Facing uncertainty can be challenging – being a business owner facing uncertainty is tougher.
Red Direction helps you [fast track and] grow your business – authentically, pragmatically, and resiliently.
Starting the conversation:
What you are drawn to is a clue to how you can add value to the world around you. Regardless of scale, each purposeful action and intention creates an opportunity for you or another to keep moving an idea forward. Wherever your curiosity takes you, and the problems you choose to work on, be intentional. Sufian Chowdhury, CEO and Co-Founder at Kinetik, shares how his observations and desire to solve problems are now disrupting the healthcare industry.
Instant gratification is designed behind the scenes. It takes commitment to keep chipping away at an idea which results in an intuitive, easy, and top-of-mind-to-use product that improves our lives. Work. Work. More work! The idea, the research, reshaping the idea, having a working proof of concept, and then refining each of the moving parts … all that can take a long time to do. Even so, the results of the work at each step have a major impact, too.
In this program, you will hear how different and varied experiences that happen to you — or that you seek out — shape your viewpoint; that working on something you care about is the fuel for the hard work needed; and that the invisible force (your company culture) is deliberate. Jess Dewell talks with Sufian Chowdhury, CEO and Co-Founder at Kinetik, about taking an idea and developing it to solve a problem to better our communities and world.
Host: Jess Dewell
Guest: Sufian Chowdhury
What You Will Hear:
Technology reaches many lives, yet can help even more than it does already.
Your work can speak for itself, you don’t need to be in the limelight.
How to avoid getting caught up in the hype of an idea and stay focused on making change.
Notice the way you view the world and what walks of life you have the privilege to be influenced by.
Your idea isn’t the final product, as research and work on the idea will uncover a deeper layer of problems.
Be dedicated to doing the work to find the root cause of the problem you are solving.
Change is hard, and there must be a lot of care to muster the willpower to keep going.
Culture is the invisible force within a company.
Hobbies outside of work shape the way you live.
Study what it takes to bring people together, and use the lessons to make the change you see to benefit the world.
Make your experiences and your viewpoint purposeful.
Pride in our work will help us discover our path forward.
Don’t forget that business doesn’t have to be “all business” or “serious” and work can be done to your energetic rhythm.
It is up to you to create an environment that supports each person’s individual goals while working together on a common mission.
Directness has a place and empowers fast correction, shifts, and growth.
Be open to where your company is at and ask where they think the company is (communication is a two-way street).
Each person can shine! Help them find their light and increase their brightness.
Culture is deliberate, and there is an educational component.
It is BOLD to figure out how an idea can fix a bigger problem..
Find out more about how to Fast Track Your Business.
Resources
Weave Value into Your Business Growth
Transcript
ANNOUNCER 00:03
Welcome. This is the Bold Business Podcast. Your business has many directions it can travel. The one true direction of your company creates the journey for you to move toward a new, exciting level. We call this the Red Direction. In today’s program, we delve into one idea. The idea will support you as you work on ever-present situations, including how to stay competitive in a changing market, how to break through the business plateau, and how to anticipate the changing expectations of your stakeholders. Jess Dewell is your guide. Jess brings you a 20-year track record of business excellence, where strategy and operations overlap. Your Path comes from consistently working from the special place. Your unique True North. Now, here’s Jess.
Jess Dewell 00:51
Welcome back to the Bold Business Podcast, I have to admit, this is going to be my favorite episode, what you will be listening or watching today is going to be unlike anything we have ever had before. Because Sufian Chowdhury is nobody like we’ve had before. And that is what makes the Bold Business Podcast different from other podcasts, we are having conversations with real people, leading companies making big change in this world that are facing some of the same challenges you’re facing or have already faced. And you will get to hear about their problem-solving, you will get to hear about the way they are creative how they bring people together, and most importantly, the change that they are working to make in the world. So here we go. Let me tell you a little bit more about Sufian. Before you hear from him directly. He is a serial entrepreneur. Not only that, he’s focused in the healthcare industry right now, the innovative technology that Soufiane is working on with his co-founder, venture-backed it is SAS-based healthcare. It is based in New York City. Now as the CEO of Kinetik Sufian has over 10 years of experience in management, fundraising consulting technology, that gives him all of the skill and expertise to be a great leader, not only in business, specifically in the healthcare industry, having raised over $20 million for kinetic to date with the series a currently in the pipeline. Under his leadership, the company has grown from the back offices of a local Brooklyn-based transportation company to a nationwide industry-leading technology powerhouse. Okay, I can keep going. But I can’t wait anymore. Hi, Sufian.
Sufian Chowdhury 02:38
Yes, I’m such a big fan of yours. Thanks for having me.
Jess Dewell 02:43
Oh, thank you. I appreciate you saying that. And I am so glad you’re here today. Well, so tell me this though, right? You are purpose-driven. You care very much about what technology can do for people. How did you decide healthcare was a way to make a difference?
Sufian Chowdhury 03:00
I naturally fell into healthcare simply because I was always looking for problems to solve irrespective of industry, irrespective of vertical I have grown up I was just a problem solver. I love coming up with solutions to problems like and across. And I just so happened to be that couple of my endeavors happened to be in-house parent, you naturally fall in love with it. Because even though it’s technology, it impacts a lot of lives, millions of lives. The cool thing about it is that no one really needs to know who you are. But all you have to know is that you’re impacting the lives of millions and means more than anything money can buy.
Jess Dewell 03:42
So it’s incredible. It is incredible. Okay, I heard something key. Now you’re the you’re the CEO, but you’re like nobody has to know who I am. How do you do those two things and raise over $20 million plus?
Sufian Chowdhury 03:55
I think in a world, especially the last few years, I think people are tired of just hearing loudmouth CEOs go around and say whatever they want, some maybe similar CEOs will shy the ones that are behind the scenes, I don’t have social media or anything other than LinkedIn. When you’re solving a problem and what we’re doing, it’s an enterprise solution, not a direct-to-consumer business, where you don’t have to engage directly with the consumers, the end users, the members who are in need of these services, directly working with their health and payers in the health systems and enterprises. It allows you to stay low-key while still making impact. You know, I’m alive some noise Pima
Jess Dewell 04:39
I agree with all that. And I still see more and more CEOs, companies in those spaces, wanting to be in the limelight or thinking that they need to so here’s what I’m gonna say. Kudos to you for saying that’s not where my focus is not what my intention is all about. My intention is let the work speak for itself.
Sufian Chowdhury 05:00
Being the CEO of a health tech company, it’s some other ways to get notoriety, your publicity and a great result for a good traveling free business that’s needed. You care less about all the glamour that comes with it and you focus more on the substance, you don’t stay focused or focused on the substance, you’ll get carried away, you’ll get caught up in the hype. And there’s nothing scarier that can kill your business than someone who gets caught up in the hype. And investors can read that. And I think for me, I’ve been able to build really long-lasting relationships with my investors, because it’s based on substance not Assad.
Jess Dewell 05:45
From the time this was an idea and a problem, you said, Ooh, I might be able to solve this problem until today. Are you still working in the back room? Of a transportation company?
Sufian Chowdhury 05:58
No, I’m not. Well, you know,
Jess Dewell 06:00
I didn’t know because we all have our own things.
Sufian Chowdhury 06:03
Oh, no, I didn’t graduate from the back offices, work companies. We actually have our own facility here. Bayside, Queens, New York, I did keep the company logo vote goal is to build in our industry, our habits from a bar of that a lot of people just you know of any county in New York, when, when courier or chip K and that’s all they know about cles. I want to bring some publicity to me. It’s it’s a great, great place.
Jess Dewell 06:30
I had the opportunity to have my very first Bodega in Boulder, Colorado for just a small period of time. Do you have bodegas than in Queens? This is the thing. See, I think about this in New York, right? There’s even a big city, small communities with all of the these things like bodegas that bring our communities together. So that’s really cool that you want to do that.
Sufian Chowdhury 06:51
It’s I think, for us to build our company we need so it’s very purposeful Queens is the most diverse place in the world. I think it has represented in more than 40 or 50 countries here either, you know, residents or native folks incredibly diverse, what you learn about others, how you look at the world prison that you look at the world to its privileged in the sense that no other placed and you have this many encounters with somebody from different walks of life. So it’s really important to build a company here. Bodega is an eight-grown-up. I like was a four-block radius, like every other kid from New York City growing up in New York, so you can just didn’t think it was a world outside of it. And if there was, you thought it was a thing.
Jess Dewell 07:35
That’s amazing. So you grew up in New York, too? Yeah. from Queens, New York. Okay, so you were there you are staying there you are bringing more awareness there.
Sufian Chowdhury 07:45
I’m not leaving me.
Jess Dewell 07:47
I’ll say you’ll visit Do you just won’t move?
Sufian Chowdhury 07:49
No, I’m sorry, you just can’t do it. Fair.
Jess Dewell 07:53
We tried to leave, we tried to leave the Pacific Northwest and our souls called us back. So there is something to be said about the place, that connection, the way we show up in the world, and how we can use what we have exactly where we’re at, to help us get to where we’re going. Because what you’re doing for millions of people, you’re right impacts more than the community that you’re there. So how did you come up with the idea or recognize there was a problem to solve? were you seeing it in Queens, New York? Well,
Sufian Chowdhury 08:24
I think maybe a misconception amongst those who want to build a company that, that can scale nationally, it’s that you work or it’s an idea of becoming what it ends up becoming. It’s what I did is initially is not what the idea becomes, ultimately. So when we started this company, me and my co-founders at seeking food. It’s just about six years ago, a friend of mine calls me into his Brooklyn office and said, I need a database. I’m like, sure when we take a look at it. Again, I don’t know this vertical. I’m not familiar with healthcare, transportation. He just opened up an Excel sheet. And then he was billing insurance companies is the way this marketplace works. It’s primarily for folks who are on Medicaid, and the rightist fully covered for the members. So the chessboard companies after providing your the right service, that members are not paying for this right is a chance for us to build insurance directly. And so my friend’s company within your domain was their ability, the insurance company and they were manually tracking the billable pail of receivables rather on an Excel sheet because it was all pen and paper. And so at that time, I asked him, Do you not have a billing class on that you use it and say no, I’ve been in this market for over 10 years. I use pen paper and I use paper claims. And so the next 12 months I sat in local transport companies in Queens and Brooklyn and co-founders of Kinetik we ended up building The nation’s first revenue cycle match. And so that is how it started when I walked into his taxi company or transferred me, six years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into.
ANNOUNCER 10:18
You’re listening to the Bold Business Podcast. We will return to the show soon. But first, I want to take a moment and give you a peek into what additional services and solutions you could access to Fast Track Your Business. This program was created to develop your capacity on demand by sharing insights, tips, as well as lessons learned by business leaders, unedited and uncut. And we don’t just stop there. There are three additional benefits to help you reach your growth goals. You will also have unlimited access to one, hearing tips and insights to develop yourself as a leader to get better results more often. Two, experiencing viewpoints from many different business leaders. Three, receiving frameworks to build core competencies and to more effectively focus on business growth and leadership. Altogether, The Fast Track Your Business program will allow you to face uncertainty, anytime, anywhere. You can access what will become your most versatile tool in your toolkit by going to FastTrackYou BusinessToday.com. Now back to Jess.
Jess Dewell 11:21
I love this about problems. When we go to solve a problem, we find all the other problems that are actually there. The root has not yet been found. Do you think you’ve found the route with kinetic?
Sufian Chowdhury 11:31
Oh, yes.
Jess Dewell 11:33
So in a nutshell, you were there. You were working? You were helping these companies. You were seeing this problem, you discovered these new questions you kept doing that research. And so in a short description, what would you say is the problem you’re solving and how it disrupts what we have?
Sufian Chowdhury 11:51
When I first discovered this, we thought root problems should solve them for billing problems that look, the root problem is that millions of people throughout the country are unable to receive adequate medical transportation services. Because of how broken the system is. transport companies go out of business because they don’t get paid on time transport companies don’t use technology, members of health lines need the services, they just don’t know where to find the appropriate mode of transportation or who they are, the process is really broken, there are too many stakeholders. And then so for us, the root problem is just for digitizing a nondigital marketplace, and allowing for members to directly request rights. And what I do with the rideshare companies just open it up and we request those Ryan’s we want to bring that experience to members who are on Medicaid who are on Medicare Advantage and take us from their mobile app, you could see the vehicle coming to them, whether it be a wheelchair or any or a sedan. And once they receive your ride, it automatically builds their insurance in real-time. So that’s where we’re solving for. But the problem is it as a nonvisual marketplace, and moving availability of drivers and transport companies so that we could adequately serve a certain amount of shit.
Jess Dewell 13:14
So the result is the serving of the membership and the prop. And one of the core problems that you helped solve was actually really important to every community, which is key businesses that want to be in business, in business.
Sufian Chowdhury 13:27
Exactly. Each business is in business, which then ultimately impacts in a metric at services because now there are more drivers come and pick them up and adequately providing services.
Jess Dewell 13:38
And so you’ve gone from doing that local research, finding that funding, figuring out how to turn it into a platform in rolling the companies, all the parties because that’s a lot of moving parts to get all those types of companies to work together enough to allow the end result of helping somebody come together. What’s that feel like,?
Sufian Chowdhury 14:03
Prior to connect agenda and all the different ventures I you know, started or participated in, you’ve got to really care a lot in an unhealthy level, if you’re going to bring change to a world that does not change is forces that you are facing, there’s so much greater than you as an individual. And so for you, you’ve got to base that force with an equally powerful force. And that comes in why these things are intangible like willpower, you know, just a desire to change an industry. Then you have the tangible components, which are people aspect of it, making sure that the people you bring into the company equally had the willpower and the patience and the motivation for change, because that’s the level of force so a lot of companies don’t like culture. So culture is culture. Missing the visible force that you use to fight against stat. And I said, Yeah, that’s how I look at it.
Jess Dewell 15:08
We all have a way that we build businesses, when we build businesses over time and multiple times. Has your process and path changed? To put this concept of purpose or mission first and recognize that the importance of culture that invisible force has to come first for you,
Sufian Chowdhury 15:28
I wasn’t always mission-driven. I grew up in a restaurant business, though, for me. Growing up, I always knew I was going to be a business. And I didn’t know what timed but I knew that I loved technology, I love Ben packet brought to the world. And I loved business, and I loved solving problems. So the first few endeavors were not mission-driven, mission-oriented. Hence why I probably didn’t take it as far as it could have gone this one, because it’s so mission-driven, you just refuse to give up, or you continue to go and it’s become so much bigger than I could have imagined. Because it’s a mission-driven company.
Jess Dewell 16:11
Do you like puzzles and games? So being, being a problem solver? Are there things that you’re doing outside of to maybe balance or replenish a little bit of what the cost of the weight of being so caring, desiring so much to change the world? What do you do like in your hobbies, do they also revolve around problem-solving.
Sufian Chowdhury 16:33
You know, as the leader of an organization and leading a company that just changing an entire industry, I think is solving a problem, or my day-to-day job. So I try solving problems. I love reading, and I really enjoyed writing and I love thinking I love that they philosophy, anthropology, culture, religion, those are things that are very intriguing to me. So it has nothing to do with business, not problem-solving. And it just, and I love math, by the way. So that’s the only thing that work on math problems. Obviously, yeah, we’re, yeah.
Jess Dewell 17:14
That’s awesome. I study and aspire toward stoicism is that on your realm of philosophy, and the reading that you’re doing in terms of not only studying history and studying great people and flawed people that may have been great at the same time but recognizing how and does that influence where you’re at now? And if it’s not stoicism, what are you like reading about and writing about?
Sufian Chowdhury 17:39
I think, for me, I look at so religion is a very interesting concept that I read about try to learn about very interesting how that shapes culture, how to shape this ideology and the way we live and love thinking about how governments are formed and how I ultimately become a godly woman. I just love understanding how it’s done more so than title philosophy, I try to understand how human the human brain functions and what it takes to rave together people to change the world they live in. And so that’s so interesting to be whether you’re looking at the Roman Empire, if you’re looking at, you know, the Mongolian empire, if you’re looking at the Industrial Revolution, if you’re looking at the Internet revolution, you know, so it all this is so fascinating as you need to buy in, and you can eat almost tribal mentality. And that’s been inherent in humans for as long as we’ve been around. And so that’s it I’m gonna cheat by and so that also, once I learned about it applies a lot come your culture, your company, for challenging the entire industry, that is headed of Reading helps you a lot.
Jess Dewell 18:57
So even though you’re not doing work in your hobbies, or solving problems outside of work now, because you do such a good job of that at work, you are doing the studies to deeper understand what’s going on, to then see trends to recognize different patterns to understand to your point of how people work, but I actually think it goes more than that, too. Because yes, I believe history repeats itself with a little bit of a different flair each time and I think there’s a there are patterns that you are probably now and as you continue to study this over time going to be able to find that are different. I think that’s a cool superpower you’re building if you don’t already have it.
Sufian Chowdhury 19:40
Here’s how to look at it right in business, irrespective of the asset requires to answer these and those two attributes are nice and for you. In order to be successful in business, you must understand this thing out humans behave, humans act. And so that is why I’m so fascinated by human psychology and human behavior. Human ethics are drives humans because they Do I in my life they do when raising money to acquire it when building a culture?
Jess Dewell 20:05
So are there books that you would go back to over and over again, in your reading? That every time you read it, you get a little bit more? Or because of the experiences you’ve had? Since you’re reading you can you actually understand at a deeper level? Are there books like that for you?
Sufian Chowdhury 20:23
Oh, very weird relationship with books. And that once I read it, I don’t go back to it. Because I don’t want to read it by how I look at an book anymore because of the impact it has on my life at the moment. So yeah, I’m ready. But it’s 18 years old, I wrote down on the mentally changed away looked at lights. For me, it was purposeful read in the sense that it was about a boy looking purpose and my looking for gold. So Steve, and I traveled the world when we come back and find it in his backyard. And what it taught me was that, you know, everything I’m looking for in the external, external world is really in, you know, it’s inside of me internal. And so that shaped a lot of I looked at the world. And recently, our company had a book club. And though if they were trying to make me happier now, they chose that book to read the acid that Jonathan had given, joined, because I read that book, again, because of the impact that had on my life. So yeah, I have this weird relationship books. Once I read it, I don’t try to go back and understand any deeper, I think, kind of internalize it the first time around me to sleep up there. And I just like thinking about it, but I don’t open the page, this guy
ANNOUNCER 21:38
We’ll be back to Jess and the Bold Business Podcast shortly. You can fast-track your business with on-demand information to read, to help you build a resilient business that achieves its goals. But why? Why is it so important that you take the steps to invest in yourself and your leadership team with subscriptions to this program? We all need to save time and get relevant and trustworthy information when we want it. This program will reduce your overwhelm and increase your opportunity with high-quality information on demand. This straightforward approach ensures this program answers the most important question: What do you need to know to fast-track your business? We answer this question by providing you a vast set of resources to help you work through complex challenges with exclusive articles, videos, podcasts, and access to “Ask Jess Your Business Questions.” You receive several benefits above and beyond what is available for free with a monthly subscription. To find out more, visit FastTrackYourBusinessToday.com. And now, let’s return to the Bold Business Podcast.
Jess Dewell 22:44
There are books that I have revisited that changed my relationship with the book because it wasn’t as powerful for me the second time, for example. So I totally can relate to what you’re saying. And it never occurred to me to not do that. And so now, a little bit, although I do all the books that I’ve read, I like physical books, I write the big, you like that too?
Sufian Chowdhury 23:08
You end up buying sometimes multiple copies, sure. Physical Fitness chips like not, there’s nothing like touching a book in me.
Jess Dewell 23:17
Yeah. And so I’ll read business books all day long electronically, because people are like, Oh, you need to know about that. You need to know about that. And I read them. Like I read the news, there’s a little bit of a skim, and if something grabs my attention, I go a little deeper. But like you, I have a set of books that I want to sit down and I want to touch and I want to really get into. And so I highlight and I write in the margins, and it encourages journal entry posts, and you know, whatever I happen when I write, which is not often, but conversation and I actually write in the front of all the books that I read, what is the big idea when I wrote it, who recommended the book to me, and what I took away from it. So that if I need it in an instant to remember for somebody else, I actually can go to the front of the book and get exactly what I need. Because I love to share,
Sufian Chowdhury 24:07
I actually talk and to write anything down. But I tried to like remember I said you the best way is write it and I looked at it and it.
Jess Dewell 24:17
Yeah, I’ll because I’m auditory. So I was always very good at school when somebody was talking at me. But as soon as I had to read a book, it didn’t occur to me until I was in my 20s that reading out loud to myself would actually be better. So I developed this habit of writing as I was reading so that I could engage with it in two ways to be able to remember the information
Sufian Chowdhury 24:44
Instead of it becoming a TV personality or now more of a podcast.
Jess Dewell 24:48
Yeah, I think so. Well, the answer is no. I could be whatever I want to be I’ll be real with you. TV wouldn’t be fun, but this is easier.
Sufian Chowdhury 24:55
I would tune in every day you are Oh shut up. based on many podcasts, this one is genuinely very excited or because your personality is just incredible.
Jess Dewell 25:08
Oh, thank you Soufiane that makes my whole day and my whole week, and then planted right here in my heart now. But I like the little conversations. And I say little lot of people will listen. But to be in front of an audience where you’re speaking in front of people, it’s not as intimate to me and I, that takes a skill which I could get. But most people that I want to talk to, would never have the same skill. So we don’t get to have the candidness the openness, the honest openness, without the soundbite necessity piece, which is the reason I actually chose podcasts.
Sufian Chowdhury 25:45
A lot of sense, and you can, you know, the beauty of podcasts is sometimes conversations, just take the whole of the conversation itself, whatever subjects you’re talking about, whereas it’s, you know, staged, it’s hard to get off topic.
Jess Dewell 25:59
And I love that we’re a soundbite world, there’s definitely pros to that. And we’ve improved on many levels to perceive and process more information. And the flip side of that is, it’s harder to sift through. So we’re developing that other skill to as a culture win as we get better at we the collective we get better at it, our sifting will also change. So it’s all about the let’s just do what’s right, let’s just have the real conversation. And the right people will find it, it doesn’t matter if it was five years ago, or five years from now, the person who will be listening to this when they listen is exactly the person who I’m so glad our conversation will benefit from. Similarly, you know what I wish I could do I wish I could talk to people from the cultures you like to read about I also like ancient cultures. And the ones that they’re still trying to decipher I’m, I’ve never been to South America. And I do like, you know, I like Peru. I like Chile, I like, I like the concept of what we can still get glimpses of today from ancient wisdom.
Sufian Chowdhury 27:01
Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe, European countries and ministered in South America, we do this stuff. So rich in our past, it’s incredible.
Jess Dewell 27:13
So having grown up in the restaurant industry, now I’m gonna go back to your family a minute because I think that as we’ve been talking, there’s a lot that we get from our family of origin from our community that we grow up in. And so having been in that all of the things I listed, right, management, fundraising, culture building, problem-solving, that are good to business, well, you probably didn’t learn them being in business, or did you?
Sufian Chowdhury 27:39
Well, you become as a leader, you capture subconsciously and consciously, right, but so yeah, a combination of being in a world where you got you are exposed to two businesses early on. And then also taking about a ton and turning it into something else. And being purposeful about it for me and going into business for all of us. Always around, print it to me, but again, your twist getting into technology. But yeah, it’s a combination that nurture and nature, right? So part of it, you were nurtured part of it comes natural. And you just said well all and become the business leader that you are. So yeah, I’m a combo, I’d say.
Jess Dewell 28:20
What are some of the traits and you don’t necessarily have to name anybody by name unless you want to give them kudos? What are the things that you went, ooh, I’m going to be like that. Ooh, that’s something I can see to carry forward.
Sufian Chowdhury 28:29
My dad was an incredibly hard-working human being he worked seven days a week, 14 hours a day. And he did that because he wanted to make sure his family had the best light they possibly had. Because that was very fashionable. And to this day at taken on his work ethic, I hope more people to buy than the work they did and stop, you know, trying to make it this whole work versus like thing. If you don’t find happiness and pride in the work you do, then go find something that moves you that much.
Jess Dewell 29:03
I was reminded of this quote today by Thomas Moore, it showed up across my radar, the ordinary arts we practice every day at home are much more importance to the soul, then their simplest than their simplicity might suggest. I’m thinking about what we’re talking about. I’m thinking about you sharing the impressions that your dad gave you and that you’re seeing in society, this weirdness that work isn’t part of who you are. And unlike you, everything I do, hopefully, is worthwhile to me because I can be of service to somebody else or because my act will help somebody else be of service to somebody else. There’s a Julian that, that I feel like we may have forgotten and I don’t know if that’s what I heard you alluding to, or if I’m like taking us down a weird rabbit hole that’s just a Jessica dream. But now I’m curious because that’s what, that’s what came up for me as you were talking just now.
Sufian Chowdhury 29:57
People tend to compartmentalize work right credited buckets based on hours, when you let work these free and fluid, you don’t have a five-day work week, that’s eight hours, he could stretch up to seven-day periods. And that’s a extra work on Sundays. But you don’t have to work eight-hour days, seven days, five days a week, you could work a few hours on the weekends, which will then reduce the burden on working so aren’t going weekday, every day to me is the same because it’s a day to day productive and to live a productive life. And when the proper mentalize work and mice, you see ibasis Your enemy in two days as your best friend and it’s just not in Atlanta, at least for me.
Jess Dewell 30:38
Well, you know, it’s not for me either. Because before we actually started recording, I was telling you, I was just talking to a stranger on the street. I love how many people I know in my four-block radius here in Kirkland, Washington, because of that, just the willingness to get out and be there. And it doesn’t matter if I’m grocery shopping, it doesn’t matter if I just vacuum the floors, it doesn’t matter if I had a difficult conversation at work. Or I have a client that’s going through a hard thing. Or I’m just not at my best for whatever reason, because bad actually happens to sometimes it doesn’t negate the fact that if I can show up with all I have got in this moment, and it’s purposeful it is work. It is work to be alive in his work to remember to brush your teeth in the morning, let alone go to work to help somebody else. I really liked where you were going, being able to expand that outside and say, well, you’re one of the best places to work. I mean, how long Oh, that’s so cool.
Sufian Chowdhury 31:35
What you do at on, it has an impact on what you do at work. You live this one life that’s not compartmentalized or segmented. It’s, you know, 24 hours in the day, and you’re living through it. And this allows you to grant thanks freely. That’s just a big believer in that. So I do believe that is every day cheated as just a regular day where you have to get some work done. Get some personal work done, have some fun absence, serious meetings, and cute, you know.
Jess Dewell 32:05
Or you’re serious. I don’t believe that. No, don’t get me wrong. I know, I have no doubt, we’ll go would you have done of course, there is a serious side to you, you know how to move that needle when it needs to be happening.
ANNOUNCER 32:22
It’s time to take a brief break from our show. Fast Track Your Business will improve your business results. This high-value program is an unbeatable value, to make it easy for you to act now. With your subscription, you have access to Ask Jess Your Business Questions and exclusive resources on key leadership topics. Subscribe now, visit Fast Track Your Business today.com and know that you are moving forward in the right direction. Let’s return to the Bold Business Podcast.
Jess Dewell 32:52
How have you empowered your team? The people that have hitched their missions to yours and your co-founders? Right? How do you empower them to really feel like they own it because you’ve built this culture that supports your way of living that supports this belief system that maybe we can learn from and ripple have ripple out.
Sufian Chowdhury 33:12
So cultivating culture take a lot of time, a lot of people want to find purpose in the work they do. And so long as you create an environment where it’s aligned with what they want to do in their careers, and for that very moment, whether it’s a two-year five-year period, that it’s aligned with where the company is, and that we’ll find such a great marriage and company employee, right. So creating an environment where it’s fully aligned with what they’re trying to achieve. If you don’t let your employees be better at what they’re doing. If you know, for me, I’m a very upfront person really sugarcoat things. So I have to say something, I believe and accelerate the call. And when they first encountered me, it’s very hard. The first couple weeks are very hard. But then as they, when they look back at it at risk they’re making they see that because it was just right. Hey, it’s in the best interest of you, the company that you don’t do this, you realize how fast they can grow. And people are always looking to grow, do you don’t put create an environment where your employees can grow, they will leave. If they are not affected, they will lead us they have not valued they will leave Kinetik has an incredibly high retention rate. Because we strive to create an environment where it’s aligned with what they want to do career-wise, they’re given an environment where they can work towards progress in their own careers. And then beyond that, you can take these skill sets and do creative things in life beyond, you know, working here at Kinetiks. It’s really a marriage in a company and its employees that it takes time it’s a big array to the majority of employees here at Kinetik feel like they have an environment where it’s alive. What they want to achieve career-wise and mission-wise, and it’s environment or it’s friendly, it’s not hostile, they’re able to be themselves and appreciate or being themselves.
Jess Dewell 35:12
You mentioned, maybe it’s two years, maybe it’s five years, and we have a high retention rate. When you add positions when you are growing as a company and saying, Oh, we’re here, we’ve got to add this many people are, oh, we’re going to do this. This is what that’s going to require. Here’s what our path is, do you look at roles? With that end in mind, I want to see how far we can get somebody in two years. I want to see how far we can get somebody in five years and then check for that realignment and is it like a reopened a start over?
Sufian Chowdhury 35:43
The company has grown at such a fast pace. It’s exciting, right? So we had this big corporation where just it’s, you know, change you see rapidly and that’s exciting. So we do have the privilege of being the creative director cost creatives, that’s huge, you’re going to see higher retention user in this space, and you would full on corporations that are very good. When I said a couple of years set, that employee has an agenda for their own careers. And on the management side, you’ve got to understand the fact that there will be a time where they are not a good fit for that organization anymore. There may be a time that’s now ready to chase. If you look at Peter’s Principle, which talks about employees will get to a point where they’re still that but the company is growing and they need someone else. And so that employee might say, You know what, I’m located here, and I’ll stagnate because I retreat. Oh, thanks. I want to career-wise, I’m happy here. Or they’ll say you know what, I’m gonna take my talents elsewhere. So be realistic with the people that are coming in and understanding that candidate might be a two-year journey for maybe a 10-year journey for them. Maybe they’ll outlast me as a leader, the company is having a very realistic expectation of what that person is trying to career-wise. And it’s in line with the company, Shannon, do we mask 235 years, that’s what we buy into your years, five years, it’s really understanding where they fit into kinetics journey and work Natick fits into their journey.
Jess Dewell 37:13
Well, and I, here’s where I was coming from my experience has been based off of where somebody is, and what their priorities are, when they’re known. There’s a natural place of okay, tentatively, I understand what we have today in this company will serve them for X amount of time, and now I’m searching for that. And then it doesn’t have to exist for somebody to come into an organization, knowing that though, actually puts their interests first. And that’s the other thing I heard you talking about, as you were sharing here, that they get to be themselves, they get to feel safe, they know they have a way to contribute and the stage of life that your company is in, there’s a lot of creativity that they can engage in. So you’re right, you’re actually attracting probably a different kind of people in addition to the length of time that somebody might be joining in. But so is it by design, that you’re having those conversations to know where people are at, when they’re considering joining Connect.
Sufian Chowdhury 38:10
Yeah, for sure. And that is you are very what the company expects. So the next few years where we are and our growth trajectory. And oftentimes the interview ease perspective, this is what they want. Oftentimes, they’ll have come from another startup or they got a larger corporation, they want something more at a so the goal is enter the process, we get that level of alignment so that when they’re here, they can make the most out of it, whether it be two years or five years.
Jess Dewell 38:39
What makes it bold? What makes it bold to figure out how you want to get what you need, or how this particular idea you have might solve a bigger problem?
Sufian Chowdhury 38:50
You are facing industry giants who have refused to change for decades promising a change, that has never happened. We’ve been in places where we could have exited much sooner, only to die out and sunsetted in a larger company. What makes it bold is our ability to challenge the status quo to say no human should wait 72 hours for the medical right that is just unjust. No matter how you look at it, our signature to make it a real-time experience is what makes it bold, and how much you change and to just go against and shoot giant who created this math problem because they are fed off of a broken system.
ANNOUNCER 39:36
The Bold Business Podcast is brought to you by Red Direction. Jess Dewell dug into one idea in this program. Her goal is to ignite your creativity and spark different thinking with the presented material. How you apply this to your current priorities is up to you. Jess Dewell can bring the missing voice back into your company. With you, Jess will solidify your company’s True North. Your unique Red Direction. Provided you are ready to work with Jess, email her at [email protected]. Special thanks to The SCOTT Treatment for technical production.