As a continuation of Kym's #startupama on AMAfeed which ran through the week, we are sharing some more popular questions and answers on juggling a start-up business with home life and helping employees feel supported. Read Part 1 here.
What is your work philosophy and how do you try to permeate it through your staff and your clients?
My work philosophy is get your job whenever and however you see fit, as long as you are delivering and meeting deadlines. We permeate it throughout our business by allowing all employees to work from home and attend to the things they need to in their personal lives without scrutiny. It's totally fine if someone ends their workday at 3 when their kids come home, because they are likely logging back on at 8 to finish up things for the day. We also trust our employees, which goes a long way in making people feel valued and like real adults.
What were your beginnings like as an entrepreneur?
I talk about my journey in this blog post, but it was really the work-life balance issues I talk about above that compelled me to go into business for myself. In the beginning, it's always wearing all the hats. You're your own marketing person, accountant, HR, etc. As we started to generate more revenue, I built out more of a team and have now been able to start focusing more on overall operations and nurturing business.
What would you consider to be the founding elements of a good entrepreneur?
This is a good one! A good mentor and champion, an actual business plan that clearly shows the revenue potential and where you stand apart from your competition. The ability to do whatever takes, be every role if necessary for a while. And the hustle! The hustle is real and necessary. Always be figuring out ways to make current clients happier and chase new ones that meet your ideal customer profile.
What did you do when you used to commute to NYC for work?
I used to run around like a hamster in a wheel! I worked in the same industry, for a variety of companies such as Akamai and MediaMath. I’d drop my kids off at daycare and then take a two-hour train ride to the city. I’d usually have to leave in the 4-pm hour to get my kids before daycare closed. It was a lot, and I used to only get about six hours in the actual office. That’s why when I started my business I decided to prioritize flexibility and output over actual face time. I understand the building relationships with your colleagues is important, but so is having a work-life balance that actually enables you to do your job well.
Photo from Creative Commons