Fahad Kamr

Seattle, Washington, United States
Member since October 30, 2011

About

Education

CFA

University of Western Ontario , BS

I am a(n):

Entrepreneur

If you're an entrepreneur or corporate innovator, why?

Ideate. Change. Impact.

My favorite startups:

Square, Twitter, Path, Uber

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

The fascinating highs and the lowest lows. It's a journey of relationships, ideation, and creation.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs/innovators make?

- Giving up or Pivoting too quickly
- Not thinking business model
- Hiring only based on need

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

1. Team is your family. Make sure everyone on the team is either super smart or super motivated. Ideally, both.

- Team requirement #1: Smart/ Talented. Doesn't matter what the need is, if someone smart wants to be a part of it let them in. Super smart people fill multiple holes. You get Kobe even if you have Jordan on your team.
- Team requirement #2: Desire to bring change and innovate is in their DNA. Motivation is not needed. You don't think hours worked, but think "F**k, I didn't get to it today".

2. Balancing life. There is no life, you have to breathe your startup. So there is no question of balancing life. Work hard, play hard, and enjoy the ride.

3. Pay it forward. It's amazing how many people will want to help you and will ask for help. Embrace the randomness.