If You’re In a Creative Rut, Use This Founder’s Surprisingly Simple Tip- Valutrics

2. How do you end your day?
After my family goes to bed, I usually stay up for a couple of hours to work and think. I really like that quiet time at the end of the day.

3. What’s a book that changed your mind and why?
Shoe Dog 4. What’s a book you always recommend and why?
The Hard Thing about Hard Things 5. What’s a strategy to keep focused?
Every month I write down my priorities, and I send them to my co-founder Andy. He does the same to me. We discuss them together to ensure we’re both focused on the most important things in the company.

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6. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
A professional basketball player. I had a good jump shot.

7. What did you learn from the worst boss you ever had?
I learned that inconsistency is really hard on teams. That saying one thing one day and another thing the next day without a clear explanation creates uncertainty and yield loss. I try to be consistent with our team at Harry’s and when perspectives change — and they inevitably do — I make it as clear as possible about the new information that’s driving the change.

8. Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach your work?
My Harry’s co-founder Andy had a great piece advice for me on how to approach work: email is someone else’s to do list for you. Focus on you and what you need to get done first. I’ve taken that heart.

9. What’s a trip that changed you?
About 10 years ago I traveled all over China for a month. We were in cities I’ve never heard of that had a population with over 10 million people. It made me appreciate the scale and growth of another country and see first hand that we’re living in an increasingly global world.

10. What inspires you?
Trying to have a positive impact on others — on our team at Harry’s, our customers and the community more broadly.

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11. What was your first business idea and what did you do with it?
My first business idea was War12. What was an early job that taught you something important or useful?
I worked as a summer camp counselor at an overnight camp when I was 16 and 17. I was responsible for 15 other younger kids, and it taught me how to lead and motivate action. Getting a bunch of young kids to clean a bunk when all they wanted to do was sleep was one the hardest leadership challenges I’ve faced.

13. What’s the best advice you ever took?
To buy our razor blade factory in Germany. We bought the factory to be able to expand supply of our razor blades and continue to drive innovation. We were less than a year old as a company and only about 30 people on our team in New York. All of a sudden we became a 450-person global company. It felt crazy then, it still feels crazy now, but I’m so glad that we did it.

14. What’s the worst piece of advice you ever got?
A professor at business school told me and my WarRelated: This Beauty Founder Shares the Secret Leadership Skill to Making a Company Thrive

15. What’s a productivity tip you swear 16. Is there an app or tool you use in a surprising way to get things done or stay on track?
I use Google Docs for all of my one-on-one meetings. We use it to set agendas and keep running notes of our conversations over months. It’s really helpful and easy to refer back to.