[ KimPolese - 29 - 09:10:04 ]
Hi, this is Kim!

[ KimPolese - 32 - 09:12:27 ]
RE: [Chordiantdaughtersday] how tough was it to get to the top of the company
Actually, I started this company together with 3 other guys ... and we all decided together that I would be the CEO. So, it was easy to get to the top of the company, because I was a co-founder! :)

[ KimPolese - 34 - 09:13:39 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] Do you invent new computer programs to help people who do not know how to use the Internet?
Marimba invents computer programs that help companies use the Internet to communicate with their customers. For example, we help a bank deliver a home-banking program to their customers.

[ KimPolese - 36 - 09:15:53 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] When did you first start working with computers?
I first started working with computers when I was about 12 years old. I went to the Lawrence Hall of Science, which is a science museum open to the public in Berkeley, California. THere were computers there, and I started playing with them. There was a really neat program called "Eliza" which was an on-line "virtual psychiatrist"! so I would "talk" online with Eliza. It was really fun, and that's what got me excited in the first place about what computers could do!

[ KimPolese - 39 - 09:17:30 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] What types of jobs do people do at Marimba, Inc?
People at Marimba do all sorts of different jobs. Some people sell our product to big companies... other people answer questions from our customers on the phone, about how to use the product. And then we have about 50 computer programmers who create our products. And we have marketing people too -- they create advertisements and brochures that help communicate to the world what Marimba is all about.

[ KimPolese - 43 - 09:19:36 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] Wich is the most important thing in business
I think the most important thing in business is to know how to motivate a team of people. Marimba has 120 employees. My most important job is to make sure those employees are happy, that they are well-prepared to do their jobs, and that they understand what Marimba's goals are.

[ KimPolese - 45 - 09:22:01 ]
RE: [Chordiantdaughtersday] what sort of educational background do you need to be a CEO?
There is no one specific kind of background that you need in order to be a CEO. My background, for example, was in Biophysics and Computer Science. I didn't study business or marketing or sales, but instead, I learned those skills in previous jobs at other companies. I worked at a big company, Sun Microsystems, in a bunch of different jobs, and picked up skills including: leadership, business strategy, marketing, finance, public speaking, etc. MOstly you need to be curious and open to learning!

[ KimPolese - 47 - 09:24:47 ]
RE: [VanDyke/AtchisonMiddleSchool] What are some skills that you learned in school that prepared you for your career?
Definitely having studied sciences prepared me for the career I'm in. Even though my college degree was in Biophysics (and I'm not doing Biophysics in my daily job), getting that degree taught me how to think analytically -- in other words, how to solve problems. I also took a lot of english and public speaking in school. Learning communications skills is just as important as learning the sciences. You need to take a lot of different kinds of classes -science, math, philosophy, arts, etc - because that's how you develop creativity and learn how to think.

[ KimPolese - 48 - 09:27:39 ]
RE: [Elizabeth/AutodeskFoundation] Kim, Who are your female role models in this industry and are there any organizations that support women in technology that you really have found useful.
My role models include Hillary Clinton, Carol Bartz, and Ann Winblad. These are women who have guts and determination and haven't let obstacles get in their way. (Carol and Ann are leaders in the high-technology industry. Carols is the CEO of Autodesk, and Ann is a venture capitalist).

[ KimPolese - 52 - 09:29:41 ]
RE: [Jan/ChapinElementarySchool] Have you personally invented any programs? If so, what were they?
When I was in school, I wrote lots of computer programs for classroom assignments. That was good preparation for what I do today, even though I no longer write programs, because writing computer programs taught me how computers work. In my first job, at a company called IntelliCorp, I wrote computer programs to help companies run their factories more easily and solve medical problems.

[ KimPolese - 56 - 09:33:14 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] What types of qualities do you need to run your own business?
One of the most important qualities you need is to be unflappable -- to not get distracted or stopped by problems that might come up, but instead to turn obstacles into opportunities. This means a positive attitude and an ability to creatively solve problems. You also need to know how to get a large group of people motivated in the same direction. This means you need very good communication skills and you need to know how to bring people together and help them to communicate between themselves.

[ KimPolese - 57 - 09:36:51 ]
RE: [ZACCARO/EDISON] Did you have to put a lot of things on hold because of your career? For example, marraige?
Well, my life is very busy. So these days I don't see lots of movies or watch TV every night or take long vacations ... however, with other things, like marriage, I wouldn't put that off if I met the right person. I have also kept doing my favorite hobby, which is dance (Jazz dance, and ballet). It's very important to have a balanced life! Life is not ONLY work!

[ KimPolese - 58 - 09:38:42 ]
RE: [Nan/MailTribune] Hi this is December Moore, from Medford, OREGON. why do you call your company Marimba's.
hi December! I named the company Marimba because I wanted a name that was easy to spell, easy to remember and that communicated the spirit and energy of our company. I was thinking about dance and music words, like "Salsa" or "Tango" (but those were already taken!)

[ KimPolese - 59 - 09:40:31 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] When you are hiring somebody, what qualities do you look for?
I look for people who are energetic, and have a positive attitude and are eager to be part of a team. And I look for people who can be flexible -- who can learn new skills and take on new challenges -- because is a small and fast-moving company, you will typically do several different jobs during your time there.

[ KimPolese - 60 - 09:42:14 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] What types of customers do you have?
Our customers include companies like Federal Express, Ford, TV Guide, CNN, and the US military. These companies use our product to communicate with their customers and employees and provide services to them. For example, Federal Express uses our product to deliver a package-tracking program into their big corporate customers.

[ KimPolese - 64 - 09:43:03 ]
RE: [Jan/ChapinElementarySchool] How long does it take from start to finish to actually produce a program?
It depends on the size of the program. It could take 1 hour, 1 week, or 1 year! But typically, for Marimba, it takes us about 6 months to create a new product.

[ KimPolese - 65 - 09:46:31 ]
RE: [ZACCARO/EDISON] You say you like to juggle many things at one time. I do, too. But i know I often times wish it would all just disappear. Do you ever feel this way? And if so, how do you deal with it?
Sometimes I wish I could just go sit on a beach somewhere and leave behind all the craziness... But then I take a couple of days off, and I miss the craziness, and I can't wait to get back to work. I love what I do, it's a very exciting -- it is really fun leading a company and working together with a motivated team to create great products. (And the fact that I have a balanced life -- that I dance, and I still hang out with friends -- helps too!)

[ KimPolese - 66 - 09:47:39 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] What is the best part in being a CEO?
It is the excitement of creating something together with my team. Being part of a team -- setting and reaching big goals, together -- is the most fun part about what I do.

[ KimPolese - 67 - 09:49:21 ]
I think there are no more questions at this point, so I just want to say to all of you - thank you for your great questions! I had a lot of fun answering them.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 68 - 09:50:36 ]
Thank you to EVERYONE for joining us for today's chat with Kim Polese! This dialogue will remain here for the remainder of the day, and linked to Kim Polese's biography tomorrow. Thank you again for joining us, and a special thanks to Kim Polese from Marimba software for participating in today's chat.