Twitter honcho speaks in Sarasota

Isaac “Biz” Stone, co-founder and creative director of Twitter, made a quick stop on the Gulf Coast recently.

Still, despite his nickname, Stone wasn't in town to talk “biz.” Nor did he chat about the sky-high valuations Twitter has received, which approach $10 billion and are reminiscent of the 1990s dot-commers.

Stone was instead in Sarasota at a fundraising event for Farm Sanctuary, a New York-based nonprofit that promotes a vegan lifestyle and animal protection.

In a brief interview with the Business Review, Stone focused on the message he pushes on his blog, and of course, on Twitter, the micro-blogging site he helped launch in 2006. Stone's message: Doing good in the community is good for business.

“Industry is either going to end the world or save it,” Stone tells Coffee Talk. “So doing social causes (through) your business doesn't just make you feel good. It could be a way to brand your business.”

Stone, maybe in a subconscious nod to Twitter, which caps messages at 140 characters, did offer a few snippets of business guidance.

On advice for budding entrepreneurs, Stone says to follow your heart. “Always think about how your business can be the most important thing in your life,” says Stone, who has 1.68 million Twitter followers. “I always say that if you are not actually passionate in it, it's not going to work out for you.”

On lessons learned in the life of technology startups Stone, 36, suggests turning off the passive switch. He recalled a time at a Silicon Valley startup before Twitter where he didn't like the culture created by his co-founders. But he kept quiet and left the company, instead of speaking up.

Says Stone: “I was too young to realize that I should have stayed and changed the culture rather than quit.”