WEBVTT 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:37.039 The podcast is sponsored by Startupsummit .io, 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:40.100 a today event bringing together 2 ,000 founders, 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:42.780 investors, and industry leaders from across Europe. 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:45.159 As a thank you for being part of the podcast 00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:48.560 community, we are now offering 50 % off all tickets 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:51.539 by using the code podcast in all capitals on 00:00:51.539 --> 00:00:54.119 the website. See you in Lisbon. Hi, and welcome 00:00:54.119 --> 00:00:56.340 to another episode of the Innovation Conversation. 00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:58.679 Today we are joined by Tovid Nyser. Tovid, welcome 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:01.759 to the podcast. Hey recorder, great thing here. 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:04.260 It's a pleasure having you here, Sylvia. Sylvia, 00:01:04.280 --> 00:01:05.840 would you like to introduce yourself to the audience, 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:10.280 please? Okay. Very short. I'm a business storyteller, 00:01:10.620 --> 00:01:13.000 which means that I help companies and founders, 00:01:13.459 --> 00:01:16.379 mostly tech companies, tell their story communicated 00:01:16.379 --> 00:01:19.260 to the world, to the audience in a way that's 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:22.340 clear, memorable, creative, out of the box. They 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:25.200 can do that internally. They should do that internally 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:29.599 and externally. to get the eyeballs of their 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:33.760 investors and their buyers and stakeholders as 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:36.939 well as their employees. Anyone there who understands 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:40.260 better what the story is feel more mission -driven 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:42.859 and connected to the values of the company. And 00:01:42.859 --> 00:01:46.609 how do we get started? Wow. So ages ago, I started 00:01:46.609 --> 00:01:49.730 as a journalist. I'm a curious person. I like 00:01:49.730 --> 00:01:52.989 asking questions. I like digging into data and 00:01:52.989 --> 00:01:55.849 stories and finding out the goal. Then I caught 00:01:55.849 --> 00:01:59.890 up with the startup bug. So I got into this industry 00:01:59.890 --> 00:02:02.670 back in Tel Aviv. The last thing was working 00:02:02.670 --> 00:02:05.760 for a hardware company. I was the only one who's 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:09.759 not into tech, but more into marketing and story 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:12.439 and the soft skills. There were more physics 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:17.039 and mechanics and engineers. So I had the whole 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:21.580 place for myself to play. and stand up with out 00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:25.199 -of -the -box IDs. That company sold and then 00:02:25.199 --> 00:02:28.900 I decided to go back to entrepreneurship and 00:02:28.900 --> 00:02:31.340 do my own thing, which is the consulting boutique. 00:02:31.740 --> 00:02:35.039 So today I advise company, I sit on boards of 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:38.719 startup companies, I'm an EIR, entrepreneur in 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:41.479 residence, and also... expert in residence to 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:44.039 different abbreviations, same letters, different 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:47.780 innovation hubs in Canada, and I do workshops 00:02:47.780 --> 00:02:51.960 and consulting for different companies. It hits 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:53.560 upon something that I think most people don't 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:56.979 realize, but how important is it for an entrepreneur, 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:00.699 for a startup to tell their story correctly and 00:03:00.699 --> 00:03:03.099 to be able to connect with the audience or the 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:06.259 customers on that deep emotional level? I'm thinking 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:09.020 companies like Apple, for example, a couple years 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:11.800 ago launched a campaign, I'm a Mac, I'm a PC. 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:14.599 And all that man was that the whole generation 00:03:14.599 --> 00:03:16.759 of millennials was like, oh, actually, I'm more 00:03:16.759 --> 00:03:19.740 of a Mac myself than a PC. I'm not that traditional, 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:22.259 boring office job type individual. Actually, 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:24.780 I'm more entrepreneur, crazy person. I like wearing 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:26.539 jeans and a T -shirt. And that's how I want to, 00:03:26.539 --> 00:03:29.189 you know, rock up to the world. How important 00:03:29.189 --> 00:03:31.349 is that for Sara? It's my prerogative because 00:03:31.349 --> 00:03:33.629 I'm your guest today. I would say it's number 00:03:33.629 --> 00:03:36.650 one. There's nothing more important than conveying 00:03:36.650 --> 00:03:40.710 what you do in a clear way to get people understand, 00:03:41.069 --> 00:03:43.870 hear, care, connect. And we have to have that. 00:03:43.990 --> 00:03:47.830 We can add more technology and AI is taking over 00:03:47.830 --> 00:03:51.909 and we hear that and companies embrace that AI 00:03:51.909 --> 00:03:55.110 buzzword or actually embrace that technology. 00:03:55.689 --> 00:03:58.740 But down the road. Companies, founders, when 00:03:58.740 --> 00:04:01.960 they're in the garage, just one person, two founders, 00:04:02.379 --> 00:04:05.599 they have to sell. They have to speak. They have 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:08.639 to understand the pain points of their users 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:12.479 before designing or creating a solution. If they 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:15.000 don't speak with them, I go back to my journalist 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:19.779 days, journalism. Um, I had to go and speak with 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:22.500 people. on the ground have boots on the ground 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:25.660 and listen to them and then come up with a story 00:04:25.660 --> 00:04:28.920 so you can really force it so if you're in a 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:32.339 garage mode amazing but you have to step out 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:35.360 to understand if this really solves the problem 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:38.500 what's the problem how would you later sell it 00:04:38.500 --> 00:04:41.399 how would you communicate that if you go on conference 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:45.079 on stage why would people listen to you and not 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:47.660 the others why should they spend the time in 00:04:47.660 --> 00:04:49.839 front of you and not in front of their screens 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:53.319 Everything has to be very clear. And you competing 00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:56.500 over something that's the most expensive asset 00:04:56.500 --> 00:04:59.360 that people have and will never get back, which 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:02.480 is their time. So it has to really touch a spot. 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:07.220 It has to make something move within those people 00:05:07.220 --> 00:05:11.720 who listen to you. And how do you transform a 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:14.980 technical founder, a technical entrepreneur into 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:18.579 a good storyteller. So it's not a transformation 00:05:18.579 --> 00:05:23.100 that someone stops being that geek who is interested 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:28.300 in wires and combinations and code, but it's 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:32.600 finding what's his passion or her passion and 00:05:32.600 --> 00:05:35.579 then conveying that. Because when you see a person 00:05:35.579 --> 00:05:38.810 speak about what they love, there's a spark and 00:05:38.810 --> 00:05:41.410 their eyes just open. I remember a few months 00:05:41.410 --> 00:05:44.449 ago I worked with his founder and I'm sorry not 00:05:44.449 --> 00:05:47.769 naming names that was so boring so boring and 00:05:47.769 --> 00:05:50.490 then I kept asking questions trying to keep my 00:05:50.490 --> 00:05:53.350 eyes open and there was this barometer of a pillow 00:05:53.350 --> 00:05:56.069 you know when is the pillow coming out and supporting 00:05:56.069 --> 00:05:59.490 me but at one point I asked this question and 00:05:59.490 --> 00:06:02.490 he realized something And then he started telling 00:06:02.490 --> 00:06:05.949 me a story of, you know, the inception, why, 00:06:06.290 --> 00:06:08.970 what happened. And then suddenly had this huge 00:06:08.970 --> 00:06:12.079 smile on his face. So I was curious and then 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:15.420 he got my attention. I was more willing to listen, 00:06:15.620 --> 00:06:18.680 more willing to wait for, for even, you know, 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:21.500 he forgot a word. He was slow, but then there 00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:24.040 is something in the communication that changed. 00:06:24.060 --> 00:06:26.920 So he's still the same person. He's not a fast 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:29.839 speaker. He's not very articulate maybe, but 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:32.620 when you have a connection between human beings, 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:35.399 when there are emotions coming out and you see 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:37.939 why they're doing what they're doing. They don't 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:40.720 need a lot of words to convey that and magnet 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:43.939 people to them. So I don't promise you that people 00:06:43.939 --> 00:06:47.360 are different, but I help them find out what 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:51.319 makes them so happy and passionate about what 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:54.639 they do and crystallize it. Take the fluff off, 00:06:55.019 --> 00:06:57.660 away, start with something captivating with a 00:06:57.660 --> 00:07:00.500 hook. I just finished a call with a few founders 00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:03.300 now and they're doing something amazing, super 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:07.040 needed, but their pitch... was overburdened with 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:10.680 so many facts and there was no clear order. It 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:12.639 didn't have, it didn't start with the beginning. 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:15.699 It started somewhere. There were so many flaws, 00:07:15.879 --> 00:07:18.100 not flaws, but the mistakes that usually are 00:07:18.100 --> 00:07:21.120 being done and being made by founders because 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:24.800 this is not natural for everyone. And I guided 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:28.379 them step by step and started by asking, what 00:07:28.379 --> 00:07:32.240 was that moment that you decided to throw your 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:35.800 job? and solve a problem you saw during that 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:38.680 job. And don't just tell me, this is the money 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:41.160 we're raising, this is a huge opportunity, this 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:44.439 is the SAM and the TAM and, you know, all these 00:07:44.439 --> 00:07:47.279 buzzwords and figures that we need to show. No. 00:07:47.540 --> 00:07:50.420 Tell me why you're doing what you're doing. How 00:07:50.420 --> 00:07:53.060 would it touch me? How would it influence and 00:07:53.060 --> 00:07:55.660 improve my life? Tell me something about that. 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:58.639 Take me through a journey of life is okay and 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:02.300 then something happens. You need help. This is 00:08:02.300 --> 00:08:07.459 me. And then life is back to being great. I want 00:08:07.459 --> 00:08:11.899 that. I'm thinking about something, but do you 00:08:11.899 --> 00:08:14.259 think that all brands or companies should connect 00:08:14.259 --> 00:08:16.819 with people on an emotional level instead of 00:08:16.819 --> 00:08:19.160 just a logical level? Because I think a lot of 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:20.740 people, especially in technology, they tend to 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:23.660 think we are the best because of A, B and C. 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:26.459 But then when we do connect with them emotionally, 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:29.000 obviously our attachment to their mistakes, to 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:32.000 their progress, it's much, much higher. And we 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:34.389 actually... trying to figure out the technical 00:08:34.389 --> 00:08:37.330 elements in more depth than we would normally. 00:08:37.690 --> 00:08:39.450 I don't know. What do you think about this? I 00:08:39.450 --> 00:08:42.269 think emotions are super important. This is so 00:08:42.269 --> 00:08:45.629 basic. This is the way we remember. This is the 00:08:45.629 --> 00:08:48.590 way we feel. This is the way we connect. So we 00:08:48.590 --> 00:08:52.470 have to dive very deep into our motivation and 00:08:52.470 --> 00:08:55.289 their needs. I always say there's a triangle. 00:08:55.409 --> 00:08:57.990 So you start with the audience, then the goal. 00:08:58.350 --> 00:09:00.870 What do you want to get out of this call? What 00:09:00.870 --> 00:09:03.009 do you want to get out of this speech or whatever? 00:09:03.389 --> 00:09:06.750 And then there's you. What's in it? What's that 00:09:06.750 --> 00:09:09.269 story? What prompted you to do what you do? What 00:09:09.269 --> 00:09:13.370 makes you the best problem solver? But we have 00:09:13.370 --> 00:09:16.730 to think of what is the problem of them, of the 00:09:16.730 --> 00:09:19.970 audience that you are. addressing and the audience 00:09:19.970 --> 00:09:22.549 could change. Of course, it could be the buyers. 00:09:22.809 --> 00:09:25.350 It could be employees and future employees that 00:09:25.350 --> 00:09:28.549 you want to onboard and hire. And it could be 00:09:28.549 --> 00:09:31.309 investors, any stakeholders that you want their 00:09:31.309 --> 00:09:33.049 money, you want their opinion, you want their 00:09:33.049 --> 00:09:36.470 time. So think where they're at. What's that 00:09:36.470 --> 00:09:40.129 moment? What's up? What keeps them up at night? 00:09:40.450 --> 00:09:43.909 And then what do you want to get out of that 00:09:43.909 --> 00:09:47.230 conversation or meeting and then why you what's. 00:09:47.129 --> 00:09:50.529 What's that thing about you that connects these 00:09:50.529 --> 00:09:54.009 three dots? And it's very simple. And what do 00:09:54.009 --> 00:09:55.549 you think the entrepreneurs should think about 00:09:55.549 --> 00:09:58.110 when they're changing their speech from, let's 00:09:58.110 --> 00:10:01.830 say, talking with a very technical investor to 00:10:01.830 --> 00:10:04.549 talking to a very emotional investor? Like, how 00:10:04.549 --> 00:10:07.710 should they be able to read the cues or is there 00:10:07.710 --> 00:10:10.129 any better way of doing the presentation where 00:10:10.129 --> 00:10:12.110 they can just look, okay, this is a very technical 00:10:12.110 --> 00:10:14.710 person. I can talk about all the facts and stats, 00:10:14.909 --> 00:10:17.399 or this is a very emotional person. So is there 00:10:17.399 --> 00:10:19.919 a better way of doing presentations and just 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:23.039 getting your message across? So of course, like 00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:24.679 I said, you have to start with the audience. 00:10:24.740 --> 00:10:28.600 And if you can, you always have to try and do 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:31.379 a lot of homework. Listen to them before, listen 00:10:31.379 --> 00:10:35.159 to podcasts. hear their jargon, hear their temper, 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:38.879 their energy, their pace. Sometimes, you know, 00:10:38.940 --> 00:10:41.700 people speak very slowly and you're a fast speaker, 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:44.799 you need to adjust and prepare for that and just 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:47.259 be very comfortable with who they are. So if 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:49.539 you can see a video of them, you're not surprised. 00:10:49.620 --> 00:10:52.100 You know how they use their hands and if they're, 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:55.259 you know, a soft talker, a loud talker, etc. 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:57.840 So you prepare and then you come to that meeting, 00:10:58.159 --> 00:11:01.200 you already know how to address them. If they're 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:04.360 interested in the dry facts and that's it, dry 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:07.379 details, do that. Don't overburden them with 00:11:07.379 --> 00:11:09.799 information they don't need. But if they go through 00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:12.919 the fluff and the soft, you know, soft figures 00:11:12.919 --> 00:11:16.879 and soft details, go there. But play it by ear. 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:19.840 I mean, you need to adjust. And that's why I 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:22.919 go back to communication and knowing who you're 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:25.460 speaking to, knowing how to speak with them, 00:11:25.620 --> 00:11:28.019 knowing how to make them feel very comfortable. 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:31.320 That's a lot to do with my experience with journalism, 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:34.980 asking hard questions without them feeling very 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:38.200 intrusive, making the others feel so relaxed 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:41.159 that they share, overshare things that they didn't 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:43.539 plan to. And that's good because that's where 00:11:43.539 --> 00:11:46.080 they go. People try to put some guards, their 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:50.460 guards up. But behind that, the goal lies. And 00:11:50.460 --> 00:11:53.460 that's what we want. We want people to feel comfortable 00:11:53.460 --> 00:11:57.120 enough during pauses. So we need to feel comfortable. 00:11:57.360 --> 00:11:59.659 Like I'm saying something now and then taking 00:11:59.659 --> 00:12:02.480 a breather. In that breather, if I ask you a 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:06.860 question, I should wait and count a few more 00:12:06.860 --> 00:12:09.490 seconds afterwards. Cause maybe there's something 00:12:09.490 --> 00:12:12.990 you wanted to say and I need to read your expressions, 00:12:13.250 --> 00:12:15.850 the facial expressions and body language. Are 00:12:15.850 --> 00:12:18.669 you comfortable enough? Are you sharing enough? 00:12:18.750 --> 00:12:21.210 Do you want to share something? And this is good 00:12:21.210 --> 00:12:24.769 for the very early stages. When you go out and 00:12:24.769 --> 00:12:27.490 speak with your potential buyers before you even 00:12:27.490 --> 00:12:30.970 design something, your customers, but later on 00:12:30.970 --> 00:12:33.549 to feel comfortable enough with that investor 00:12:33.549 --> 00:12:37.120 who hasn't invested yet. But we're building on 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:39.700 a relationship and it's long going. It's one 00:12:39.700 --> 00:12:41.600 of the things I realized from interviewing so 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:43.820 many entrepreneurs, both when they're starting 00:12:43.820 --> 00:12:46.399 out, but also when they get really, really successful 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:50.299 is that their ability to tell a story often defines 00:12:50.299 --> 00:12:52.659 how successful they're going to be. So I've met 00:12:52.659 --> 00:12:54.980 people who are not able to articulate what their 00:12:54.980 --> 00:12:57.299 startup does. And that is an issue because if 00:12:57.299 --> 00:12:58.779 I don't see what you're doing, if I don't understand 00:12:58.779 --> 00:13:01.019 what you're doing, how can I buy into it? Like, 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:02.919 I'm really going to struggle. And if I struggle 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:04.659 to do that, I think most of the audience will. 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:07.799 And the same thing happens for, well, and then 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:09.940 you see the progression of that. And then when 00:13:09.940 --> 00:13:11.940 they are very, very successful and they tell 00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:14.600 their story, they are able to break it down in 00:13:14.600 --> 00:13:17.659 sizable chunks of information. And everyone can 00:13:17.659 --> 00:13:19.539 actually understand what they're saying, regardless 00:13:19.539 --> 00:13:21.860 if you're very technical or not. And sometimes 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:24.399 we talk to people who have done amazing things 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:27.179 in AI and this is breaking it down. Okay. So 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:28.740 we build this little computer and it does that 00:13:28.740 --> 00:13:30.320 and gives us this analysis and that analysis. 00:13:30.539 --> 00:13:33.960 Okay, I get it. Being overly technical. So yeah, 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:35.659 it's quite important, isn't it? Just being able 00:13:35.659 --> 00:13:38.259 to fully explain what you're doing and know your 00:13:38.259 --> 00:13:41.659 audience. How can you be better at it though? 00:13:41.779 --> 00:13:45.440 Okay, so you step out of that garage, the garage 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:49.580 mode, the point of view, the building mode, and 00:13:49.580 --> 00:13:52.059 you go and explore. You speak with people, you 00:13:52.059 --> 00:13:54.600 speak with your audience, you speak with potential 00:13:54.600 --> 00:13:59.289 users. buyers, you work on explaining that to 00:13:59.289 --> 00:14:01.610 different audiences. You speak with your mother, 00:14:01.769 --> 00:14:05.250 your mother -in -law on, you know, weekend, holiday, 00:14:05.529 --> 00:14:08.389 dinner. She asks you, what do you do? What's 00:14:08.389 --> 00:14:10.450 that thing you're playing with? When are you 00:14:10.450 --> 00:14:13.330 going to get a real job? And you try different 00:14:13.330 --> 00:14:17.110 versions. So different audiences could be young 00:14:17.110 --> 00:14:19.669 kids and it could be old people, could be tech. 00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:22.860 Technical could be not from your world, technical 00:14:22.860 --> 00:14:26.460 but doing something else. B2C, B2B and you test 00:14:26.460 --> 00:14:30.539 it. You do that, you harass people on the elevator. 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:33.080 You know, that's always good because it's short. 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:36.059 That's the elevator pitch. You try and you test 00:14:36.059 --> 00:14:38.759 and you fail and you do a lot of homework. So 00:14:38.759 --> 00:14:41.139 you go to pitch competitions, not because you 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:43.879 want to win, but because you want to try and 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:46.580 you want to be comfortable enough on stage because 00:14:46.580 --> 00:14:49.279 on stage it's just like being in a boardroom. 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:53.059 and trying to get people not bored, feel not 00:14:53.059 --> 00:14:57.600 bored. So there's nothing like practice, which 00:14:57.600 --> 00:15:00.440 makes perfect. We speak with strangers. Sometimes 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:05.059 I invite people to use these platforms like a 00:15:05.059 --> 00:15:08.899 lunch club. free online platforms to speak with 00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:11.940 strangers and it doesn't really feel too cringy 00:15:11.940 --> 00:15:15.320 because you do need to Present yourself and say 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:18.460 something for like 20 minutes and hold a conversation 00:15:18.460 --> 00:15:21.799 I also feel that it's really important to work 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:25.179 on your communication skills So any conversations 00:15:25.179 --> 00:15:27.639 like that, which is not engaged. I mean, it's 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:29.779 not you're not committed to anything You're not 00:15:29.779 --> 00:15:33.179 asking anyone. It's just speaking with new people 00:15:33.179 --> 00:15:37.309 helps you convey better the idea and see how 00:15:37.309 --> 00:15:40.570 they react and respond to your pitch and then 00:15:40.570 --> 00:15:43.710 they ask questions. It's not a pitch, that's 00:15:43.710 --> 00:15:46.769 why it's so good because it's just like a networking 00:15:46.769 --> 00:15:51.070 platform. So different audiences, strangers, 00:15:51.730 --> 00:15:54.009 competitions, just because you want the stage, 00:15:54.230 --> 00:15:59.090 but also any webinar or an opportunity to share 00:15:59.090 --> 00:16:02.879 what you're doing for different audiences. And 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:05.220 how do you fight your nerves? Because a lot of 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:07.000 people are actually really, really scared of 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:09.139 public speaking, of reaching out and telling 00:16:09.139 --> 00:16:11.200 the world about their little baby, their little 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:13.799 idea. How do you fight that? So first of all, 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:18.580 sports, even just before exercise, jump up and 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:22.830 down, do vocal. exercises, kind of seeing very 00:16:22.830 --> 00:16:25.730 out loud and see that you're comfortable hearing 00:16:25.730 --> 00:16:29.649 your own voice. So that's to sports, vocal, promise 00:16:29.649 --> 00:16:33.210 yourself something really fun afterwards. Just 00:16:33.210 --> 00:16:35.350 preach yourself knowing that, okay, I'm going 00:16:35.350 --> 00:16:38.350 to do this really thing, this thing that I'm 00:16:38.350 --> 00:16:41.629 anxious about and scared, but afterwards there's 00:16:41.629 --> 00:16:44.029 something, there's a prize waiting for me. Take 00:16:44.029 --> 00:16:47.450 it slowly. Don't, you know, don't go and jump 00:16:47.450 --> 00:16:50.909 with the most important speaking event. do something 00:16:50.909 --> 00:16:54.769 small, like a community event, nothing that's 00:16:54.769 --> 00:16:57.090 into the books, nothing to write home about, 00:16:57.409 --> 00:17:00.769 but then it's okay. Safe space is also good. 00:17:01.129 --> 00:17:03.490 If you feel comfortable in front of your partner 00:17:03.490 --> 00:17:06.869 to do that and films, you know, go through mistakes 00:17:06.869 --> 00:17:10.150 or in front of the camera, watch yourself, record 00:17:10.150 --> 00:17:14.170 yourself over and over and over and feel comfortable 00:17:14.170 --> 00:17:17.599 enough. listening to that, hearing yourself, 00:17:17.819 --> 00:17:20.920 get advice off a mentor that you trust, work 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:23.380 on that pitch again and again and again. The 00:17:23.380 --> 00:17:26.559 practice makes perfect. Do it 10 times and then 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:29.339 50 times. It's just better. It just gets better 00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:33.380 and you get more okay, feeling okay with doing 00:17:33.380 --> 00:17:36.480 mistakes and not performing at your best. Yeah. 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:38.019 I think a lot of people struggle with that, isn't 00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:39.420 it? It's like, oh, I'm going to make a mistake, 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:45.000 but then it's part of life. Yeah. The worst mistake 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:48.420 is not trying and not doing. The most professional 00:17:48.420 --> 00:17:50.880 ones do mistakes. Sometimes you don't even know 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:53.920 about it because you know why? You don't have 00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:57.799 the script. The audience don't know that there 00:17:57.799 --> 00:18:00.880 was not supposed to be a pause. You don't need 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:04.500 to apologize and say, oh wait, I forgot that. 00:18:04.809 --> 00:18:07.190 I didn't know what you're gonna say. I didn't 00:18:07.190 --> 00:18:09.509 know that the slide got stuck. I didn't know 00:18:09.509 --> 00:18:12.309 that it was supposed to be an elephant now and 00:18:12.309 --> 00:18:15.349 someone jumping in and out of a drum roll box. 00:18:15.690 --> 00:18:21.289 No, I didn't know. That's mine. It's funny. I 00:18:21.289 --> 00:18:23.009 actually always tell that to people whenever 00:18:23.009 --> 00:18:25.250 I do open mic pitching. I always tell them exactly 00:18:25.250 --> 00:18:28.369 that, which is the audience has no idea what 00:18:28.369 --> 00:18:30.420 you're gonna tell them. So there's literally 00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:32.519 no mistake you can say. The only mistake is you 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:35.039 stopping speaking and even then you can still 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:36.839 afford the pause. So if you need to pause to 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:39.420 make like a dramatic effect, that's completely 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:42.680 fine. Also, I think people tend to be a lot more 00:18:42.680 --> 00:18:45.259 compassionate when they do a lot more stuff because 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:48.059 we've all been in someone else's, well, in those 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:49.960 shoes, right? We've all been in that situation 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:52.279 where our mouths get dry and we're doing a little 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:54.539 bit of public speaking or we get jittery, we 00:18:54.539 --> 00:18:56.359 get nervous, we don't feel comfortable. Oh my 00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:58.660 God, they're all looking at me as so... Because 00:18:58.660 --> 00:19:00.019 we've all been in those shoes, we tend to be 00:19:00.019 --> 00:19:01.579 a lot more compassionate with people when they 00:19:01.579 --> 00:19:03.839 are presenting, right? And I think with time, 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:05.759 you can be more compassionate about yourself 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:08.759 if you do that over and over. Let's say the first 00:19:08.759 --> 00:19:11.859 time was so bad, second time can't be that bad, 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:14.519 right? So you need to be more supportive. And 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:17.140 also another thing that can help is if you're 00:19:17.140 --> 00:19:20.880 really, really stressed by gripping sweat and, 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:23.759 oh my God, can't really say a word, start by 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:27.109 acknowledging that. and bringing in the audience 00:19:27.109 --> 00:19:29.769 to your fears and saying, this is so bad. This 00:19:29.769 --> 00:19:32.869 is my first time here. Oh my God. How many people 00:19:32.869 --> 00:19:35.490 would nod? How many people would say, you're 00:19:35.490 --> 00:19:38.950 not alone Ricarda, we have your back. Thank you. 00:19:39.210 --> 00:19:42.309 Or clap, applaud. That's amazing. That's a good 00:19:42.309 --> 00:19:45.710 start. Just start by being very genuine and honest. 00:19:46.450 --> 00:19:50.990 Open up by saying, I'm sorry. I'm probably gonna 00:19:50.990 --> 00:19:55.099 flunk here. I'm gonna probably fuck it up. as 00:19:55.099 --> 00:19:58.480 hell because i'm super scared okay and now we 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:01.200 start i actually think it can be your superpower 00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:03.480 now it was a couple things like something happened 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:06.880 in in indonesia this week or a couple days ago 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:10.559 last week probably where um the uk chancellor 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:14.680 rachel reeves was seen crying in parliament there's 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:16.940 a huge drama oh my god the economy literally 00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:19.480 fluctuated a bit because of it And I was just 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:20.859 thinking, well, this is actually a superpower. 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:22.859 It's not a weakness. Quite on the contrary, she's 00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:24.779 just showing us she's actually human. She was 00:20:24.779 --> 00:20:26.539 probably overloaded with something. And then 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:28.000 she was not crying because she was not doing 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:30.539 her job well. She was just overwhelmed with everything 00:20:30.539 --> 00:20:32.299 happening around her, which is completely fine. 00:20:32.980 --> 00:20:35.200 Or maybe because she's so connected to what she's 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:38.779 doing that it brings out real genuine emotions. 00:20:39.420 --> 00:20:42.059 Exactly. That says a lot. I think it's normal 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:45.039 for anyone who ever tries to do anything. And 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:46.819 it doesn't mean I like her or not like her. It 00:20:46.819 --> 00:20:48.700 just means that if you're doing something, you're 00:20:48.700 --> 00:20:50.099 passionate about what you're doing, you will 00:20:50.099 --> 00:20:51.980 have those moments. And that's part of life. 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:54.960 So I think it's one of those instances where 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:56.859 leaders recognize other leaders and we're just 00:20:56.859 --> 00:20:58.440 saying, yeah, that's actually normal behavior. 00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:00.819 That's perfectly normal to have that, to hesitate, 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:04.240 to stumble, to make mistakes, to own up to your 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:06.700 own mistakes, to apologize. It's perfectly normal 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:09.279 to do that on stage and in life as well. So yeah. 00:21:09.369 --> 00:21:11.990 So it builds up a better communication and better 00:21:11.990 --> 00:21:15.190 connection, human connection. This is true. She 00:21:15.190 --> 00:21:17.529 took off all her masks. She doesn't need that 00:21:17.529 --> 00:21:20.230 because this is what she feels and she's working 00:21:20.230 --> 00:21:22.210 through it. She's not stopping. It doesn't make 00:21:22.210 --> 00:21:25.730 her freeze. She cries and talks and delivers. 00:21:27.269 --> 00:21:29.630 Yeah. I was thinking there's many cases where 00:21:29.630 --> 00:21:33.160 brands actually screw up. And then they apologize 00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:35.519 to the public, but they don't apologize in that 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:38.000 corporate way. They actually own up to the mistake 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:40.440 and say, you know what, we own this. We made 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:42.720 a massive mistake here. Let's go back to where 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:44.980 we were or let's try something else. Right. And 00:21:44.980 --> 00:21:46.599 that just gives them a lot more power and credibility. 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:50.160 At least. Yeah, exactly. Like you tend to believe 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:53.519 and trust them a lot more if they own that up. 00:21:53.559 --> 00:21:55.599 If they don't, it's like, it doesn't work that 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:58.670 well. I'm just thinking. Can you tell when you 00:21:58.670 --> 00:22:00.529 meet an entrepreneur, can you tell if they're 00:22:00.529 --> 00:22:02.710 going to be successful or not? Can you tell if 00:22:02.710 --> 00:22:05.910 they have what it takes? Well, that's an awesome 00:22:05.910 --> 00:22:10.750 question. And I do try and answer that because 00:22:10.750 --> 00:22:14.029 I, because I join different companies' boards. 00:22:14.170 --> 00:22:18.250 I'm not a VC. I'm not a fund, but my time is 00:22:18.250 --> 00:22:20.829 as precious. And you know, this is only what 00:22:20.829 --> 00:22:24.210 I have and I'm not going to get it back. I try 00:22:24.210 --> 00:22:28.950 to look at the... due diligence process and add 00:22:28.950 --> 00:22:34.009 more criterias to make my decision. Well, because 00:22:34.009 --> 00:22:36.670 sometimes I bet on them. I bet with my time, 00:22:36.710 --> 00:22:40.049 I go into like equity base, so I need to choose 00:22:40.049 --> 00:22:43.730 very well. So one thing, just like VCs, I know 00:22:43.730 --> 00:22:47.250 that with time and the more companies you see, 00:22:47.750 --> 00:22:50.549 there is, there's a pattern. There's a pattern. 00:22:50.869 --> 00:22:55.910 And I think that really, um, there's a projection 00:22:55.910 --> 00:22:58.650 of who's gonna succeed like you asked. One thing, 00:22:58.690 --> 00:23:01.269 it comes up a lot and it's not just because this 00:23:01.269 --> 00:23:04.230 is my field. Those who can communicate, not tell 00:23:04.230 --> 00:23:07.849 a good story, but communicate, that's great because 00:23:07.849 --> 00:23:12.150 I know that's a marker for success because they 00:23:12.150 --> 00:23:15.789 will be able to own up for their mistakes, speak 00:23:15.789 --> 00:23:19.069 genuinely and candidly with their audience, with 00:23:19.069 --> 00:23:23.539 their buyers, drive people towards them. future 00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:26.859 potential investors, future potential employees, 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:30.960 all that has to do so much with the communication 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:34.640 skills. So anyone who's, I feel comfortable speaking 00:23:34.640 --> 00:23:37.279 to and makes me comfortable sharing something 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:40.200 that I didn't know about, but it's not in a condescending 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:43.940 way. Maybe the storytelling is not perfect, but 00:23:43.940 --> 00:23:49.589 they can communicate. And these are people that 00:23:49.589 --> 00:23:52.529 magnet others who want to work for them, work 00:23:52.529 --> 00:23:56.049 with them, go the long way. So that's one thing. 00:23:56.230 --> 00:23:58.450 There's something about age. I'm trying not to 00:23:58.450 --> 00:24:01.529 be ageist, but I do think that the older you 00:24:01.529 --> 00:24:04.789 get, the more experience you have. You've done 00:24:04.789 --> 00:24:08.549 more mistakes, saw a lot of changes, and I would 00:24:08.549 --> 00:24:11.690 put my chips more towards these people. but you 00:24:11.690 --> 00:24:15.410 know younger have nothing to lose they're just 00:24:15.410 --> 00:24:18.950 experimenting they can go faster nothing's holding 00:24:18.950 --> 00:24:23.250 them back there's a thing but i do tend to see 00:24:23.250 --> 00:24:27.490 more success it's kind of it's a loop that feeds 00:24:27.490 --> 00:24:30.710 itself because a second timer has more chances 00:24:30.710 --> 00:24:34.410 etc and if you live longer you did more work 00:24:34.410 --> 00:24:38.670 more experience that shows But communication 00:24:38.670 --> 00:24:44.029 above and before all, age and wisdom. Immigrants 00:24:44.029 --> 00:24:46.950 also, we talked about it off the record before 00:24:46.950 --> 00:24:49.190 when we started. There's something about not 00:24:49.190 --> 00:24:54.190 having a plan B and going through a major life 00:24:54.190 --> 00:24:59.309 event. Need to reinvent yourself. That's entrepreneurship. 00:25:00.109 --> 00:25:02.369 That's what I'll just do. Going through a lot 00:25:02.369 --> 00:25:07.400 of changes. I don't think that there's anything 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:12.359 so huge on a person's life than moving country, 00:25:12.660 --> 00:25:15.779 culture, leaving everything behind, reinventing 00:25:15.779 --> 00:25:20.039 themselves, their social space, having no social 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:23.900 circles. Everything is new. Nothing to bounce 00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:29.319 back to. That gives people a lot of... heads 00:25:29.319 --> 00:25:31.880 up in entrepreneurship. And we see that a lot. 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:35.720 A lot of the major companies started with people 00:25:35.720 --> 00:25:40.119 who left one thing to the unknown, needed to 00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:42.960 reinvent themselves, create something out of 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:46.619 nothing and build up. So that gives them a lot 00:25:46.619 --> 00:25:49.619 of resilience, all these characteristics that 00:25:49.619 --> 00:25:53.039 are needed to go through a very long path and 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:57.259 road of unknowns. So embracing that ambiguity 00:25:57.259 --> 00:26:01.700 comes from being a new person in a new setting. 00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:04.160 There's something I've always been quite impressed 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:06.579 about, which is the people who did the Oregon 00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:09.680 Trail in the US, right? They were coming in from 00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:12.480 Europe and they put themselves in the caravan 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:15.779 and drove a road, I'm not sure which one, all 00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:17.859 the way to the west coast. I'm like, this is 00:26:17.859 --> 00:26:21.099 absolutely mental. And the stories and transformations 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:22.880 that must have gone through in that journey. 00:26:23.230 --> 00:26:25.690 reminds me exactly of that. An immigrant reminds 00:26:25.690 --> 00:26:27.990 me of people launching businesses because when 00:26:27.990 --> 00:26:30.829 you first start a business and then a year down 00:26:30.829 --> 00:26:32.529 the line, two years online, you're not the same 00:26:32.529 --> 00:26:34.789 person. So much has changed. You've grown so 00:26:34.789 --> 00:26:37.289 much. And regardless of if you're successful 00:26:37.289 --> 00:26:40.230 or not, a lot has changed. And I think what makes 00:26:40.230 --> 00:26:42.190 you successful is are you able to incorporate 00:26:42.190 --> 00:26:45.410 those lessons quickly enough to keep on pushing 00:26:45.410 --> 00:26:47.890 forward or not? Literally, I think it comes down 00:26:47.890 --> 00:26:51.150 to this one. It's falling, being able to fall, 00:26:51.490 --> 00:26:55.569 but mostly rise up. fast after that. I mean, 00:26:55.670 --> 00:26:58.730 because we all go through life -changing events 00:26:58.730 --> 00:27:01.450 and, you know, shit hit the fan. But what do 00:27:01.450 --> 00:27:04.549 we do with that? How do we continue and how fast 00:27:04.549 --> 00:27:07.329 and what do we take out of that? Does it change 00:27:07.329 --> 00:27:10.250 us or just, yeah, well, didn't learn anything, 00:27:10.609 --> 00:27:13.049 continue. I think someone said the definition 00:27:13.049 --> 00:27:14.470 of madness is to keep on doing the same thing 00:27:14.470 --> 00:27:16.809 over and over again, expecting a different result, 00:27:16.809 --> 00:27:20.309 right? And then you have Thomas Edison who said, 00:27:20.450 --> 00:27:22.509 well, I haven't failed. I just found 10 ,000 00:27:22.509 --> 00:27:24.750 ways of not doing a light bulb, which is actually 00:27:24.750 --> 00:27:27.210 pretty accurate. So yeah, it's a matter of mindset. 00:27:27.650 --> 00:27:30.210 Which brings me to my next question, which is 00:27:30.210 --> 00:27:33.990 your own internal communication. How do you balance 00:27:33.990 --> 00:27:37.009 your own internal demons when you're going through 00:27:37.009 --> 00:27:38.609 all these challenges? How do you communicate 00:27:38.609 --> 00:27:40.730 with yourself? As a founder, you mean myself? 00:27:41.410 --> 00:27:43.569 Well, as a founder, but also from your own experience. 00:27:43.869 --> 00:27:46.410 Okay. So I talk a lot about personal branding. 00:27:46.670 --> 00:27:48.890 I do a workshop on that in conferences and for 00:27:48.890 --> 00:27:51.849 companies. And first of all, I want to say this 00:27:51.849 --> 00:27:55.049 is super important. Communicating your value 00:27:55.049 --> 00:27:59.869 is super important and crucial because let's 00:27:59.869 --> 00:28:04.109 say you met this investor six months ago. You 00:28:04.109 --> 00:28:07.349 were just starting out. He was busy. It was a 00:28:07.349 --> 00:28:10.369 bad day for both of you. That's the end, but 00:28:10.369 --> 00:28:13.359 you did connect on LinkedIn. So it's not really 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:17.619 the end. You have to continue and show up and 00:28:17.619 --> 00:28:22.039 share your valuable content and your progress 00:28:22.039 --> 00:28:24.960 online. And who knows what will happen. I have 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:28.099 a founder that I work with and yesterday he told 00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:30.619 me that he knew this guy. They worked together 00:28:30.619 --> 00:28:33.559 years ago and he was so overwhelming. So many 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:36.960 tests that he didn't really continue and pick 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:40.339 up the phone consistently. But then... Six months 00:28:40.339 --> 00:28:42.859 ago they met he told him about his new company 00:28:42.859 --> 00:28:45.099 and he said a good timing and the other week 00:28:45.099 --> 00:28:49.220 that Person that future potential customer called 00:28:49.220 --> 00:28:52.279 up and said I want in I want to you know I want 00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:54.599 to work with you and I asked him but he said 00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:57.220 he didn't have time to Communicate your value 00:28:57.220 --> 00:29:00.119 and he said no I didn't have time to stay in 00:29:00.119 --> 00:29:04.000 touch But every week he shared his voice on LinkedIn 00:29:04.329 --> 00:29:08.170 So people see. Sometimes you feel like a no is 00:29:08.170 --> 00:29:11.269 a definite, infinite, you know, that's the last 00:29:11.269 --> 00:29:14.789 word, but it's not. It's just, you know, you 00:29:14.789 --> 00:29:16.990 just have to continue doing what you're doing 00:29:16.990 --> 00:29:21.089 out in the open. So the garage mode has to stop 00:29:21.089 --> 00:29:23.529 at one point. Maybe don't share your secrets 00:29:23.529 --> 00:29:26.769 and IP. Yeah, probably not, but share the journey. 00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:30.180 share the work you do, share the progress. And 00:29:30.180 --> 00:29:32.819 there are two things that I love sharing with 00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:35.599 the companies that I work with. Two emails. One 00:29:35.599 --> 00:29:39.380 is the update for investors. Another one, update 00:29:39.380 --> 00:29:42.759 for customers. Show them what you've done since 00:29:42.759 --> 00:29:45.680 last time we talked, what you're gonna do until 00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:48.960 next update, and then a small ask. It's a very 00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:53.369 short, concise email, but it's worth it. thousands 00:29:53.369 --> 00:29:55.890 and thousands, hundred thousands dollars, because 00:29:55.890 --> 00:29:58.190 I see it every time the founders I work with 00:29:58.190 --> 00:30:01.390 send that email. A check comes in. It converted. 00:30:01.430 --> 00:30:03.990 Why? Because people want to see what you do. 00:30:03.990 --> 00:30:06.829 They want to connect to your story. So the story 00:30:06.829 --> 00:30:09.849 is not just the tech and the technical. It's 00:30:09.849 --> 00:30:12.289 not, it's far from it, but it's not that updates. 00:30:12.769 --> 00:30:15.710 It's I promise to do something. Last time we 00:30:15.710 --> 00:30:18.809 talked, look at my journey, be part of my journey. 00:30:19.150 --> 00:30:22.109 People want a ticket in, into this show. people 00:30:22.109 --> 00:30:24.650 who work at corporates or just an employee of 00:30:24.650 --> 00:30:28.269 someone else. They want a ticket, a front road 00:30:28.269 --> 00:30:32.589 to that journey of building something. They want 00:30:32.589 --> 00:30:35.329 in. They want you to take them through the pitfalls 00:30:35.329 --> 00:30:37.869 and what happened and the bad things and the 00:30:37.869 --> 00:30:40.089 things you missed and that pitch competition 00:30:40.089 --> 00:30:43.549 you lost and that meeting you came in late. And 00:30:43.549 --> 00:30:45.910 there was a huge opportunity and oh my God, but 00:30:45.910 --> 00:30:48.789 this is human. And this is live because these 00:30:48.789 --> 00:30:51.369 are updates that are going on and you can be 00:30:51.369 --> 00:30:54.470 part of. And at one point you would, you could 00:30:54.470 --> 00:30:57.490 apply to work there. You could fund, you can 00:30:57.490 --> 00:31:00.890 invest, you can buy that service and be part 00:31:00.890 --> 00:31:03.549 of their journey actively, not just as a viewer. 00:31:03.849 --> 00:31:06.250 People have to build their personal brand because 00:31:06.250 --> 00:31:08.990 it's not just a company. If you want people to 00:31:08.990 --> 00:31:12.539 work for you, they don't really care about. You 00:31:12.539 --> 00:31:15.319 know, the technical aspect. I mean, they might, 00:31:15.460 --> 00:31:19.019 to an extent, and they might want to know the, 00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:20.859 for sure want to know how much they'll earn. 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:23.660 But when the salary is the same, you're not competing 00:31:23.660 --> 00:31:26.180 over price, not with your customers, not with 00:31:26.180 --> 00:31:29.240 your employees. You're competing over emotions 00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:32.640 and how do people feel and that inspiration, 00:31:32.880 --> 00:31:35.380 that huge smile that that founder had and his 00:31:35.380 --> 00:31:38.839 eyes lit up. We want in, we want close to that. 00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:43.029 We want to be close to that fascinating. madness 00:31:43.029 --> 00:31:46.990 or excitement that keeps us in that. You know, 00:31:47.049 --> 00:31:49.809 at the end of the day, it's just work, but we 00:31:49.809 --> 00:31:52.309 want something bigger than that. So that's the 00:31:52.309 --> 00:31:54.670 story you're telling. We want a family, isn't 00:31:54.670 --> 00:31:57.450 it? We want a sense of belonging, I think. I 00:31:57.450 --> 00:32:01.509 would, I would shy away from family because, 00:32:01.650 --> 00:32:05.369 you know, when companies fire people, families 00:32:05.369 --> 00:32:10.490 don't do that. Belonging, meaning. A place to 00:32:10.490 --> 00:32:13.910 express ourselves, to grow. When your employer, 00:32:14.509 --> 00:32:16.589 the founder of the company sees what you have, 00:32:16.630 --> 00:32:19.869 you have another spark, do that. That's an avenue 00:32:19.869 --> 00:32:22.589 you can explore. Maybe you can bring that in. 00:32:22.970 --> 00:32:25.910 Maybe you were hired to do engineering, but you're 00:32:25.910 --> 00:32:30.849 so good at marketing. So we'll give you. an outlet 00:32:30.849 --> 00:32:33.470 to do that as well. Maybe start a channel, a 00:32:33.470 --> 00:32:37.170 podcast, a YouTube, a blog for the company. Maybe 00:32:37.170 --> 00:32:39.589 whenever we have a conference, we'll ask you, 00:32:40.069 --> 00:32:42.549 although you're supposed to write a code this 00:32:42.549 --> 00:32:45.390 week, maybe this is a good thing for you to explore 00:32:45.390 --> 00:32:48.789 and speak with people. Maybe you'll bring that 00:32:48.789 --> 00:32:51.549 point of view of a technical person, but also 00:32:51.549 --> 00:32:56.250 a people person and blending. I want to ask you 00:32:56.250 --> 00:32:57.910 this question. We're getting close to the end 00:32:57.910 --> 00:33:01.039 of the podcast. What would you tell to an entrepreneur 00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:03.960 just getting started and going to a rough patch 00:33:03.960 --> 00:33:06.380 as well? So just getting started, kind of a bit 00:33:06.380 --> 00:33:08.140 lost, going to a bit of a rough patch. What would 00:33:08.140 --> 00:33:11.299 you tell them? Okay. So we finished on a high, 00:33:11.380 --> 00:33:14.640 kind of. Yeah. So you're asking me to do that 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:20.160 positively. Okay. You should really search within 00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:24.859 and see why you're doing that, for whom, what 00:33:24.859 --> 00:33:29.900 would be an ideal outcome. There's a way out. 00:33:30.299 --> 00:33:34.500 I'm not trying to tell them to stop or give up, 00:33:34.779 --> 00:33:37.640 but I want them to find what's the true motivation, 00:33:37.799 --> 00:33:40.680 write it down on the wall in front of them, on 00:33:40.680 --> 00:33:44.579 the computer. So then when other incidents like 00:33:44.579 --> 00:33:46.799 that will happen, and they will, unfortunately, 00:33:46.980 --> 00:33:49.460 it's a long, it's a marathon. Sometimes feels 00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:51.859 like a sprint, but it's a marathon. That's the 00:33:51.859 --> 00:33:54.559 pace and that's the length. you need to understand 00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:57.940 why you're doing that what keeps you coming up 00:33:57.940 --> 00:34:00.880 showing up every morning every night when you 00:34:00.880 --> 00:34:03.000 just want to go to bed but you're still there 00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:05.759 what is it because you need it in front of you 00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:09.320 that will keep you up so it could be that you're 00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:13.269 doing it for someone like I know one of your 00:34:13.269 --> 00:34:16.329 family members got unfortunately sick and you're 00:34:16.329 --> 00:34:18.650 trying to solve that. That's a really strong 00:34:18.650 --> 00:34:21.429 motivation. Another thing would be that while 00:34:21.429 --> 00:34:23.829 starting the business, you talk with a lot of 00:34:23.829 --> 00:34:26.989 potential users and you heard their stories and 00:34:26.989 --> 00:34:29.750 you want just one of them to be in front of you 00:34:29.750 --> 00:34:33.349 to know I'm solving that. Maybe it's the, I don't 00:34:33.349 --> 00:34:36.329 know, environmental crisis. Think of one animal, 00:34:36.449 --> 00:34:40.949 one community that's suffering. And if it's something 00:34:41.789 --> 00:34:44.710 I don't know, less medical, less environment, 00:34:45.150 --> 00:34:48.469 less values. Think what's the happy spot? What's 00:34:48.469 --> 00:34:51.489 that happy place that makes you want to continue? 00:34:51.750 --> 00:34:54.349 Maybe it's your co -founder. Maybe just working 00:34:54.349 --> 00:34:59.170 together pumps and energizes you. And then, you 00:34:59.170 --> 00:35:01.449 know, the next time it happens, maybe the question 00:35:01.449 --> 00:35:05.630 would be, what can we two do together that brings 00:35:05.630 --> 00:35:08.409 value? And it might be a pivot. That might be 00:35:08.409 --> 00:35:12.119 a pivotal. point in time in which you understand 00:35:12.119 --> 00:35:15.199 it's not the thing we're solving. It's the way 00:35:15.199 --> 00:35:18.760 we do that. I love coming up, coming to work 00:35:18.760 --> 00:35:22.780 with you and, you know, building something together. 00:35:23.320 --> 00:35:26.900 Yeah. Find the why, find what you take. Yeah. 00:35:27.280 --> 00:35:29.380 Love it. Tobi, thank you so much for your time. 00:35:29.539 --> 00:35:31.699 It's been an absolute pleasure. If people want 00:35:31.699 --> 00:35:33.820 to reach out to you, what's the best way of doing 00:35:33.820 --> 00:35:37.230 so? So there's LinkedIn, Tobitneiser, and there's 00:35:37.230 --> 00:35:41.489 a newsletter. It's a creative comms ID on Substack. 00:35:41.789 --> 00:35:44.829 Every two weeks I send one ID creative out of 00:35:44.829 --> 00:35:48.010 the box of how a company or brand can communicate 00:35:48.010 --> 00:35:51.789 their value with their audience. Also, my website, 00:35:51.949 --> 00:35:55.349 yellowbricks .net can reach out either way. Thank 00:35:55.349 --> 00:35:56.909 you. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you 00:35:56.909 --> 00:36:00.090 so much. Likewise. Thank you so much. All right. 00:36:04.250 --> 00:36:06.849 a today event bringing together 2000 founders, 00:36:07.530 --> 00:36:09.489 investors and industry leaders from across Europe. 00:36:10.170 --> 00:36:11.909 As a thank you for being part of the podcast 00:36:11.909 --> 00:36:15.289 community, we are now offering 50 % off all tickets 00:36:15.289 --> 00:36:18.289 by using the code podcast in all capitals on 00:36:18.289 --> 00:36:19.889 the website. See you in Lisbon.