Erin Patten is the acting Co-CEO of DāO Detroit, a large haircare company based out of Detroit, Michigan, and CMO at Potencity, a recruiting platform for high potential diverse professionals. As a seasoned entrepreneur globally, Erin first gained her knowledge from the joint degree MBA/MPP program at Harvard’s Business School and Kennedy School, while spending her summers working at an accelerator in Rio de Janeiro and at Shinola in Detroit.
We caught up with Erin for a Q&A into her business and worldviews about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and what people should know…
What were your original motivations for becoming an entrepreneur?
From a very young age, my father would often advise me that the best way to build wealth for myself and family is to be an entrepreneur. As a college student, I had a strong desire to strike out on my own, yet harbored a healthy fear of not having enough experience, resources, or access. Fast forward a few years, I realized the daily 9-5 grind wasn’t getting me where I wanted to be financially, professionally, or spiritually. I wanted to own my destiny and truly occupy a space where my creativity, skills, and full-identity are valued and accepted. These became my motivations for becoming an entrepreneur. The freedom that comes with this journey is liberating, yet at the same time laden with lots of responsibility. I’m learning how to manage this balance to this day.
What were the top three “real-world” lessons you took away after your studies at the joint MBA/MPP program at Harvard’s Business School and Kennedy School?
Be yourself. At any elite institution, it’s really easy to get sucked into the culture of high-performance, competition,
