What's the biggest insight you learned in recent years?
Building a product from 0 to 1 is an entirely different game than scaling it from 1 to 2. In other words, developing a product and achieving product-market fit requires a different approach than growing a product that already fits the market.
What's a question you like asking — yourself or others?
Am I still on track with my life goals? If not, what needs to change? I check in on this every few months to make sure I'm heading in the right direction.
What shift in mindset has allowed you to see things differently?
Realizing it's okay to have bad days and feel unmotivated sometimes has been a big relief. It takes away the pressure of always trying to live up to the 24/7 hustle image you see on social media. It's all about making steady progress, not being perfect all the time.
What's a perspective that we should pay more attention to in the workplace?
Don't reinvent the wheel. Build on what already works and improve from there; it saves time and brings your business forward. Making something new just to be different doesn't solve problems. Real progress happens when you solve real problems.
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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.