimes the industries people get into don’t have that sense of community that my industry has innately … [we’re] people and service-oriented individuals,” Kerrin says. “I always liked the idea of social enterprise. Then we started getting into it and I realized, ‘Wow, this is a pretty unique and special environment.’ People are really trying to help each other and build something big.”
And Kerrin, who’s been named one of the top 13 female founders by Forbes on its America’s Most Promising Companies list, is one of those women who likes to go big or go home. In episode 10 of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, we speak with Kerrin about co-founding Fluxx in 2010, her formula for building a successful career and the importance of being deliberate with time.
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TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S SHOW:
- On Making A Change: “If I was going to work as hard as I know I work, I wanted to at least do it for something where I felt like at the end of the day I could ground myself in social good.”
- Chapter By Chapter: Kerrin’s thoughts on scaling Fluxx from a handful of employees to more than 70 and how that growth changed the business
- On Personal Fulfillment: “It’s really fun as an entrepreneur to see an idea that was truly just an idea, come to life in front of you and be so enrolled in what it is. But then, being able to actually tell that story and find that the same value that you find that’s important, other people are finding to be [just] as exciting.”
- Maverick Mentorship: “I’ve always aligned myself with someone who I’ve thought is a bit of a maverick who was pushing the envelope.”
- Bucking The Status Quo: “I’ve always aligned myself with someone who’s influential, that I could learn from and I took a role that may not have been the sexiest role of my peers … but I realized if you can align yourself with someone who’s really interesting and challenging the status quo, you can learn a lot more in a very quick matter of time.”
- #ThatCorporateLife: A shout-out to those of us in corporate jobs, Kerrin credits her time at Cisco in giving her the experience to understand how to provide structure and get things done at her growing startup
- Time (For) Travel: How travel grounds Kerrin and affects how she sees the world
- On Women Entrepreneurs: Why empowering future female entrepreneurs might be next up on Kerrin’s career dossier
- Maintainng Motivation: Why – and how – Kerrin schedules “wins” throughout her day-to-day
- On Growing A Company: Kerrin shares her thoughts on why the highs become higher and the lows become lower as a company grows and why you can’t let the lows that do happen “eat you alive”
- Hit ‘Search’: How Google can be an entrepreneur’s best friend
- Hey, Coach: Why Kerrin uses an executive coach to help her become a better leader
- Learn More: fluxx.io