Issue 10 - Disrupt by foundingAUSTIN Magazine

ISSUE 10 | DISRUPT

Mission At foundingAUSTIN, we know what success looks like—it looks like the many Austin entrepreneurs who are bringing innovation, solutions, and progress to their industries. Every quarter, we bring readers inspiring stories from these business leaders who have learned lessons the hard way and now want to share them with you. These encouraging profiles are combined with capsule introductions to our podcasts and current information for masters and founders who are "in the know" to create a well-rounded resource for all of your entrepreneurial needs.

Deborah Hamilton-Lynne LETTER FROM THE EDITOR When I was growing up, the word “disrupt” had a negative connotation. How many times was someone (usually me) called down for disrupting the class? If you were disruptive it meant you were a little wild and undisciplined, and I have to admit I liked that idea. Somewhere along the way, the meaning of disrupt changed: Disrupter became a buzzword, and being a disrupter became cool (as I always secretly knew it would). Disrupters such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos became famous. Lists of the most successful disrupters were published annually. In this issue, we set out to explore the notion of being and becoming a disrupter with some of Austin’s most successful members of that entrepreneurial breed. Beginning with Louis Black, without whom there would have never been a SXSW or Austin Chronicle, and moving to Jason Ballard, who is about to revolutionize the way we create affordable housing, these innovators saw an opportunity to change the world in ways that others didn’t and were willing, indeed even anxious, to take the risk that would prove them right. As I read their stories, I was inspired by their passion to “think different” and apply that skill to solving a problem, often with a personal connection. Following a double mastectomy, Cherie Mathews was sent home in her husband’s dress shirt and handed safety pins to hold her drains, so she created a shirt that has helped thousands of women and men have dignity as they “heal in comfort.” The shirt is made even more revolutionary by the addition of ELI Technology. Disrupters thrive on challenges, like to be first, and aren’t afraid of failure. In a city where creativity is celebrated, musicians and performers often have a difficult time making a living doing what they love. Shannon Sedwick of Esther’s Follies and Gordy Quist of Band of Heathens thought outside the box and found ways to thrive. In a recent study, when people were asked if they liked change, only 28 percent responded positively. That means disrupters need to persuade the other 72 percent to support their ideas and endeavors. Alejandro Ruelas and Manny Flores of LatinWorks, Cotter Cunningham of RetailMeNot, and Alexis Jones of ProtectHer and I AM THAT GIRL have done just that. The disrupters in this issue have been so successful that the companies, products, and events they created now seem part of the status quo — as if we knew they would come into being all along. But disrupters know that is an illusion. So be thoughtful when you enter the extreme race to disrupt. Be purposeful when you decide which applecart to upset. Be positive when you set out to change the world. Become a disrupter — in the best sense of the word — and we could be telling your story soon. 4

DAN DILLARD Publisher Scruffy-Looking Nerf Herder DEBORAH HAMILTON-LYNNE Editor-in-Chief Oracle of All Things ATX WESTON CARLS Managing Editor He Edits, He Shoots, He Scores LYNN WISE Copy & Social Media Editor Chief Corrections Officer, Y'all LAUREN DILLARD Little Editor Gotham’s Masked Vigilante CONTRIBUTORS Weston Carls Dan Dillard John T. Davis Mason Endres Greg Giannukos Deborah Hamilton-Lynne Leslie Hodge Korey Howell Julia Keim Tim League Rodney Martinez Paige Newton Dylan O’Connor Annie Ray Heather Wagner Reed Shelley Seale Shannon Sedwick Patty Smith Chad Swiatecki Lynn Wise CANINE CONTRIBUTORS Dexter Maggie Sadie Grey Teddy