On this episode of the Business Beat, Jeff talks with Colin McMahon, StartupNation’s new chief operating officer, about content, counsel and community.
Tune in below to listen to the conversation:
Tune in to News/Talk 760 AM WJR weekday mornings at 7:11 a.m. for the WJR Business Beat. Listeners outside of the Detroit area can listen live HERE.
Are you an entrepreneur with a great story to share? If so, contact us at [email protected] and we’ll feature you on an upcoming segment of the WJR Business Beat!
Jeff: Good morning, Paul! This morning, we’ve got a really exciting announcement to make relating to startupnation.com. Colin McMahon, previously the editor in chief of the Chicago Tribune and director of content of all of Tribune Publishing, has joined StartupNation to take the role of chief operating officer and director of content. We’re excited to not only welcome him to StartupNation, but are really looking forward to Colin’s contributions to the broader community at large, too, as it relates to startups, technology and entrepreneurship here, something, as we know, Paul, is fundamental and critical to economic development in our region. Colin, welcome to the team.
Colin: Yeah. I gotta tell you, I’m thrilled to be at StartupNation. You know, it’s working in a space that I really enjoy being around people who are starting their own businesses. I enjoy the energy and the dynamic nature of all that. And you know, for me, this region of Detroit, you know, I think there’s just a lot of like that really hardworking dirt under the fingernails, grit and desire that goes into this community here. And that comes through in the businesses that people start, that comes through in the way that people support one another. And that’s something I wanna be a part of. It’s a mission I’m behind.
Jeff: Colin, this is actually a second career stop for you in Detroit.
Colin: I was an intern at the Free Press and I loved it. I loved living in Detroit. I loved covering the city and being part of those stories. And then from there I went to Chicago and I’ve lived abroad for a number of years, but for me, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, those are places that are home to me.
Jeff: So tell us about the goal, the vision for StartupNation.
Colin: Yeah, so we see StartupNation as a kind of a go-to destination. It’s a place where people can come for, you know, counsel about how to start a business about community with other people who are starting businesses and learning things that they can share. I think that that’s a big part of who we are. And it’s also a place where you can connect with other people or with brands that can help you out. And you can learn about what you need to do to start a business. And we talk about going from dreaming about it, to doing it. And that’s what we’re building StartupNation to be. Now I’m just thrilled to be here. I wanna hear your stories. My ears are open and StartupNation is.
Jeff: So Paul, a real feather in our cap at StartupNation, certainly, but beyond that, it’s really exciting to attract a person of Colin’s caliber right here into our region. I’m Jeff Sloan, founder and CEO of startupnation.com, and that’s today’s Business Beat on the Great Voice of the Great Lakes, WJR.
