From Trading Floor to Tech Startup: A Zoom Chat with Lindsay LoBue ’96

Lindsay LoBue ’96 knew exactly what she wanted to do with her B.S. in marketing and psychology from Boston College. She wanted to be a brand manager. But after a move to New York City and a cold splash of job disillusionment, she wound up at JP Morgan. The rest is the stuff of Wall Street go-getter-turned-entrepreneur career history.

After 17 years on Wall Street, LoBue was ready for something different. She’d already done a lot–an M.B.A. in finance and marketing from New York University and a move from JP Morgan to a partnership track at Goldman Sachs only scratch the surface.

She’d also brought two children into the world, throwing her career aspirations into even sharper focus.

Finding deeper meaning in financial markets

“Financial literacy was always really important to me,” LoBue said. “I firmly believe there are two problems when it comes to financial education; One is that it’s not required to be taught in school. Two is that a lot of educators I’ve spoken to were not comfortable giving lectures on these topics.”

In 2005, while still at Goldman Sachs, LoBue founded Greenback Labs, a financial education and media company. 

“We actually started out as a gaming company, because I wanted to teach kids about financial markets,” LoBue said.

The focus has since shifted to video and a broader audience, including other startups looking for advice. “We help people learn about investing and the financial markets the easy way–with simple language, entertaining videos, and addictive apps,” LoBue said.

Working in the best of both worlds

While the entrepreneurial space might seem a long way from the corporate world, for LoBue there’s a logical–and really beneficial–thread.

“I’m a believer that starting at a traditional company has huge career benefits,” she said. “You learn how companies operate, the good and the bad. There are skills I learned that were completely transferable.”

LoBue believes the biggest mistake people make is getting out of school and trying to find that perfect entrepreneurial role. She advocates instead for working at a company that allows you to be entrepreneurial–the best of both worlds.

“I think you do a better job in your traditional role if you’re pursuing your idea,” she said. “I’m a huge believer in taking control of your destiny. You learn a ton of skills in having a regular job but if you’re still pursuing an idea, it gives you a lot more energy to do well.

“If you’re passionate about something,” she added, “you’ll find the time to do it.”

Specialist vs. generalist and other advice

Around the same time that LoBue started Greenback Labs, Goldman Sachs launched two incubator programs to help entrepreneurial employees turn their ideas into companies. 

That’s when LoBue stepped into a new role as an advisory director. Today, she advises budding entrepreneurs how to go after their dreams. One question that comes up a lot is whether to be a specialist or a generalist.

“I think sometimes when you work in these large institutions you become specialized, and it makes you feel like this is all you’re good at,” she said. “The reality is that you’re never being told you’re a specialist at something. You are always trying to recreate yourself when you’re not inside these rails all the time.”

For someone whose career trajectory took some wildly unexpected turns, that’s a big life lesson. As LoBue learned from experience, “when you go into the workforce, you should have the confidence that you can do many different things.”