John Exley in a snapshot: I love God, my family, & my friends more than anything in the world. In three words, I am: loyal, compassionate, and dedicated. I think my background is somewhat unique: I was homeschooled by my mom until the 10th grade, am a born-again Christian, and grew up in the small town of Bristol, NY but spent much of my teenage years playing basketball in Rochester’s inner city. I love building relationships and learning!

Meanwhile, I am an ‘Interdisciplinary Engineering & Management’ student at Clarkson University in northern New York. I was President of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization at Clarkson for 3 semesters, and I loved every second of it. As President, I helped organize Clarkson’s first ever Elevator Pitch competition (author and serial entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz gave the keynote address). I also spoke on several panels at the National CEO Conference in Chicago during my junior year.

During the spring 2010 semester I studied abroad in Singapore at National University. This fall I will be studying ‘International Business & Trade’ at American University as part of the ‘Washington Semester Program’. I very much enjoy going to conferences (mostly centered on entrepreneurship, technology, and the Internet) and am obsessed with startups, technology, and fashion.

I am very passionate about entrepreneurship and I aspire to build a business before I am 30 years old that creates value and is sustainable while providing an avenue whereby I might help the friends and family I care so deeply for. Since I was little, it has been a dream of mine to attend law school – so I may pursue a JD+MBA one day as well.

My personality is founded on my love for helping people: I love connecting with people and having unforgettable experiences with the people I love! God is my foundation, relationships are the center of my happiness, coffee can be my fuel, technology is my muse, traveling = my source of discovery, fashion is my self-expression, and helping others is my cup of tea.

With this blog, I hope to share what I am learning with the world. I have been blessed to take part in some incredible experiences (i.e. studying abroad in Singapore, etc.) and have decided that interviewing people who I am fortunate to meet is a way to share what I learn, through others, with you. “The X Factor” plays a crucial role in every success story; I hope I am able to help you discover “The X Factor” of your journey as you pursue your dreams.