COEUR d'ALENE - We've all heard travelers say it: "I'm here on business."

Nick Smoot, founder and CEO of Here On Biz, had heard it. He turned it into a successful smartphone app.

"The app is used all over the world and we have partnerships with Virgin America and Gogo (Inc.)," Smoot said. The app allows business professionals to find each other nearby while traveling.

Here On Biz is just the first app he created on the platform he and a business partner built.

"We just released another app on the platform called Brewsaders, for the state of Washington," Smoot said. "It tells you when you are near a brewery and allows you to rate them, chat with others nearby and share photos."

That's just the beginning. At age 32, Smoot has big plans for himself and Coeur d'Alene.

You are a member of Innovation Collective? Who are the members and what are you all up to? Who gets to join you guys for the Fireside Chats?

I am the founder of the Innovation Collective, which is an effort to create a stronger technical entrepreneurship ecosystem in Coeur d'Alene. Coeur d'Alene's economy is strong in the area of real estate, medical, and tourism, but we could use another strong pillar - tech startups. The primary focus here is on assisting Coeur d'Alene in becoming a robotics hub, but the Innovation Collective as a whole is more about growing tech entrepreneurship in our community. There are now 50 free events per year that we put on for the community, but there are also roughly 20 private events that are just for our Leadership Network members. The free events are the Fireside Chats, Coffee and Concepts, Tech Pub Nights, and Pitch Days. All of those are open to the public and the calendar can be found on our website www.InnovateCDA.com. For the Leadership Network members, we set up trips to private meetings with venture capitalists, trips to visit Google, private dinners with legendary business executives, and special educational opportunities.

What sort of people are you drawn to?

I am drawn to and like to surround myself with people who like to create. I also enjoy spending time with people who are very different than I am - it forces me to think differently.

It's been reported in The Press that you and other members of your group would like to build an innovation center in Coeur d'Alene and develop a "creative-class" culture. How is that going?

It is coming along. We are still in the drafting phase with our architects, but we will build a center. It is a question of when and where, not if we will build it. There is a huge need for a space like what we are developing. We already have tenants lined up to work in it and a large interest from the community.

As an entrepreneur you have not signed up for a 9 to 5 life and schedule. What does your schedule look like?

As an entrepreneur, I have blessings and curses due to the schedule. I can carve out time for my family without having the "desk" nagging at me, but it also is harder to stay focused on my family because my phone is constantly "nagging" at me. I wake up with my sons and my wife, while we eat breakfast I am checking and responding to any urgent emails. After breakfast, it is time to run into the office where I spend most of the day between phone calls and shooting off emails. By 5:45 p.m. I try to be home for dinner with my family, but that doesn't always happen. When I do make it home, I usually eat then do a bit more work after we get our boys to bed. I end up with very random hours, calls to Singapore on a Sunday night, early morning Skype meetings and lots of traveling. I wouldn't trade this life for the world. Reading is also very important to me, so I do try to carve out a few hours a week to educate myself.

What do you see yourself doing in 5 to 10 years? Where will you be living and how will you be spending your time?

In 5 years from now, I see myself living mostly in Coeur d'Alene. Still running the Innovation Collective with a small team while managing a venture capital fund actively investing in tech companies here primarily and in other markets when it makes sense. I will always want to advise tech companies that are growing in our area and be a part of the growth here.

Why are you living in Coeur d'Alene now?

We moved back to Coeur d'Alene to enjoy a better quality of life. Los Angeles is great for certain things, but the quality of life doesn't even compare to getting back to the Coeur d'Alene way of life. It's simpler, my family is here as well as my in-laws so we have lots of baby-sitters. My wife and I get more one-on-one time together and the kids get to know their grandparents. It's a beautiful thing.

You have said you support attracting and protecting robotics research and development in Coeur d'Alene. Why do you feel strongly about this?

I feel so strongly about establishing Coeur d'Alene as a robotics research and development hub because it is going to be one of the big industries over the next 50 years. We are going to lose industries that most people aren't even thinking about and the big question is what will replace it? Right now there is an opportunity for us to embrace small robotics startups so that it doesn't fundamentally change Coeur d'Alene, but will provide high-paying jobs and retain talent we are losing. I have already seen this work. A few young entrepreneurs with great companies were going to leave Coeur d'Alene, they decided to stay and started building out their companies due to the support they are getting now. It's amazing to see.

Where do you find inspiration and motivation and information as a creator and entrepreneur? What motivates you creatively and professionally?

I find inspiration, motivation, and information to create from nature, books, my wife, and wrestling through my thoughts instead of ignoring them. Intellectual conversations with fellow entrepreneurs helps creativity flow and shine light onto new ideas. I also love to sit and think, then act. A good white-boarding session is something I cherish.

Who have been major personal and professional influences in your life, and how so?

My wife is a major influence in my life. She challenges my thinking in many great ways and she also introduces me to things I have never even thought of. My father gave me a few books at a young age that I now treasure. He even paid me to read them when I was young, so his influence is and always has been important to me. For business influences, I have been a long time fan of Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. They are both great authors who have contributed to my life from a distance. I also have a deep respect for Scott Minerd who balances so much in business yet makes time to invest in the lives of others.

For anyone who might be interested in following in your footsteps, what sort of education and training prepared you for your work?

My main advice would be to absorb wisdom every opportunity you have. If college is your thing, then absorb and apply that wisdom. If not, find other ways to absorb wisdom that will make you the best in the world at what you want to be. I was lucky to have a group of business men who mentored me personally. That was a major source of learning in my life. Seek them out and ask, you will be surprised how people are willing to help.

If you weren't doing what you're doing today professionally, you'd be doing what instead?

I'd be working for a large corporation in marketing and branding. I love the art of story.

What do you do when you're not working? What do you do in your free time?

Rarely am I not working, but in those few moments, I hang out with my wife and kids. We love to go on adventures. Our family is very important to us so we make time for extended family. I also have friends I enjoy spending time with, I don't get to spend as much time with them as I would like since we all have young kids. I am sure when our boys are older we will have more time for friends and the boys won't want their "old man" around as much.