Experts in the Industry: Mukund Mohan (26 of 45)

You know that I have to REALLY like Mukund Mohan, co-founder of BuzzGain, to do two posts (here's the other) about him in one day. It doesn't hurt that he's been one of the most influential and helpful people in my social media career -- introducing me to people like Shel Israel, Ross Mayfield and Sam Lawrence. What I like most about Mukund is the fact that in spite of having launched four successful startups and knowing a zillion people in the online/social space, he's still one of the most humble guys I know.

With that as our backdrop, let's see how Mukund answered the five questions from the Experts in the Industry series:

In one sentence, please describe what you do and why you’re good at it.

I am the CEO of BuzzGain, a company that empowers individual and organizations to Do It Yourself PR. I have a passion for taking ideas from the stage of conception to market adoption, which is why this is the perfect role for me.

How did you get into the world of online community, social media or social marketing?

I have been blogging about communities and social networks for over 5 years now, after first learning about LinkedIn, which was my first introduction to social marketing back in 2002.

 

If you had $10 million to invest in one company and one company only based on their use of “social,” which company would it be and why?

I have invested in BuzzGain myself, so any more money would go into it without doubt. The reason is we are creating a scalable, defined and measurable way to find, learn about and engage with influencers in the media (social and mainstream). This is the one area of growth in the next few years, so I am sure the investment would be returned multiple-fold.

 

Which business leader, politician or public figure do you most respect?

Gandhi. He's also on my twitter profile image. I admire his ability to persist through obstacles, adopt unconventional means to achieve goals and stay true to his ideals.

Would you join a toothpaste community? Why?

If my friends hang out there and discuss more than just toothpaste, sure. I am not very particular about the where as much as who. Keeping up with, discussing and collaborating with friends and colleagues is more important than where we do it for me.

 

Freeform – here’s where you can riff on anyone or anything – good or bad. Or just share a pearl of wisdom.

I have this quote that I read daily. It's by David Packard. “You shouldn't gloat about anything you've done; you ought to keep going and find something better to do.”