Sean Newman Maroni

CEO of Betabox Learning

(Forbes 30 Under 30)

26 May 2019 6 Min Read

Sean Newman Maroni: An Entrepreneur's Passion for Education

Meet Sean Newman Maroni, the founder, and CEO of Betabox Learning, a company that brings hands-on STEM learning experiences to K12 schools and helps support underprivileged students. Because of his passion and hard work on this project, Sean found himself on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 US & Canada 2019: Education list.

Talking background, Sean studied Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina State University. He had a Computer Science internship at NASA Langley Research Center and went on to work at TE Connectivity as a Design Engineer. Before founding Betabox, Sean also co-founded Nest Raleigh, a co-working space for startups and creatives.

A pretty diversified portfolio, wouldn’t you say? Join me in learning Sean’s story and how he grew from an intern to a CEO of an epic company. In addition, he shared his advice on time management skills, thoughts on success, and tips on how to build a company culture in the workplace. So, without further ado, let’s hear from him!

The Logician

Hi Sean, and welcome to this interview! First, thank you for taking the time to do this with me! Do you mind introducing yourself? Who is Sean Newman Maroni? How did you choose the career you have today?

Sean Newman Maroni

Hey! Thanks for inviting me. The roots of my job today go all the way back to when I was an eight-year-old kid.

I’ve always naturally gravitated towards the open space between engineering and entrepreneurship.

As a young person, I was often tinkering in my garage with various projects, trying to bring ideas to life.

The only difference between me and a traditional engineering-tracked kid was that I was also getting out into my community and tried to sell the things I was working on to others.

This passion for making new systems, and making them useful for people led me to intern at NASA in high school, pursue an engineering degree at NC State, and work in the industry as a design engineer.

I choose to break from the traditional path while in college to start Betabox out of a desire to help kids like me that didn’t quite fit in a standard box.

The Logician

This being said, do you mind telling us more about Betabox? What is your mission? Why is your business important? What are you most proud of?

Sean Newman Maroni

Betabox provides hands-on learning experiences for schools and households. For schools, we offer an Onsite Field Trip service wherein a customized shipping container is dropped off in the parking lot.

Two Betabox staff members then use the technologies inside to run an engaging STEM experience for students.

For households, we offer hands-on learning kits that come with a paired online class that students can take to dive deep into a particular field.

We believe that genius is evenly distributed, but the opportunity is not, and aim to make a difference by helping to close that gap through our work.

The Logician

I would also like to congratulate you for making Forbes 30 Under 30! Was this a dream come true? What is the single thing responsible for this success?

Sean Newman Maroni

Thanks! The Forbes nomination was definitely cool and has helped open up new doors for the company.

That said, I don’t put all that much stock in the 30 Under 30 list. The due diligence process for granting such awards is pretty lightweight, and it would be easy to ‘hack’ one’s way onto the list if one was inclined to do so.

I have this creeping feeling that overusing the ’30 Under 30′ as a marker of success is becoming a ‘dunce hat in disguise’ as Peter Thiel would say.

To summarize, if one is striving for this particular vanity metric, one is looking for validation in the wrong place.

The Logician

As a young CEO, how well do you manage your time? What is the best time management tactic you know of?

Sean Newman Maroni

I have a few strategies that I try to use as much as possible.

I do try to get up early so that I can get creative work done before the froth of the day overtakes me. I use Airtable as a project management tool and have quite a few Zapier zaps that automatically fall into my to-do lists.

At the start of each week, I’ll build a plan for the items I know I must do in that week, and tag the tasks as either a ‘treading water’ task or a ‘growth’ task.

I try to prioritize the growth tasks, that will truly move the needle, over the ‘treading water’ tasks that I need to do just to keep the business rolling when possible.

I try really hard to have what I call ‘zero carryovers’ weeks, which means that at the end of the week I have completed all the tasks I set out to complete that week, and I don’t have to carry and tasks over into the next week. I often fail at this.

At the end of each week, I take a few minutes to document how many tasks I completed, how many carryovers I had, and how I felt about the week.

I try to say ‘no’ to as many things during the week as I can and aim to keep my calendar as free as possible.

The Logician

According to you, what are the top five traits that contribute to people’s success? Please explain.

Sean Newman Maroni

I recently wrote a blog post called The Shiny Things Trap that highlights what I view are the key mindsets required for success.

The psychological literature suggests that the top two traits that lead to entrepreneurial success are a combination of conscientiousness and openness, and that article explores in more detail what happens if (like many founders), one is higher in openness than conscientiousness.

In addition to those ideas, I’d add that clear logical, strategic thinking is very important to success.

Many founders flounder for years in their businesses without making progress because they are not thinking long term about which tasks should be completed today in order to scale. I have suffered in such a state in the past.

Finally, I’d add that ability to accept criticism and to engage in (and create healthy conditions for) true Socratic debate is very important.

The Logician

How do you ensure a healthy working environment? What are the best team engagement activities every company should practice?

Sean Newman Maroni

One novel thing we’ve done that I don’t see a lot of other companies do is to jailbreak personal development goals out of the manager-employee relationship.

We have a public database that anyone can look at that lists the skills or behaviors employees are trying to get better at.

I think this helps build company culture and help individuals really get better at those items because their peers are aware of what they’d like to improve and can give them feedback and guidance in doing so.

The Logician

Do you think education is necessary for success? What is your opinion on smart vs. hard work?

Sean Newman Maroni

Education is certainly necessary for success, but one must be particular about how one defines both success and education.

The type of education you need to be successful in an entrepreneurial venture is an education that leads to the formation of specialized know-how.

You are aiming to acquire a set of secrets that are difficult to learn, copy, and steal. By acquiring increasingly valuable and high-learning curve wisdom, you can increase the demand for your services in the marketplace.

The Logician

Who is Sean Newman Maroni outside the office? What do you do for fun? What brings you joy in life? What is your definition of happiness?

Sean Newman Maroni

Outside the office, I spend time with my partner Becky, without whom I’d still be stuck in a lesser version of myself. I also enjoy writing, being outside, and conversations with good friends.

The Logician

Let’s say it is the year 2025. Where are you and your business? Do you have any milestones you want to reach by then?

Sean Newman Maroni

In 2025 I will be 33.

By that time I’d like to see Betabox operating in 10 regions, creating experiences for more than 1 million students per year.

The Logician

What would you advise everyone reading this interview?

Sean Newman Maroni

Unwire your brain’s smartphone addiction.

The Logician

It was a pleasure to listen to your story, Sean. So, thank you for taking the time for this interview! Your time management techniques and waking up early to capture your creativity are something I will put to use in my own life. In addition, sharing what you consider essential for success, such as clear and logical thinking, will benefit young people pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams. Finally, I’m sure that you will achieve your goal of expanding Betabox to 10 regions. I invite you to talk once again so you can share a few extra things you learned on your way there. Good luck!

The Logician

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