Summary

Jeff Wilkins is an extraordinary business leader, speaker, and all around individual. We talk with him about his journey creating one of the most monumental companies not only in Columbus history, but in the history of the internet. Jeff also shares with us his thoughts on success in life and living a healthy, meaningful life.

Show MileMarkers:

00:00 – Introduction and bio overview
02:35 – Childhood, interest in learning, and communicating with radio operators around the world
05:00 – Jeff considers the space program, his fascination with things that fly, and a homemade rocket flight gone wrong
08:30 – Jeff’s first business cornering the local swimming pool snack market
09:45 – Jeff’s encouragement for an entrepreneurial life
11:00 – Being a student of behavior, being willing to ask questions
12:30 – Jeff’s college journey and his fraternity brother, Harrison Ford
13:20 – Jeff starts his alarm company
16:00 – From the alarm company to CompuServe
19:30 – What’s the difference between an analog and digital computer?
21:00 – The beginning of CompuServe
23:00 – The Hunger Index
24:00 – Overcoming obstacles and a John Goltz story
28:00 – Jumping ahead a little “Why did you ever decide to leave CompuServe with all the success you were having?”
32:35 – How did CompuServe do so well at driving innovation and come up with so many different “firsts” in the world of the internet?
36:00 – The Columbus Dispatch becomes the first electronic newspaper to ever go live in the world, and then the rest follow
40:00 – The deal that helped propel CompuServe to major success
44:00 – What stories about your own life do you have for our audience that you think would help them the most?
48:00 – What makes Columbus so great? and Jeff’s friend, Dave Thomas
50:00 – Jeff’s experience with the Young President’s Organization
54:00 – Work/Life balance and Jeff’s experience with Stephen Covey
56:30 – Closing Remarks

Links:

GoFMX.com
Internet History Podcast | From Netscape To The iPad
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