About

IronGiving: Fortify Your Business

As I thought about what to name this blog, I looked for a source of inspiration.  Choosing a name is often a personal exercise that draws upon some source of authentic motivation.  For me, that source is my dad.   I know, I know, this may sound a bit hokey but here is some background on why I have such deep respect for my father and how that has shaped my approach to life.

My dad, a polish immigrant who my brothers and I nicknamed “Zelazo” (polish for “Iron”), embodied what I think of as the spirit of “Iron” in his own life.   Born during the Depression and WWII era, my father developed an unflappable resolve to achieve his objectives  and an optimistic disposition that helped him overcome life threatening obstacles.  For instance, he survived work camps in Siberia and refugee camps in Tanzania as a young boy during WWII.  He then bootstrapped his career as an assistant cook on an oil tanker at the age of 18 and taught himself mechanical and electrical engineering skills to eventual rise to chief engineer on super tankers.  After 47 years of sailing the global seas, he then retired and successfully beat two bouts of cancer and again overcame incredible odds.  During all of this, he remained the most up beat, unflappable, positive person I know.  To me, the word “Iron” is a metaphor for these qualities of perseverence, strength and optimism.   

In my current job as an institutional investor (and former venture capitalist as well as entrepreneur), I enjoy finding this spirit of Iron in many of the fund managers, startup founders and executives I’ve had the privilege of working with.  This leads me to the mission for this blog.  As I researched domain names that included the word Iron, the term “IronGiving” jumped out to me.  It stood out as it sometimes is used to describe specific iron rich foods that can help fortify your diet (after all, it is a dietary necessity).  

Just as my father fortified those around him with his spirit of Iron, my goal with this blog is to occassionally share my thoughts about investing and innovation in a way that hopefully can help others fortify their business (or at least provide for an interesting read!).  I hope you as the reader find my commentary as irongiving food for thought in whatever your profession may be.  Thanks for stopping by!

More about me on my employer’s team page and my LinkedIn profile.  You can also follow my occassional (and boring!) tweets on Twitter at @jimtybur.

Disclaimer: The views posted on this blog are strictly that of my own and not affiliated in any way with my employer.