What work habits can keep you productive and efficient?
In today’s episode, Lindsay interviews Alexander Harmsen.
He is a tech entrepreneur who shares skills and habits that will help you be successful in your career.
Alexander Harmsen, tech entrepreneur
In today’s show, Lindsay has a special guest from the tech space, Alexander Harmsen.
Alexander is a tech entrepreneur who is passionate about AI, finance, and autonomy.
He founded PortfolioPilot.com, an AI Financial Advisor with over $30 billion in assets on the platform.
He’s raised over $30 million in venture capital, and went through Y Combinator.
He has also been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30.
Forbes creates this list and awards entrepreneurs, artists, venture capitalists, and basically anyone who is interesting and stands out in their 30s.
Alex’s entrepreneurial experience
Alex mentions that he was included in the list because some years ago he founded his autonomous vehicle company.
They raised a significant amount of money and expanded globally with a team of 50.
They were the first autonomous vehicle company that scaled in 9 different countries.
The company is still running now.
This is mostly flying autonomous companies in the logistics space.
He sold the business in 2021 and a private equity firm did a leverage buyout.
He now has a house in the San Francisco bay area and has started a family.
His wife also has a startup and he is now running the AI Financial Advisor software.
Work habits for success
Lindsay asks Alex if he can share three qualities that he thinks got him the Forbes 30 under 30 award.
He’ll also share what you can do to cultivate those skills.
These lessons will help you excel in whatever field you choose for your career.
They will also help you in setting up your own business.
#1: Focus on the long-term
Alex references a Bill Gates quote.
“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.”
Alex believes this is very much true.
He shares that at the beginning of his career he was naive and foolish.
When he started in his 20s with the autonomous vehicle company, they were taking a significant amount of technical, regulatory risks and many more.
He had no idea what they were doing.
What drove him in the next 7 years was a larger vision that there are old school industries that he could help with the devices they were building.
He tied most of his energy with this long-term idea and it compounded over time.
He attributes his success to this.
Alex adds that a lot of people give up after a year and most won’t have a bigger idea far in the future.
He doesn’t discount that there is a significant amount of luck in the industry he is working in.
However, one’s drive and having a singular long-term focus makes a huge difference.
Lindsay agrees with this and sees the value of having long-term goals to keep you motivated and driven.
#2: Focus on the short-term
This may sound counterintuitive to what Alex shared about long-term goals.
He mentions that focusing on the short term is about starting with today.
He advises to have a certain routine in the morning and create structure for your day and be consistent with it.
For example, he gets a good start in the morning with a coffee and thinking of the three things he has to get done today.
This doesn’t include checking emails or getting administrative things done.
Lindsay asks Alex if he does an evaluation of the day and checks if he finishes the three things.
He says he has to finish the three things or he doesn’t go to sleep.
It’s very important to have a view of the long-term goal and work towards that by achieving your short-term goals consistently.
#3: Persistence
Being persistent is the key to putting this all together.
Alex shares a quote he really likes which is:
“Companies only die once you give up on them.”
No company dies because there is no money, or the founder leaves, or you can’t figure out what to build.
Whatever it is, the company only dies if you give up.
Therefore, persistence is vital.
Alex shares that he listened to a TedTalk where the speaker’s goal was to help a billion people around the world who live in inaccessible places.
He reached out and said he wanted to offer his drones to help with that goal.
Unbelievably, he emailed them multiple times and never got a response.
He then found a number and kept leaving a voicemail.
The CEO finally responded and asked him to stop calling.
Alex offered to start an internship program for them.
The CEO gave him a chance but he was based in Canada, and they didn’t know how to figure out the visa to hire him.
Alex offered to arrange it himself.
He then laid out the value he could bring to the table.
He worked there as an intern for 3 months and he became a full-time employee after that.
The persistence he had got him in the door and started a very beautiful career.
Takeaway
Tech entrepreneur Alexander Harmsen shared valuable insights on building a successful career.
He recommends staying committed to your larger vision, even if the journey is risky and uncertain.
Long-term focus helps you persevere and build over time, which can lead to massive success.
Then you can break down your big goals into actionable daily tasks.
Identify three key priorities each day that move the needle forward.
Consistency and structure are key.
Lastly, you should never give up.
Alex’s story of relentless follow-up and commitment shows that persistence can open doors and lead to incredible opportunities.
These habits, coupled with a long-term vision, can guide anyone toward success, whether in a career or business venture.
Where to find more information
You can check out Alex Harmsen at the X app.
His handle is @alexharm.
You can also check out his app PortfolioPilot.com.
It’s completely free to get started.
He is also starting on something new so you can watch out for that too.
What are work habits and tips you’ve picked up in your career?
We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
