What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
My aunt and my mother are both small business owners, so I think I was pretty inspired by them as role models. Also, I’ve been surfing since I was a teenager and I remember being puzzled when every adult would paddle in right as the waves were getting good late in the morning. When it finally dawned on me that they were paddling in because they had jobs, I became extremely motivated to never have a job.
What do you wish you had known 10 years ago?
There is enormous variety in the personalities of very successful people. You should always be paying close attention to the things that work well for you and trust that it’ll work out in the end. This would have saved me countless dead-end attempts to emulate role models who are just very different from me.
What do you do to maintain balance in your life?
I have very little balance in my life and am mostly consumed by my work. It took me a long time to not feel guilty or “wrong” for living like this. Pouring my all into a project is much more exhilarating for me than trying to find fulfillment from a more relaxed work situation and a variety of hobbies.
What’s an important belief that informs the way you build and run your business?
I think a lot about finding harmony in my work. How do you choose projects that harmonize with each other? When you have very little resources, you need to find a way to make your efforts in one area (say, product) spill into another (say, growth). Some might call this resourcefulness, but I like to think of it as the pursuit of harmony.
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.