TheBridge profile: Amy Millman

Name: Amy Millman

Current city: Washington, DC

Current job: President & Co-Founder, Springboard 2000 Enterprises Inc

Past job: National Women's Business Council

Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? Black Coffee

Q. Describe how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your current job. I was a lobbyist for the tobacco industry for many years. Taught me volumes about integrity, influence and the importance of building relationships. Never burn bridges. Always go out of your way to help others when you can make a connection. There are no enemies, just temporary adversaries. And It's always about what the other side, person, entity needs to know or needs to have when you are selling your product, service or ideas.

Q. Job advice in three words? Always Show Up

Q. How are you (or your company, org, nonprofit) currently bridging the gap between innovation and regulation? We are a non profit with an interest in how the government understands and supports the innovators. We support legislative initiatives and introduce our women entrepreneurs to their members of Congress. One of the Springboard alumnae is a member of Congress from the 1st District of Washington State - Suzan DelBene. Other of our alumnae have run for and are members of state legislatures, city and county governments, and other commissions and councils that set standards and produce policy reports and recommendations.

Q. Why are you part of TheBridge community? Advocacy and Communication are paramount if policy makers and law makers are to appreciate the importance of the technology transformation that is happening globally at the grass roots level.

Q. What can innovators learn from policymakers? Understanding that there are hundreds of issues policymakers juggle every day and in order to get their attention (just like pitching to an investor), you need to communicate why your position is important enough for the greater population to need a solution. It's all about the potential impact.

Q. What can policymakers learn from innovators? Our government still adopts a laissez faire attitude toward innovation and USA investment in an infrastructure that not only supports entrepreneurial ventures but incentivizes them is sorely lacking. Not so in other countries and by ignoring this, we stand to lose our position in the global economy as the country of entrepreneurship.

Q. Favorite book/podcast/long-form article you recommend? Joanne Wilson's Gotham Gal blog post and Sukhinder Singh's interview in the NYTimes some years ago:

Q. Piece of advice you’re still trying to master? Patience

Q. Most underrated virtue in an employee? Retrieval skills

Q. Best advice you’ve received? You are not without your resources

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