About 11|15

 

After spending the 1990s behind the scenes in print production, Michael Buechele learned a little tech and made the jump to online marketing and advertising. He’s spent nearly a decade working in New York City’s Silicon Alley.

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DoubleClick (2000-2004). This is where I was introduced to online business. I learned about Adserving from the company that invented it. I had a few positions over four years, including supporting the DoubleClick adserver (DART), supporting their media network before it was sold, and CRM reporting. I was lucky to work for an amazing manger who gave me the freedom to accomplish my goals the way I saw fit, taught me about the adserving business, and made work fun.

I was influenced by Founder Kevin O’Conner’s entrepreneurial spirit and read his book “The Map of Innovation.” I was surprised and happy to find my thinking process was similar to other successful business leaders I admired. I read as many books on business and leadership that I could find. I took classes and wrote articles. I was thrilled with business and worked in an industry I understood and liked. I decided I was going to start my own business, not sure what or when but I was preparing for the move. Luckily DoubleClick made the decision for me and, due to downsizing, I was shown the door.

The Flatiron in NYC

EBC (2004-2005). My first venture, Elevation Business Coaching, provided consultation to entrepreneurs and helped get them out of the garage. Riding high off my DoubleClick layoff, I took what I had learned and applied it to different industries like mortgage, print publishing, tech support, and retail. I loved every struggling second of it. However, I have to admit I misread the market and could not get a big enough piece of the pie to stay alive. I put my ego aside and decided to fold up shop. I needed to find a JOB (Just Over Broke).

Operative (2005-2007). I was offered a position at Operative within a half hour of speaking with CEO Mike Leo, founder of Avenue A, and when he was with L90 bought the media division from DoubleClick (small world). Operative is a leader in Adserving Operations and software, and certainly a cutting edge start up when I joined. I had the privilege of guiding clients through optimizing online ad operations and generating website revenue. My clients included Cartoon Network, Brightcove, Marvel Comics, National Public Broadcasting, and CBS Radio.

During a holiday party, I met Founder Tony Thielman. We had a forty minute conversation where Thielman sparked my entrepreneurial flame again. At the time, I was no longer in a position where I could effectively lead and the organization had moved away from what I thought it should be doing. I started thinking how can I find freedom and express my entrepreneurial vision while making the world a better place.

It was my time at Operative that convinced me that I have the experience, resources, and industry knowledge needed to succeed with my second start up.

Welcome to 11|15 Media.

The 11|15 Media blog will chronicle my entrepreneurial journey. It will also feature the work of others I respect in different industries. The goal is to bring you perspectives of different online businesses, give you refreshing ideas on leadership, breathe life into your entrepreneurial spark, and have some fun along the way. It’s part life, part art, all business.

11|15 is making money from affiliate marketing, publishing websites that add value to the consumer, SEO, SEM, PPC, Video and whatever is coming next. There is the mass market, there’s cutting edge, and then there’s the lunatic fringe trying the next thing. That’s where we are.

Love what you do.
Help people.
Have fun.
Be creative.
Build community.
Goals begin in the heart.
Leave the world a better place than how you found it.