What's the biggest insight you learned recently?
Beware of the advice you get. Nothing is truly fully black or white; the answer is usually in the middle.
That’s why I’m a bit annoyed when I see posts on founders' social media saying things like, “You should drop your free plan!” Yes, it might work, but it could also miserably put you out of business. Just take inspiration, but don’t follow blindly. Context and direction are key.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
As a kid, I was always trying to find ways to create things. I started my own family newspaper, built a subway ticket vending machine in my living room, and even operated a clandestine perfume sweatshop with freshly cut lavender from my mom’s garden (got punished for that one).
I always found it fascinating to start something from zero and see it come to fruition. Later, this is what I could reconnect with when I became curious about computers, how they work, and what people are doing with them.
What shift in perspective / mindset has allowed you to see things differently?
Learning to delegate has been a very difficult journey, but the thing that allowed me to remove myself from the operational side of the businesses that I own and only bring in the value of visioning and problem-solving.
It’s hard to let other people take over your “baby”. Do they understand it as well as I do? Will they make the right decisions? Could they damage it? Once you put the right things in place, knowing great people have your back is incredibly liberating.
When times are tough, who or what is an anchor for you?
Juggling a day job and an entrepreneurial side helps me reduce risk by diversifying my income streams. If one goes down, I can always rely on the other, helping me mentally not over-dramatize when times are tough.
What's your secret sauce for building a great team?
I practice what I preach, so all of our employees work a 4-day work week. This is especially interesting for a bootstrapped company because you can attract talent by offering this as a benefit, while bigger corporations still shy away from it or set it under many conditions and restrictions.
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Here’s More, From Other Founders Around the World
What should leaders understand about their own role and responsibility?
Your own time and energy is the most precious resource you have. Use it wisely, and learn what gives you energy, and what saps you. In the early years of building something, you need to throw a huge amount of time at it - and do many things you perhaps don’t like doing. But as you scale, it’s vital to take a step back and build a business that can grow rapidly beyond the time you put into it.
What shift in perspective has allowed you to see things differently?
It may sound simple, but realizing and truly understanding that we are all different and driven by different things has made a significant impact on me. This insight has changed the way I approach relationships and leadership.
What’s a guiding principle that informs the way you build and run your business?
One of our core values at Cozero is radical candor. It is the idea that the willingness to repeatedly enter uncomfortable situations to speak the truth benefits everyone in the long run. We believe that in order to grow and improve as an organization, we need to create an environment where our team is not afraid to challenge processes and decisions. Making this a core value guides us in difficult situations when it’s not clear which road to take.
What's a mistake that you're happy you've made?
I'm happy I chose a highly regulated market, even though it was tough. It taught me a lot about patience, attention to detail, and the importance of doing things right. These lessons have made me better at what I do.