Member Profile – Willy Franzen
Posted in Profiles | August 2nd, 2011
Meet Willy Franzen
What do you do for a living?
I help college students find exciting entry level jobs and internships. I am the Founder of One Day, One Job and One Day, One Internship. Every day each site features a new employer. We write about what the company or organization does, who they are, why they’re interesting, and what kind of entry level jobs or internships they have.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I absolutely love fly fishing. I do it as often as I can. Unfortunately, Chicago isn’t the best location for a fly fisherman. Since I can’t escape to Michigan to go fishing as often as I’d like to, I’ve picked up both beach and indoor volleyball. I also enjoy grilling, reading, and watching the Yankees. I also want to start a startup softball team for Chicago entrepreneurs, but I haven’t made much progress with that yet.
Why do you come to Jelly?
Sean Johnson bribes me with pie, but never delivers. I keep falling for it. Jelly gives me a reason to get out of the house, and it gives me access to some really smart, talented people to bounce ideas off of. I typically get less done on Jelly days, but I often make big creative breakthroughs. I also get some great advice on specific topics from subject matter experts on things like design, web development, and marketing.
How would you describe Jelly to someone who’s never been there before?
Jelly is different every time. It’s all about who shows up and what you’re working on that day. You can really make out of it what you want. It’s all about interaction with interesting people who will give you new perspectives.
How has Jelly helped your career?
Jelly has helped me meet a lot of new people in the Chicago area. I started coming soon after I moved to Chicago, and it’s really opened me up to making new connections and finding interesting people who might be potential business partners.
It reminds me of Café Guerbois, where the Impressionists hung out in the late 1800′s. It’s just a bunch of renegades sharing ideas and helping each other out. I like to think of it like: we’re all invested in each other’s businesses, but without the messy paperwork. Each individual success is a group success.