Contact

Ed Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder of PushFar

•

Investor Empires
Please attribute all comments to Ed Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder of PushFar Intro of circa 300 words on the business. PushFar is the world's leading mentoring platform. Founded in 2018, it is a fast-growing, fast-paced and widely used tech startup company. PushFar provides its technology to hundreds of clients and tens of thousands of individuals in over 100 countries. The platform allows mentors and mentees to find, form and manage effective mentoring relationships all over the world. As an open mentoring platform, anyone can sign up free to find a mentor, volunteer to mentor others, network, connect and develop their career, with a whole host of career progression tools and techniques. Additionally, organisations can launch, run and scale mentoring programmes for their employees and networks. What is the main problem you solve for your customers? The main objective is to make mentoring more accessible, effective and impactful for all, so they can each reap the multitude of benefits that mentoring has to offer. We help individuals to find and form mentorships, whether they want to provide the mentoring or be mentored. We also help organisations to run mentoring programmes in an easy and effective way. What made you start your business - did you want to rock the status quo, or was it a gap in the marketplace that you could fill? I was originally looking for a mentor for myself and struggled to find one and I soon realised that a lot of people were in the same position as me. Organisations were also struggling to launch impactful mentoring programmes, with a lot of manual processes involved, which were time consuming and not wholly effective. It was clear that mentoring wasn’t easily accessible to either individuals or organisations and I wanted to change that. What are your brand values? Our brand values are what form the foundations of PushFar: Authentic, Accessible, Supportive and Innovative Do your values define your decision-making process? Yes - always. Our values are the fundamental principles by which PushFar is led, and they all play in to one another. We must remain innovative, constantly adapting the services we offer to ensure we are offering our customers the best support on the market whilst remaining accessible to all. Working by these values ensures that we remain authentic to PushFar’s founding mission of providing effective mentoring to all. Is team culture integral to your business? Team culture is absolutely integral to us. Working closely with clients who are mainly in the HR and learning fields, we know firsthand, the value of a powerful and supportive culture. What do you do to go the extra mile to show your team you appreciate them? Our appreciation to our team is shown via trust and empowerment across the board. We provide flexible hours and fully remote working, as well as flexible holidays. This allows our team to feel respected in the same we appreciate and acknowledge the value they bring to PushFar. In terms of your messaging do you think you talk directly to your consumers in a clear fashion? Yes! We ensure that our messaging is concise and understandable for all. We are here to help both individuals and organisations and we like to make the process as easy as possible from the start. What’s your take on inflation and interest rates - are you going to pass that on to your customers or let your margins take a hit and reward customer loyalty in these tougher times? We've not increased pricing in the last 6-years. We are focused on delivering a great service that helps our business grow whilst continuing to add value. How often do you assess the data you pull in and address your KPIs and why? We are constantly assessing the data that we pull in, in real time. As a tech company this is critical for both us, and for our clients. In an ever-evolving industry, the data we are continuously assessing ensures we remain the leading mentoring platform and that our customers receive the most up to date and highest quality service. Is tech playing a much larger part in your day-to-day running of your company? Yes! As a tech company, it is at the heart of everything that we do; From our service offering to clients, through to our remote working approach with colleagues and employees. Tech plays a major role in our growth, both in terms of our reach and the services we provide. The use of advancing technology helps us streamline processes without diminishing quality, guaranteeing the service that customers receive is as efficient as possible. What is your attitude to your competitors? We have a very healthy attitude towards our competitors. It discourages complacency when we all play fairly. Competition is important to ensure that the market keeps evolving and that the services on offer have no option but to be innovative. Innovation and growth are of great importance to PushFar so we don’t fear our place within the market. Do you have any advice for anyone starting out in business? If you are wanting to start a business, just do it. There will never be a right time, it’s all about the mindset that you apply. Focus, dedication and hard work are what you need to abide by. There's no shortcut for any of it. It can be a lonely and pressured place to be as the lead decision maker of the business. What do you do to relax, recharge and hone your focus? I switch off, partaking in a digital detox and immersing myself in books and the outdoors through the likes of running. Do you believe in the 12-week work method, or do you make much longer planning strategies? I personally believe longer-term strategies are key. They’re less restrictive and allow for a greater sense of direction and a view of the bigger picture and long-term goals. What is your company’s eco strategy? As a tech company, we try to do everything we can to reduce impact on the planet. We actively encourage remote working and regularly host video calls where possible to reduce commutes. We’re also entirely paperless and will continue to make strives to ensure we are considering eco-impacts. What three things do you hope to have in place within the next 12 months? Over the next 12 months our focus is on growth; a larger team, a greater client base and more awesome features on offer.

Ed Johnson is the CEO and co-founder of PushFar, the world’s leading mentoring platform.

Since its establishment in 2018, pay far It has rapidly evolved into a widely used technology startup, providing guidance technology to hundreds of clients and tens of thousands of individuals in over 100 countries.

The platform enables mentors and mentees to find, build and manage effective mentoring relationships globally.

As an open mentoring platform, anyone can sign up for free to find a mentor, volunteer to mentor others, network, connect, and advance their career using a suite of career advancement tools and techniques.

In addition, organizations can launch, operate and scale mentoring and coaching programs for their employees and networks.

What is the main problem you solve for your customers?

Our main goal is to make mentoring easier, more effective and more impactful for everyone, so that each one can reap the many benefits mentoring has to offer. We help individuals find and build mentors, whether they want to mentor or be mentored. We also help organizations run mentoring programs in an easy and effective way.

What prompted you to start your business – did you want to change the status quo, or was there a gap in the market you could fill?

I was originally looking for a mentor for myself, and was having a hard time finding one, and soon realized that a lot of people were in the same situation as me. Organizations were also struggling to launch effective mentoring programs, with a lot of manual processes involved, which were time-consuming and not entirely effective. It was clear that mentoring was not readily available to individuals or organizations, and I wanted to change that.

What are your brand values?

Our brand values ​​form the foundation of PushFar: authentic, accessible, supportive and innovative.

Do your values ​​drive your decision making?

Yes – always. Our values ​​are the core principles that PushFar is based on, and they all work together. We must remain innovative, constantly adapting the services we offer to ensure we provide the best support to our customers in the market while maintaining accessibility for everyone. Acting in accordance with these values ​​ensures that we remain true to PushFar’s founding mission of providing effective guidance to all.

Is team culture an integral part of your business?

Team culture is an integral part of who we are. Working closely with clients who primarily operate in the HR and Education space, we understand firsthand the value of a strong, supportive culture.

What do you do to go the extra mile to show your appreciation to your team?

Our appreciation for our team is demonstrated through trust and empowerment across the board. We offer flexible working hours, fully remote work, and flexible vacations. This allows our team to feel respected in the same way that we value and recognize the value they bring to PushFar.

In terms of your messaging, do you think you speak directly to consumers in a clear way?

Yes! We ensure that our messages are concise and understandable to everyone. We are here to help individuals and organizations and want to make the process as easy as possible from the start.

What do you think about inflation and interest rates – will you pass that on to your customers or will you let your profit margins take a hit and reward customer loyalty in these tough times?

We have not raised prices in the past 6 years. We focus on providing great service that helps our business grow while continuing to add value.

How often do you evaluate the data you collect and address your KPIs and why?

We are constantly evaluating the data we collect in real time. As a technology company, this is critical to us and our clients. In a constantly evolving industry, the data we continually evaluate ensures that we remain the leading guidance platform and that our clients receive the most up-to-date and highest quality services.

Is technology playing a bigger role in the day-to-day running of your business?

Yes! As a technology company, it is at the heart of everything we do; from our service to our clients, to our approach to remote working with colleagues and employees. Technology plays a key role in our growth, both in terms of our scale and the services we provide. Using advanced technology helps us streamline processes without compromising on quality, ensuring that the service our clients receive is as efficient as possible.

What is your position on your competitors?

We have a very healthy attitude towards our competitors. This discourages complacency when we all play fair. Competition is important to ensure that the market continues to evolve and that the services offered have no choice but to innovate. Innovation and growth are very important to PushFar, so we are not afraid of our place in the market.

Do you have any advice for anyone starting out in business?

If you want to start a business, just do it. There is never a right time, it’s all about the mindset you apply. Focus, dedication and hard work are what you need to commit to. There is no shortcut to any of it.

It can be a stressful and isolating place to work, where you can be the main decision maker at work. What do you do to relax, recharge and sharpen your focus?

I shut myself off, engage in digital detoxes and immerse myself in books and the outdoors through things like running.

Do you believe in the 12-week method, or do you develop much longer planning strategies?

I personally believe that long-term strategies are extremely important. They are less restrictive and allow for a greater sense of direction and a broader view of the bigger picture and long-term goals.

What is your company’s environmental strategy?

As a technology company, we try to do everything we can to reduce our impact on the planet. We actively encourage remote working and host regular video calls where possible to limit commutes. We also go paperless and will continue to make efforts to ensure our environmental impacts are considered.

What are three things you wish would happen in the next 12 months?

Over the next 12 months, we’ll focus on growth; a bigger team, a bigger customer base and more great features to offer.

The post Ed Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder of PushFar first appeared on Investorempires.com.

•

, , , ,