Smash Notes
Jonathan Sposato challenges the meaning of the American Dream.

Geek at Sea

Jonathan Sposato challenges the meaning of the American Dream.

Jonathan Sposato is a Seattle entrepreneur, investors, and a community activist. He is a chairman of Geekwire.com and Picmonkey.com We talk about his childhood and what it was like to be growing up in a mixed family, in a time and place when that was definitely not the norm, and how that shaped his life and his outlook on the future. We talk about…

People

Notes

  1. What Was Jonathan Sposato's Early Childhood Like at 1:00

    Jonathan was born in London to a Chinese mom and a Korean dad. Due to circumstances, his mom ended up raising him on her own. Full answer

  2. How Did It Feel to Be Living in Hong-Kong as a Little Boy at 3:00

    Even though Jonathan did not speak Cantonese, nor did he really know much about Hong-Kong or his grandparents, he says it was a fantastic experience. Full answer

  3. How Can We All Live Better Together at 3:30

    Jonathan Sposato wrote a book about this called Better Together , in which he talks about gender and how we can do better in the business by having more women… Full answer

  4. How Did Luck Change Sposato's Perspective on Life at 6:11

    Having some luck in life enabled Jonathan to feel very grateful for what he already has, while giving him grounding to not take things for granted and to… Full answer

  5. What Was Life Like for Early Microsoft Millionnaires at 8:58

    Microsoft taught their employees to be great engineers and managers, and marketers and strategists and technologists, but very few had any kind of mentoring… Full answer

  6. Did Jonathan Sposato See His Mom While in Hong Kong? at 10:21

    Jonathan says he knew he had a mom, that she lived in New York, and that she would send back money and Christmas presents, but he did not actually see her for… Full answer

  7. How Did Sposato Get His Italian Last Name at 14:11

    Jonathan's mom married Dawn Sposato, who subsequently adopted Jonathan as his son, and to honor that gesture Jonathan is keeping with his Italian last name. Full answer

  8. What Was It Like Growing Up in a Small American Town at 14:24

    When Jonathan arrived back to the US, after more than six years abroad, his parents made an effort to make sure he felt welcomed. Full answer

  9. Does Jonathan Sposato Tell His Kids to Hit a Bully Back? at 16:59

    Jonathan Sposato told Geek at Sea he does not condone fighting, but he has told his son that if another child hurts him physically, he should punch back. Full answer

  10. What Does Jonathan Sposato Want When Another Kid Is Bullied? at 20:31

    Jonathan Sposato told Geek at Sea that the lesson he wants most is for a child to stand up for other people, not only for himself. Full answer

  11. How Does Jonathan Sposato Explain Consent and Bullying to Kids? at 22:31

    Jonathan Sposato told Geek at Sea that children can hear adult subjects if you bring the words down to their level. Full answer

  12. What American Dream Does Jonathan Sposato Want for Holden? at 28:09

    Jonathan Sposato told Geek at Sea he bristles at lining up his son Holden's first job, then first and last month's rent, then a down payment. Full answer

  13. What Are the Top Qualities of a Successful Entrepreneur at 30:54

    Decisiveness (or stupidity) and the ability to move fast without fretting over decisions. Full answer

  14. How Is a Startup Founder Unlike a Big Company Employee? at 32:54

    Big companies are set up to optimize individual's performance. Full answer

  15. Asian Households Are Notorious for Showing Lack of Emotion. How Will Jonathan Raise His Son at 35:59

    Affection is important. Whether you use words of affection or acts of kindness, your kids need to know that. Full answer

  16. What Are the Top 3 Things to Do as a Successful Entrepreneur at 38:41

    Take risks. Have self-awareness. Stay in the growth mindset. Full answer

  17. How Did Jonathan Take a Risk and Apply Growth Mindset When Starting Geekwire at 42:02

    Starting a media company in Seattle was not an obvious startup, but it felt right. Full answer

Related notes

Related episodes

Plays from this note through the rest of the episode.

Note

Weekly highlights

One letter a week.

The notes worth hearing, with the minute they were said.