In our case it was actually a deep recession in the general economy that forced everybody to become creative about entrepreneurship. We were part of that. You solve problems faster when something depends on the outcome.
Actually I am learning and discovering new stuff every day. If there is anything an entrepreneur needs to be aware of it's that you will have to learn, experiment, and invent constantly. That never ends, and there isn’t a single magical piece of knowledge that will set you in the right direction.
You need to keep regular complete breaks in your weekly, monthly and annual rhythm. We recommend that team members have at least 1 week in which they are simply off the internet completely.
We start business meetings with a ‘check-in’ during which folks can talk about personal stuff that is on their mind. By allowing this to come out at the beginning we clear the mind for the business that comes afterwards.
All activities should be organized into simple recurring patterns. That way it is much less effort to maintain a steady progress. That includes regular breaks from work, since it’s a marathon.
A leader primarily creates a culture. Within that culture others can bring their own individual style and contribution, but be part of the whole.
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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.
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.
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.
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.