How do I make better decisions as a founder:in? With Daniel Weinand, Co-Founder Shopify

Entrepreneurs and startups make decisions all the time - but what if you realize your decision was wrong?

You can listen to the full podcast interview here.

"I don't want to be known as just the Shopify guy".

Co-Founder Daniel Weinand on decisions, course corrections and the mission that drives him After 12 years as Chief Designer, Chief Creative Officer and Chief Culture Officer at Shopify, the German founder who emigrated to Canada has decided to leave his successful start-up.?

The list of his activities since then is diverse: in addition to founding the entertainment provider "Blue Pacific Studios," he works as a composer and is currently building a VC fund:?

"Even if it seems like all these things have nothing to do with each other, there is a kind of common thread regarding my interests, my goals and what I want to spend my time doing,"

Daniel Weinand clarifies. He wants to use the freedom he's gained since leaving Shopify to make a difference in the world:?

"During my time at Shopify, I always wondered how I could improve our company. Now, instead, I ask myself what areas of the world I can improve. In the meantime, my mission has a lot to do with legacy. There are certain things I would like to see happen in our country. That's why I joined a VC fund focused on critical infrastructure."?

Stepping out of the shadow of a company as successful as Shopify isn't always easy. Still, he's now focusing his energies on his own legacy:?

"I don't want to be known as the Shopify guy. I want to be known for something that involves me as an individual, not a company,"

the multiple founder clarifies.?

Even though he's been breaking new ground throughout his life, he's not afraid to say "no" either: for example, he decided to turn down a job as a film composer due to creative differences:

"I don't want to spend two or three months working on something I can't be proud of at the end of the day. It's hard to make decisions like that because it's emotional and you're afraid of missing an opportunity. But it's important to be honest with yourself so you can sleep soundly at night,"

Daniel Weinand says, explaining the decision.?

In business, as well as in life in general, he also propagates a mixture of decisiveness and the ability to revise decisions again:?

"Life is not a chess game. You can do everything right based on the information you have at a certain point in time and still fail. That's why I always try to gather as much valuable information as possible in a short time.?Nevertheless, I also revise my decisions when new information comes up. Many people don't understand this. Instead, they decide on something and stick with it. And they do, no matter what."

Although there are, of course, instances when you should stick with decisions you've already made, he advises other founders to keep re-evaluating their own decisions:?

"I try to stay agile and flexible in terms of all the directions I want to move in,"

the young entrepreneur explains. Beyond that, timing is key:?

"Sometimes you have a good idea, but it's simply not the right time for it. In such a case, you can put the idea in the fridge and take it out again later."

Last but not least, don't be too hard on yourself if you made a decision that was "wrong" in retrospect:?

"You have to realize that the younger me didn't have the same information that I have now. It's a waste of time and emotion to beat yourself down for something you couldn't have known. You have to learn to make peace with those things."

He has been able to hone the ability to make bold decisions, but also to revise them as he scales Shopify.

"Being a courageous founder hopefully also means scaling,"

Daniel Weinand explains. A major challenge here is not only the formation, but also the preservation of the corporate culture. Here, hiring decisions form the nuts and bolts:

"If you hire a lot of people in phases of rapid growth, you should definitely ask yourself what the essence of the corporate culture is and how you can get more of it. It's much easier to hire people who already live similar values than to change the beliefs and attitudes of people who are already employed,"

reflects the young entrepreneur.?

In addition, the recruiting process should be used to set the right expectations right from the start:

"The message, the questions, and the conversations you have during the hiring process set the foundation for the collaboration."

?After all, it's not just the HR decisions that shape the corporate culture in a crucial way, but also the hiring process itself.?Even though Daniel Weinand is now focusing on other projects, he has learned a lot from his 12 years at Shopify.?Moreover, his decisive yet flexible approach to his business and life shows us that it's okay to dare to go your own way.?

Curious? For more reflections on the topic of decisions, growth and the ability to redirect, check out the podcast....

You can listen to the full podcast interview here.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)