Entrepreneurship runs in the family for Darren Leno. His grandparents and parents are business owners, and with their encouragement, he started his own entrepreneurial ventures at a young age. In college he started a video production company that produced award winning TV commercials. After that was sold, he worked for a startup that put phones and Internet into commercial airliners, and later jumped aboard with Great Plains Software as a project manager.

“When I wasn’t working on my own projects, I have always gravitated toward working with other entrepreneurs,” he said. “I think the entrepreneurial lifestyle and culture has always been very familiar and a natural fit for me.”

Leno continued after the acquisition to work with Microsoft for another 9 years, before venturing back into the entrepreneurial field. Now, he serves as the CEO for Lockbin, an e-mail encryption company, and the President of Encryptomatic LLC, a software solution that allows users to encrypt e-mails with Microsoft Outlook.

“I wanted to build a company that solved some specific problems with software, while also giving me more control over my personal time, enabling me to travel less and spend more time at home with my small kids,” said Leno, who is a father of three.

Being a software product manager was the perfect role lead-in to launching a tech startup, Leno said. Working with everyone from marketing to legal operations prepares you for all aspects of owning a company.

Of course, no matter how prepared you are an entrepreneur, there are still hurdles to jump.

“In the beginning the biggest hurdle was recruiting the best people I could,” he said. “Today, it’s retaining the best people.  If you want to micromanage workers and have them perform rote chores, then there are plenty of honest people to choose from. But finding people who are thinkers, problem solvers who will take action, and  who will work proactively to make things better, those people are gold.”

Now, Encryptomatic is a 10 year old company serving clients globally, based out of Northern Minnesota. Their vision, as state on their website, is to create “a safe world where everyone enjoys the freedom to communicate freely and securely.”

One of the main things Leno prides himself on with Encryptomatic, is something quite simple.

“We answer the phone,” he said. “It seems that hardly anyone answers the phone any more, but my customers love it when they call and reach a human being. I just had a call a few minutes ago from a man who said, ‘I wanted to make sure there were real people before I bought.'”

This Wednesday at 1 Million Cups, Leno will share more about Encryptomatic and what it’s like to run a startup that’s not so young anymore. Here’s a few more get-to-know you questions about Darren Leno.

Darren Leno: Entrepreneur & Mocha Latte Addict

1. What is a book that has inspired you and why?

I recently finished Neal Stephenson’s novel Cryptonomicon. It had been on my reading list for a long time, and I finally took it up. The attention to detail he brings to his historical characters is astounding. Artists who can work on that level are inspiring. For years now, I’ve also been a loyal reader of anything from Seth Godin. His daily posts often deliver the perfect bit of wisdom to me at the perfect time. It’s eerie.

2. What is your ultimate energy pick-me-up?

I have a Mocha Latte addiction. Bass fishing, running with my wife, or walking down a cool forested trail are my favorite ways to unwind.

3. What is one of the most interesting places you have traveled?

I once spoke at a Microsoft conference in Cartagena, a beautiful old colonial city and a UNESCO world heritage site, in Columbia. My time there was short and I have always felt that I left many things there undiscovered. Someday I’d like to go back and finish that trip.

 

Thanks Darren! Come see Darren and Andy Dalman from Protostehtics at 1 Million Cups this Wednesday, 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM at the Stage at Island Park.