‘Leadership is harder’: Founder duo debuting ‘Above the Fray’ in LinkedIn Live beta test

Two influential voices in the Kansas City startup community hope their new LinkedIn Live show can inspire fellow founders to be true leaders, said Eze Redwood, co-creator of “Above the Fray.”

“We want to bring in diverse perspectives from entrepreneurs in different fields that leaders would need to be successful,” explained Redwood, who unveiled the show’s concept with co-host Aaron Fulk in October. “We want to take someone who is great … and distill their knowledge into a segment for people who haven’t faced the issue, but can really understand what is in store for them and better navigate those waters when they get there.”

“A lot of professionals don’t start things like this. Us providing the platform for [other entrepreneurs] to come on and talk is important,” added Fulk.

The duo hand-pick guests to make sure they provide value to viewers, they said, drawing upon their own networks and entrepreneurial experience — Redwood as founder of Wings Cafe and head of business development for We The Project; Fulk as CEO and founder of Lillian James Creative.

“We want our guests to have proven leadership skills, proven history of being able to really grow and define [their sector],” explained Fulk. 

“You are only as good as how your content adds value to someone’s life, whether that is entertaining them or informing them,” added Redwood. “Something that is always in the back of our minds is making sure that what we are pulling out of the people who join us is something that people can’t get anywhere else.”

Click here to see the “Above the Fray” reveal of the show’s first guest.

Other than being an outlet for professionals to spread their knowledge, the show contains another important aspect, Fulk said. 

“LinkedIn Live is still in its beta testing,” she said. “I was lucky enough to get into the LinkedIn Live beta test — It’s the only one in Kansas City. If we can prove the model, then LinkedIn will give us a page we will be able to use. Their beta test is really hard to get into and we are very lucky.”

The show is set to launch Nov. 7, Fulk said.

“We have done one pre-segment to announce it and it took off,” she said. ‘We had thousands of views and commitments from quite a few people. We have had many people reach out to us.”

Fulk and Redwood want leaders everywhere to tune in to the show to learn skills that can build their knowledge, they said.

“Success is hard, leadership is harder. I think that it is one thing to achieve success personally, but it is another thing to be a leader where you’re helping more people than yourself to achieve success,” said Redwood. “Once you get into a leadership position where your time is in high demand … you don’t have time to do things that help you continue to grow.”

This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.

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