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10 Questions with Escape the City Co-Owner, Michael Howe

Join us for an exclusive behind the scenes chat with Michael Howe, the Co-Owner of Escape the City. Find out his current obsessions, business tips and much more.

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3. One day I hope to:

Do four things:

a. Build an entrepreneurial university. I really care about education and how it needs to change in the future. My education certainly didn’t prepare me for anything that I’m doing now which is such a shame.

I also hate how much debt people are getting themselves into for trophy degrees that haven’t taught them anything relevant to what they’re doing now. I would love to put the learning back into education.

b. Write a fiction book: My business partners and myself are currently writing a book based on a publishing deal we landed for Esc, but I’d love to write a fiction book. I know what the story will be; it’s just finding the time to write it.

c. Treasure wreck diving: Not because I’m greedy, but given I had an obsession with treasure hunting when I was young and would never forgive myself if I didn’t follow that dream. I love diving so might as well find some treasure while I’m at it.

d. Kite-skiing in Antarctica. It doesn’t get much cooler than that. No pun intended.

4. Current obsession:

Self-education. I get my “learn on” 24/7. I am obsessed with as Skillshare and General Assembly. Also love messing around with Adobe Illustrator. Didn’t used to be like this but when you’re job involves having to learn so many new things all the time; it just turns into a habit.

5. Favorite business tool(s):

Chartbeat and Mailchimp.

6. Favorite book(s):

Tribes, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Poke the Box … all of Seth Godin’s books really. Emergency Sex (And Other Desperate Measures) by Kenneth Cain, Andrew Thomson, Heidi Postlewait; it’s a great read if you’re interested in international development.

Some other favorites include What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis, Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, Delivering Happiness by Tony Hseih, Anything You Want by Derek Sivers, Making History by Stephen Fry, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby. Too many to list really.

7. Best place to unwind:

When I’m in London I like to cycle around Richmond Park and chase the deer. When I’m in New York I like to visit my parents and sit by the water with a book on Long Island Sound.

8. Would love to have dinner with:

Stephen Fry (Fry is a screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter, and film director). He has an enormous encyclopedic knowledge of everything. He has achieved so many different things and I can’t imagine tiring from the conversation. Plus he’s very funny. Maybe I’d get a brain ache after a while though …

9. You can never have too many:

Pints of Guinness.

10. Essential business tip:

Always do what makes you feel uncomfortable. It shows that you’re pushing your boundaries and testing yourself. All my greatest achievements so far are things I didn’t really want to do!

Connect with Michael on Twitter and Facebook.

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Photo Credit: Escape the City

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