Rising Above ... Wireshark University (by Denny K Miu)
Welcome to another episode of “Rising Above … America TECH Heroes” showcasing individuals who choose to “rise above” all that life can throw at them and be successful in spite of all odds and adversities.
I write regularly about entrepreneurship (particularly survival skills needed for “bootstrapping” entrepreneurs) and I enjoy talking about determined and successful entrepreneurs (as we did with Cahaba Data). Today we are featuring Laura Chappell, Founder of Wireshark University.

I met Laura for the first time during the recent Sharkfest Conference. Laura and her colleagues (Betty DuBois and Tony Fortunato) were teaching a series of introductory and advanced courses in network monitoring and troubleshooting (the PowerPoint presentations can be downloaded here). Since then I have learned more about Laura and her company and come to respect her immensely for what she has accomplished and her reputation among her peers.
As I have discussed in the past, entrepreneurship is fundamentally about wealth creation, for ourselves and our family. Entrepreneurship is far from rocket science. As one of my former Board members once told me (who was an early investor of Sun Microsystems and now spend his retirement racing BMW's when he is not on his yacht), “If you could take something that is normally a hassle for someone and turn it into a routine, then you have a business. And if in addition, you could convince your customers that what you have created is so valuable to them that they are willing to pay you more than what it takes for you to deliver your creation, then you have a 'profitable' business.”
Too often, especially in the Silicon Valley, we forget this simple truth and entrepreneurs (especially first-time entrepreneurs) confuse valuation with value-building (with no shortage of misinformation from VC's and from the popular media). They mistakenly believe that success is about getting investment from investors as opposed to building a sustainable and viable business.
It is nice to see counter examples such as Laura who didn't wait for the cavalry but instead choose to lift themselves by their bootstraps. Laura's success is based entirely on her believe that business is about providing values to her customers and her community.
A lot has been written already about Laura Chappell including her bio, a short video showing her entertaining lecture on ways that one can be attacked through cyberspace (everything you want to know but afraid to ask), her famous book on Internet Safety for Kids, her own account on how she started Wireshark University with blessing from Gerald Combs (creator of Wireshark) and finally, and her very popular blog (A bit of humor, a bit of technology - 0x10 bits in all).
Recently, Laura also started her YouTube video series (Bitsplitters) with episodes on many technical issues including Trace Files Time Stamp, etc. Never one afraid to provide entertainment while educating, she recently posted some advises on how **not** to buy gifts for Mother's day. Having been married for twenty plus years, her advise came at a most opportune time for me. Enjoy.

Customer Profile - ALSTOM (formerly GEC-Alsthom) is a large French multinational conglomerate whose businesses are power generation, railway signalling; and manufacturing trains (e.g. the TGV and Eurostar as well as Citadis trams) and the world's largest ships (e.g. Normandie and the Queen Mary 2). In the years 2006/07, Alstom had annual sales of over €14 billion, and employed more than 69,000 people in over 70 countries. Its headquarters are located in Levallois-Perret, near Paris.


Customer Profile: AirTran Airways, a Fortune 1000 company, offers passengers more than 700 affordable, daily flights to 56 destinations throughout the United States. The airline is the second-largest carrier at its hub, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and one of America's largest low-fare airlines. With more than 8,900 friendly Crew Members and free online booking, AirTran Airways makes travel both pleasant and convenient. The airline flies America's youngest all-Boeing fleet, composed of the fuel-efficient Boeing 737-700 and 717-200 aircraft. AirTran Airways was also the first to install XM Satellite Radio on a commercial aircraft and the only airline with Business Class seating on every flight.

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