A couple of weeks ago I went to the Southeast Raleigh Innovation Challenge, a pitch competition designed to get more people thinking about a business they could start, and getting the folks with the best ideas some of the money and support they need to get those businesses going. If today’s guest could give them one piece of advice about making their businesses successful, it might be “take other business leaders out to lunch.” That’s the approach Sepi Saidi used as she built one of the Southeast’s fastest growing engineering firms, SEPI Engineering. During the interview, you’ll hear more about what she’s learned on making a business successful, some thoughts on how to get more women working in STEM fields, and how we might grow more young entrepreneurs. We’ll also talk about how cowboys and the Six Million Dollar Man influenced her growing up in Iran – and you’ll learn at least one word of Farsi.

This installment of First in Future is part of a special TV series produced in collaboration with UNC-TV, and recorded in UNC-TV’s Legislative Studio in downtown Raleigh. Taped segments will air on the North Carolina Channel. Visit www.ncchannel.org/schedule/ for specific airdates.