Dough公司首席执行官：机会就在身边，但你得有主见

    克莉斯蒂•罗斯曾在威斯康星州的一所小型文理学院圣•诺伯特大学（St. Norbert College）接受过执业会计师培训。之后，她搬到芝加哥，在金融行业干了二十多年。会计学位似乎不是创业者拥有的典型学位，但是对罗斯而言，她的会计学位发挥了作用，使她在年仅25岁时就成为芝加哥一家商业公司的首席财务官。自那以后，她创办了多家公司，其中包括一家叫做Tastytrade的财经网站（现任网站的总裁）以及最新创办的项目Dough公司（现任公司CEO）。

    Dough公司的自我定位是新兴投资人的投资平台，提供有关贸易的教育内容。公司的使命是利用视频和测验，把复杂的观点简单化，从而教会人们，特别是千禧一代，如何进行明智的投资。现年45岁的罗斯接受了《财富》杂志（ Fortune）的采访。以下为采访内容。

    1.您最钦佩的科技界人士是谁？为什么？

    芝加哥数字创业公司联合工作中心1871的CEO霍华德•塔尔曼。霍华德是非常富有远见的企业家，具备有效和高效行事的能力。他拥有丰富的经验，紧跟时代步伐，而且多才多艺。他掌握的专业知识令人钦佩，但他最大的优点在于，他从未显示出放缓的迹象，而这正是我喜欢的一点。他已为1871制定了雄心勃勃的计划，他对所从事的工作充满热情。他的优点在于他随时准备、而且愿意指导1871的几百位明日之星，与他们分享自己的知识。你擅长自己所从事的工作是一回事儿，但是当你愿意与别人分享你的独特之处时，你就被贴上了优秀的标签。我想霍华德正是如此。

     2. 您赞赏哪些公司？为什么？

    我是好市多（Costco）的热心忠实顾客。我欣赏它的一致性和清晰的信息传递。好市多过去和现在的领导层都知道如何正确地对待前来购物的顾客，为他们提供最佳的体验。

    3. 您对哪个领域的技术最感兴趣？

    当然是移动技术。移动技术在生活中无处不在。它给世界、乃至我们的生活方式带来了重要的影响。它确实使我们的生活变得简单。我利用移动技术完成从家庭到金融，以及工作的所有事情。移动技术的优点是，它让我可以随时随地完成我的工作。我不断追求平衡的生活，而移动技术使我离目标又近了一步。它对生产效率产生了不可思议的影响，提高了成功的机率。我常常用我在24小时内所能完成的工作来衡量我的一天是否成功，所以移动技术是我成功的关键所在。

    4. 您曾收到的最佳建议是什么？

    有几条建议我清楚地记得。其中的一条是，身边到处都是机会，我们不仅得留心，还得有主见。我很快认识到，当机会出现时，需要采取行动，而自己的见解则大有裨益。此外，绝不应该想当然地以为别人一定比你知道的多，也不要以为他们确切地知道你的想法或原因。我想，正是由于人们保持沉默或者想当然，才白白错过了大把大把的机会。

    5. 您希望要处理的下一个大项目是什么？

    向千禧一代介绍投资。我们认为这是一个尚未开发的市场。最近，我们推出了Dough。这款免费的财务应用提供关于投资的逻辑和机械方法，具有极强的可视性。它使复杂的概念简单化。现在，许多公司正在努力进军这个领域，同时也注意到向千禧一代推广时需要克服许多障碍。我们愿意了解克服这些障碍的方法，同时简单的形式提供复杂的事物。我们期待通过Dough实现文化变迁。我们期待在人们对投资的思考方式方面实现文化转型。

    Before Kristi Ross moved to Chicago -- where she has worked for more than 20 years in finance -- she trained to become a certified public accountant at St. Norbert College, a small liberal arts school in Wisconsin. An accounting degree is somewhat atypical for entrepreneurs, but for Ross it added up, propelling her to become chief financial officer of a Chicago trading company when she was just 25 years old. She has since started several companies, including a financial network called Tastytrade (where she is president) and her most recent project, Dough (where she is CEO).

    Dough bills itself as an investing platform that produces educational content about trading for newer investors. The company's mission is to make complex ideas simple by using videos and quizzes to teach people, especially twentysomethings, about how to wisely invest their money. Ross, 45, spoke with Fortune.

     1. Who in technology do you admire most? Why?

    Howard Tullman, the CEO of 1871 [a Chicago startup co-working space]. Howard's an amazing visionary and entrepreneur who shows that he can execute efficiently and effectively. His depth of experience runs deep. He's plugged in and clearly well-rounded. His expertise is admirable, and the best part is that he shows no sign of slowing down, which I love to see. He's already rolling out aggressive plans for 1871, and he has a passion for what he does. The best part is that he's poised and willing to mentor and share that knowledge with hundreds of future stars of 1871. It's one thing to be great at what you do, but when you're willing to share what differentiates you, you become labeled as exceptional, which I think Howard is.

    2. Which companies do you admire? Why?

    I'm an avid and loyal customer of Costco. I admire Costco for its consistency and clear messaging. Costco's past and present leadership understands being right in the stores with customers and providing the best experience.

    3. Which area of technology excites you most?

    Absolutely anything mobile. On-the-go technology is near and dear to me. It has such an impact on the world and how we live. It truly makes my life easier. I tend to my perpetual list of things to do all the way from family to finances to work, and the best part is that I can do it any time of the day, anywhere. I'm constantly striving for some sense of a balanced life, and mobile technology helps me get closer to that. It's had an incredible impact on productivity and increases the probability of success. I often measure the success of my day on what I'm able to accomplish in a 24-hour period, so anything mobile is my key to doing that.

    4. What is the best advice you ever received?

    There are a couple of things that really stick out in my mind. One is that opportunity is all around you, so you should pay attention, but also you should have an opinion. I realized quickly that you have to sit up and take action when opportunity presents itself, and having an opinion on something goes a long way. You should also never assume that someone knows more than you or that they know exactly what you're thinking or why. I think that a lot of opportunities are missed because people are silent or they make assumptions.

     5. What's the next big project you want to tackle?

    Introducing investing to millennials. We feel that's an incredibly untapped market. We've recently launched Dough, and it's a free financial app that provides a logical, mechanical approach to investing. The app itself is highly visual. It makes a complex concept simple. There are a number of firms that are trying to do this now that have realized that there are multiple hurdles to overcome when marketing to this demographic. We are prepared to know how to get over those hurdles and present something that is complex in a simple form. We expect a change of culture with Dough. We expect a change of culture in how people think about investing.