Diane Hessan is a successful entrepreneur, researcher and author. She is the founder and Chairman of C Space, formerly Communispace, which was the first company to build online communities for market research, and which was ultimately sold to Omnicom. Diane was CEO of the company during 14 years of exponential growth, as C Space worked with hundreds of global brands to gain insight and inspiration from their consumers. A serial entrepreneur, Diane has consolidated all of her investment and advisory work into a new company called Salient Ventures, which helps accelerate the next generation of growth companies in tech. 

In this episode, we get into:

Her real motivation, to become a CEO and leader

When she decided to start a company and build the kind of organization she wanted to work for

What led her to leave a job that she was reasonably happy in

How to come up with your idea and find a problem that matters to you

How her personal need for community identified a white space and business opportunity

One of the most critical skills for entrepreneurs: selling

The most important question: “What’s the worst thing that can happen?”

How to look at failure

The moment of validation for C Space with the Hallmark Idea Exchange

Why loving your customers is gratifying, especially in a BTB business

Why it’s all about your team and finding, keeping and motivating the employees that complement you

How (almost) everyone pivots

The realization that listening is an underrated marketing strategy

Her goal to help five women entrepreneurs a week