What personal habit or behavior helped you accelerate your personal growth?
I like to find “role model” companies that are where we want to be in a few years. Then I look for long-form interviews (Podcasts, YouTube, etc.) from when they were at our stage today (or a bit later). These might be companies in similar verticals, competitors or relevant to me in another way. The smaller and more niche the better, since people will be more honest and less worried about leaking information.
What's a mistake that you're happy you've made?
We rejected some candidates for senior roles that - in hindsight - would likely have been good hires. I don’t regret missing out on them as we went on to hire other good candidates, however, it could’ve saved us a lot of time and energy. I’m still glad we did though because it’s better to hire slowly than to hire fast and end up firing people.
What do you do to maintain balance in your life?
Running has always been the best way for me to clear and reset my mind whatever the situation. The benefits to me are similar to what others gain from meditating (which has never worked for me).
What’s your favorite ritual or meeting in your team?
We’re a fully remote team and once a month, we do a remote team lunch where everyone can order food paid for by the company. We love it because it’s a great way to recreate some of the moments you’d only get in person otherwise.
What's a skill that we should pay more attention to in the workplace?
Good listeners are heavily underrated. Most leaders are great at talking and presenting themselves, but only some can really hear out their team and understand what people are trying to tell them.
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Here’s More, From Other Founders Around the World
What's a mistake that you're happy you've made?
When I was 16 (way before the internet) I founded a travel-partner agency to connect people from different backgrounds seeking travel companions. After a year, I had to close the agency due to a lack of customers and the confusion some callers had regarding the nature of the “service.” Despite this setback, I gained invaluable insights into sales, communication and people’s needs, solidifying my desire to run a business that helps people.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
After graduating, I worked for an extremely well-paying automotive company. But I always had the feeling that there was more out there. So I quit and went into research with the aim of becoming a founder.
What should leaders understand about their own role and responsibility?
There are no overnight miracles, it's very hard work: both physically and emotionally. Requires resilience, grit, strategic approach and grind.
What’s an important guiding principle that informs the way you build and run your business?
One of our core values is experimentation. Rather than get stuck in arguing about what solution may best solve a problem or play to our ego, we focus on the smallest step we could possibly take to learn whether that’s true. It moves our minds away from thinking too big without sweating the small stuff and from getting stuck in discussions rather than actually doing something to understand the possible solutions better.