My journey as a CEO: How technology supports me on the go

When I launched Foundervine four years ago, I could never have imagined what the journey would entail. We’ve grown from a small volunteer team, to a fully staffed organisation of over 20 employees with offices on two continents.?

I had a moment last year, prior to an interview with CNN, where I gave myself permission to really pause and reflect on the journey. In those enigmatic minutes, you know the ones, they seem to both last forever and pass in an instant, my mind wandered to all of the different things that had happened to lead me to that point.

When Foundervine launched in 2018, we had a clear mission - to change the face of entrepreneurship in the UK. Our community grew quickly as more and more founders came to us for support. Just as we were hitting our stride, the pandemic struck, and like many organisations, we were forced to adapt to a new virtual-based reality.?

This was the first time I realised how reliant I was on the technology at my disposal. My computer and phone became essential parts of just about every facet of my life. From speaking with family and friends, to collaborating with my team, everything took place through screens.

Fortunately, the pandemic turned out to have a silver lining for Foundervine. By moving our support online, we were able to reach a much wider audience and maximise our impact.

The more we’ve achieved, the more opportunities have arisen, both for us as a business and for myself as a person.??

As our company grows, it gets harder to communicate with everyone and get them to row in the same direction. My days are consumed by meetings, setting objectives and a thousand trade-offs.

Being a founder isn't always easy but can be so rewarding. When not doing my day-to-day role as CEO of Foundervine, I’m sitting on Advisory Boards, doing speaking engagements or coaching early-stage founders. I love coaching other founders because… I get it. I'm deeply familiar with the feelings of overwhelm and panic, the constant decisions, the many sacrifices. I know that compassion, support and community are often a great antidote.

My life is constantly changing. I need technology that can move with me from city to city, from boardroom to parliament, and from professional to personal. At Foundervine we've launched 19 different programs in the last 12 months to help founders start up or scale up - wherever they are on their journey. We also launched a new office in Accra. With so much happening, my new Surface has made keeping my life on track so much easier.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go matches performance with portability to ensure that nothing can stop me from making a difference. It’s small enough to fit in my handbag, but with the performance to manage several apps at once. I love that I can power through a day of work and stream on my way home after a long day.?

Onwards and upwards!

#AD #MicrosoftSurface #SurfaceLaptopGo #Productivity??