Krishen Iyer
Krishen Iyer is a Fresno, California-based entrepreneur and digital marketing expert with a wealth of experience and expertise in technical development and client relations. The prominent entrepreneur and marketing expert recently founded Managed Benefits Services, a new venture specializing in health and dental insurance marketing and leads.
Krishen’s new company features a highly sophisticated multi-layer marketing platform capable of analyzing user data in order to verify and rate the quality of each lead, all in real-time. Managed Benefits is sure to further benefit from Krishen’s technical development skillset as well as from the knowledge and experience accompanying his status as a certified insurance agent. A graduate of San Diego State University, Krishen is an avid reader who enjoys the work of Stephen King.
What is your hobby?
I love to read and have always been into literature, so I enjoy using any free time I have to get into a really good book.
How did you get started with this hobby? What inspired you?
Stephen King is my favorite author, and it was after reading one of his short story collections that I first felt inspired to read everything else he wrote.
Tell us what you love about it.
Reading is such an intimate experience, and I love the fact that fiction really heightens your sense of empathy by challenging you to see things from the perspective of all the different characters that play some role in the storytelling. That alone is valuable, but I also enjoy the imagery, the lyrical wordplay, the subtext, and everything else that makes literature so unique.
Are there any groups you’re a part of or events that you attend related to your hobby?
There are a few of us in the Fresno area that have similar tastes in literature, so we created an informal book club where we get together once a month to discuss a new book we’ve all read.
Have you had to invest in equipment and if so, please share some of the things you’ve bought.
Other than bookcases and the books themselves, no, I can’t say that I have. I do, however, intend to invest in an Eames lounge chair one of these days.
Where do you buy most of your supplies?
There’s a local bookstore that sells new and used books, so I tend to buy books there. They’ve always been kind enough to order a specific title for me if they didn’t have it in stock, and I just think it’s important to support local businesses.
Are there any good books for beginners?
I’d probably recommend Different Seasons, a collection of novellas and short stories by Stephen King, as a starting point, but it’s probably better for beginners to just head to a local bookstore and ask for a bit of guidance based on their own personal interests.
How has this changed your life?
Reading has been so valuable to me for so many reasons, but I’d say that its role in expanding the boundaries of my imagination has had the greatest impact on my life.
What advice do you have for others starting out with this hobby?
All it takes is finding an author whose work resonates with you for one reason or another; once you find that author, you’ll almost certainly develop a lifelong passion for literature and will immediately begin to reap a seemingly endless array of rewards.
Are there any other hobbies you have?
I’m really passionate about outdoor activities and also enjoy supporting the community in any way I can, so I like to volunteer at cleanup projects and other events that allow me to give back to the local community.