Erik Hanberg

    The thing that caught my attention the most about Erik was that he seemed like a really genuine guy. I feel like there is a lot of egotism in the entrepreneurship industry, but Erik's motivations of helping people and growing something bigger than himself to watch it flourish seemed wholesome, motivating, relatable for me and like something a lot of people can get behind. Perhaps that is part of what makes his company last so long and be so resilient. Erik and everyone at his company know they are using their talents to contribute to the bigger picture of society by making people happier and that might make one feel a responsibility to their clients. I think that is fulfilling and I think he has in this way achieved a great life for himself that I look up to.

    I learned how a business can grow organically without in response to opportunity as well as an peak into the real life role of a CEO . For a while, I was feeling a bit useless since I was going into the tech industry without too much coding knowledge. However, I think what I am good at is seeing the big picture, helping others, seeing needs in society and addressing them and pushing forward through adversity. I think this is a role that a CEO can take and it is the role that Erik described.

    I also learned a few important lessons from Erik. First, I learned to be picky. "Don't take bad clients just to keep people employed". This statement implies that despite desperation, it is more important for the long term life of the company and for the wellness of the people in the company to be selective about the clients one engages with. However, not taking every customer does mean that less money will be coming in and hence less employees can be supported by the company. This is an important sacrifice and in my business, that might translate to the people I work with. It might be worth it to delay things until I find the right person for the job.