Juan J. Borras of Outvio.
Tell us about yourself?
Telecom engineering with years of experience in satellite navigation technology, both on deep technical as well as managerial level. Ran 2 restaurants for 5 years before jumping into Outvio with my co-founder.
What do you think is the single biggest misconception people have when it comes to startups?
They are no different than any other SMB. You need to work harder than in a corporation. But you can also have a lot more fun and develop much quicker than in a big company.
If you could go back in time to any moment from your journey, and give yourself one tip, what would it be?
Hire early and based on hard skills. Work only with the best people you can find. You can compromise on the product, but not on the people.
What makes you stand out as an entrepreneur?
I’m very demanding but at the same time I think I’m quite relaxed and I think I’m fun to work with. I have no ego and we require everyone working in Outvio to be and act the same way.
What are some of the best working habits you’ve gained over the past couple of years?
Delegate to others. Although occasionally I still prefer to do or implement things myself. So it is something I still find hard to do at times.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
We are a no-ego company. We are inspired by the greatest entrepreneurs of the past 40 years. You can’t build a great company without people that also have an entrepreneurial mindset.
Where do you see your business in five years?
Main player in eCommerce at a global scale. We already have a great product and it is just a matter of time to start helping more and more companies in eCommerce.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for you in getting there?
The biggest single challenge any company faces these days is to find great people and build a team with and around them.
Talk to us about your biggest success story so far?
We bootstrapped until we reached a significant amount of MRR, with a small team of barely 5 people.
How do clients and customers find you? Are you much of a salesperson for yourself?
Most of our clients find us through google looking for a solution to their problem or looking for a better solution, if they are using a competitor or they have attempted to build something themselves.
I do not consider myself a great salesperson. But for some reason a lot of my colleagues think I am.
What one tip would you give to fellow startup founders?
I don’t think I’m in the position yet to give much advice. I’m rather open to receive advice. One perhaps is to hire the best people you can afford.
People are as important as the product or service you are building.
And finally, what do you hope the future brings both you personally, and your business?
To be in good health and to have more time to enjoy being with the people that matter to me. Now I am fully into growing Outvio and sometimes I feel I do not devote much time to family as I should.
