What do you do to maintain balance in your life?
Me Time — Balancing work and private / family life has been challenging, so I sought regular therapy for better reflection. I've learned that while I love my family, I need personal time to relax, read, and refresh my mind, and I definitely prefer listening to music over podcasts.
What's a perspective that we should pay more attention to in the workplace?
Business acumen or business sense — Many people excel at their specific jobs, like coding or managing, but few also possess strong business acumen. Understanding financial markets, business sustainability, identifying business opportunities and your own strengths and limitations is crucial. Developing these skills will help people succeed in any profession.
What's a mistake that you're happy you've made?
Solutions looking for a problem — We initially developed a solution without a clear problem in mind, which is a common reason for startup failure. This experience taught me to challenge every idea and code line, ensuring there's evidence of a well-defined problem. I've also learned it's more effective to start with a niche problem.
What's your secret sauce for building a great team?
Drive and passion over skills — Building a great team differs between an early-stage startup and scaling a mature company. But in both cases, I prioritize drive and passion over skills. Skills can be learned, but attitude, resilience, and passion are crucial and best assessed through personal interactions (dinner, rollercoaster, sports). For early-stage startups, I generally avoid hiring from corporate or big tech backgrounds.
We’re building the largest library of insights and wisdom by and for founders and entrepreneurs.
Once a month we'll send you the latest interviews straight to your inbox. No fluff, just value. For free.
Here’s More, From Other Founders Around the World
What do you wish you had known 10 years ago?
I always thought that my life can be balanced between personal, business, health, family, finances and love. In that sense how much energy I put in and get back. But with the years, I learned that life is imbalanced by nature. It's still a goal for me and I believe if all parts are some kind of balanced, this speaks of a highly valuable life, but accepting that there will always be a certain imbalance, helped me a lot.
What's the biggest insight you learned in recent years?
It’s always a good idea to be connected to your product – even if you have to deal with high-level topics, always remember the things you offer.
What personal habit helped you accelerate your personal growth?
In one of the hardest times of my life so far, I started journaling for 1-2h on Sundays. Not digital, but with paper and pen. Always answering the same questions related to self, social life and work. This brutally honest and regular reflection once a week helped me identify problems early and iterate fast.
When times are tough, who or what is an anchor for you?
My co-founders are my anchor in work-related topics. Having an environment where failure is welcomed with a helping hand and where weakness is valued as openness, once you are down those people will drag you up.