Praba Manivasager, 31, is executive vice president and co-founder of ITradar.com, a business-to-business marketplace for buyers and sellers of information technology services. Manivasager was born in Sri Lanka, lived much of his life in Singapore, and spent the last two years of his secondary-school education at an international school in India. He came to the US for college and earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the University of Kansas. ITradar.com, with headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota, now has 75 employees.

Monster.com: Did living in a variety of places help when you came to the US?

Praba Manivasager: It helped me a lot. The transition from Sri Lanka to where I am today was almost like taking baby steps. I was in Sri Lanka, and then I spent some time in Singapore, which was a cultural change yet not a drastic one. And then I went from Singapore to India to explore my past. The descendents of Sri Lanka were from India, and my parents wanted me to have an experience related to my culture. Moving to an international school in India also made a lot of sense, as it was very much like living in the US in the people, food and classes. It got me used to the way of education in the US.

Mc: When you first got here, what struck you as the main difference between life in the US and life in Singapore?

PM: Singapore is a very rigid society. Things are regimented: you wake up in the morning and you go to school, you don't watch TV, you take the bus, you walk on this side of the street, you wait in line. It's a very controlled society. When I came to the US, I really liked being more of a person with my own thoughts and the ability to do what I wanted, rather than everybody telling me what I had to do. That freedom was the most inspirational part of my life in the US.

Mc: Did that help you become an entrepreneur?

PM: My father is an entrepreneur. He had a shipping business. The discussions we had were about what was happening at work, about starting this new business, and so forth. The entrepreneurial spirit had quite a bit to do with my dad, but I also came here and realized there's this tremendous opportunity. I could pursue anything I wanted. The biggest lesson I learned is the need for focus.

Mc: What differences do you see between the workplace in the US and elsewhere?

PM: Culturally, things that apply in other parts of the world don't necessarily apply in the US. The approach people in Southeast Asia take is "I am the master. You are the slave, and you work for me, therefore you shall do this." In the US, it's more of an encouraging and lead-by-example type of management.

ITradar is a great environment where we have a lot of employees who enjoy working here because they like that type of management. It's a very open environment. We don't have private offices. We all sit in the same space. We all work together. Everyone has access to the senior management. We promote an environment where people feel free to express ideas.

Mc: Any other advice?

PM: When people come over here, they're smart, they're driven, and they're looking to better their lives. The advice that I have is that passion and enthusiasm are far greater assets than just sheer intellect. There are lots of smart people, but the smart people who pursue their passion and exert themselves are the ones who succeed.