Many people in the genealogy business know Paul Allen, one of the two entrepreneurs who purchased a small book publishing company, called Ancestry Publishing, in 1997. They converted it into what has since become a multi-million dollar online powerhouse called Ancestry.com. Not bad for a man who started his career by studying Russian as an undergraduate at Brigham Young University with plans to become a professor, like his father.

Justin Heifetz of the Gallup Business Journal recently interviewed Paul Allen and his article is now available online at Gallup’s web site. In the interview, Paul describes his path from starting as a student in Russian, making several side trips into other business ventures, and eventually becoming a successful entrepreneur.