Jobs: Dmitry Dumik, CEO IM bot platform Chatfuel

"My main focus - Vision, culture and work with barriers to growth" - a CEO mission to startup

- Dima, tell us who you work for and how the project doing now?

- I'm CEO Chatfuel - leading chat bot platform for sales force automation and marketing through Facebook Messenger. For three years we are from a startup in two people have grown to a company with hundreds of thousands of customers around the world, under 30 people and annual revenue of several million dollars a team.

- That's cool! How did you manage to achieve this result in a relatively short period of time?

We started the year before, as Facebook has opened an API for creating chat-bots in Facebook Messenger, - made platform for the Telegram. Everything is tested, already know what to do, and launched the world's first platform for Facebook. Winter 2016 were held in Y Combinator, closed the round of investment from Greylock, Yandex, 500 Startups, YC and other funds.

- What's in your duties to the CEO post?

- My role as CEO is constantly changing. First division was simple: I did all of the product and do business, and my partner Artem Ptashnik responsible for all the technical part. Now my main focus - Vision, culture and working with constraints on the growth path.

Vision - that's where we want to go, and what we do not want to do. The second part is particularly important in startupWhere the market is still new and evolving, and is not always clear how the product will be and what will work strategy.

And the ability to say "no" helps liberate the mental space and creativity for those areas where we are interested in just moving.

Culture - this is who we hire, promote and dismiss.

One may formulate the principles of culture, but people look at actions rather than words, and make the appropriate conclusions.

And finally - this understanding of the limitations, and above all their team, which can interfere with growth and development. Last year, we grew by 10 times, and the most difficult thing - to have time to change and to help the team grow together with the business.

"My advice - start experimenting as soon as possible in the life" - the first steps in the startup, education and moving to Silicon Valley

- And how it all began?

- My father own a small business, and since my childhood I was inspired by the business. The first attempt was in the sixth grade, when I have one of the first in the school got a computer with Internet access, and I started to make the sale of abstracts, which swung from the web.

It went: at some point, I belonged to "authorship" of 100% of the abstracts on the board of the school honor. After some time had to turn the business, but pleasant memories.

In his second year of high school I went to America for Work and Travel program, settled mowing lawns.

Once repaired his boss went to the computer and the hearing in the district that the "hacker from Russia strizhot lawns." So I got a second job - is a programmer.

In the third year I went again in the States, Find customers, and when he returned, and recruited classmates organized outsourcing company that collapsed six months later because it was not at all managerial experience.

In the fourth year, I got to Procter & Gamble, where he spent five years directing the implementation of IT systems for businesses. But at some point he participated in the charity project mentor 1Minute and I realized that I love the dynamics of start-up, burning eyes and a sense of purpose that you bring into this world. Thus began my journey startups, with all its joys and tears.

- Where and with whom did you learn? And if higher education was useful?

- He studied at the Taganrog State University, specialty "Computers, systems, complexes and networks".

The family all the best students, the expectations were relevant but design obsolete microcontrollers on the background of how the Google takes over the world, it was boring.

Therefore, the main skill that I circulated in high school - as to achieve goals with minimal time and effort. Diploma I never will no longer useful, but all my projects and undertakings given invaluable experience.

I was always interested in doing things with his hands, to try and see what happens. Otherwise, I do not have enough dopamine, and I throw.

I even read a book because: if there is a specific task, I have enough motivation and interest to finish and immediately apply, otherwise I just neglecting.

My advice - start experimenting as soon as possible in life. Something to do, to try, to fill the cones and understand your or not. I do believe that the current education system is killing the personality, introduces toxic definition of "normality" and prevents learn this myself.

- Why he has decided to develop business in the US, but not in Russia?

Initially, it was the desire to prove to myself that I can. Can be successful on the world stage, I can compete with graduates of Stanford and have access to the best resources and minds of the world.

Later come to understand that this is about freedom - one of my main values. I want to have full freedom of movement, expression and self-actualization. United States - not an ideal country with a bunch of their problems, but now I know that I can move to another state and from scratch build a business. I fear that will not work no more.

"We are building a culture where colleagues interesting and good to each other" - the difficulties and corporate culture

- Tell me about the difficulties of working: with what faced or continue to face how to solve them?

One of the main insights of the last time: the company - is a reflection of the founders, with all their limitations and problems. Recently, there was a situation: my guys have given feedback that as soon as things are not going the way I want, I have a tendency vonzatsya and try to solve the problem himself.

It worked in the beginning, when the motion sprint format was either decide or company dies. But it does not work now because I take away autonomy from colleagues, do not give them the opportunity to develop and to overload yourself. We have to learn to run a marathon.

Business in this regard - a terrific tool of self-knowledge, which instantly gives feedback. What did you do in your company and look: work? If not, why not? Where installation, which makes it difficult? It's like having a therapist, only to scale.

- Let's talk in more detail about the team. Who is working with you and how to get into your team?

When hiring I look for two things: professional efficiency and compliance with the corporate culture. Professional effectiveness - a combination of the base and speakers. The base may be low, but the man is very fast moving and wants to develop - we take. Or less of the speed, but a great experience - also suitable.

The second essential component - cultural fit.

I'm not interested to build a unicorn, I am interested to build a unicorn and get high on the road.

And the presence of deep social bonds - one of the main predictors of happiness. Therefore, we are building a culture where colleagues is interesting and well with each other. I agree with the thesis Sean Achora, author of the book "happiness advantage": First you become a happy, successful and then, but not vice versa.

- Can you tell us more about the contest for the product managers "Antihayp product: to create a product, whose efficiency is more important than the noise"?

- Gartner described the cycle through which the technologies and products:

First splash expectations and then disappointment. As Zuckerberg said: "People overestimate the potential of the technology on the horizon of two years and underestimate the horizon 10". That's what happened with bots chat a few years ago.

Despite the fact that the useful yuzkeys found and has already been successfully used by many companies in the market still remained misconception that chat-bots do not work. This myth prevents the recruitment and growth of the business.

In parallel, we are faced with the problem of onbordinga: how to help our customers understand the value of IM bots and create a solution themselves. This is an acute problem for all Internet companies.

At the junction of these two problems, the idea of ​​competition for product and design the best solution onbordinga. We invited top experts on the jury, recorded interviews and educational million rubles were given as prizes to the winners.

Their solutions, we sent 30 teams, the whole process was publichen, and the results can be viewed here.

Canal Telegram after the end of the contest turned into a place where I share my insights and business awareness.

"Some calls do on balansborde to balance pump for surfing" - about the workplace, meditation and sport

- Let's move on to your workplace: how it looks?

- The first half of the day I work out of the house to catch the Russian time zone and the guys in the Moscow office.

After dinner usually I work from our office in San Francisco.

Main Gadgets: Headphones AirPods and noise-canceling Bose QuiteComfort 35 ring Oura for tracking sleep quality and level of physical activity during the day, UPRIGHT posture tracker, MacBook Pro, thermos mug, iPhone XS and a pair of wireless zaryadok for him.

Part of the calls do on balansborde to balance pump for surfing. Near yoga mat: I have a few favorite sessions for 15-20 minutes, if you need to cheer up, difficult to focus or anxiously.

- What do you do in your free time?

- Over the past few years, I have formed the supporting structure of practices that help me to live the difficult moments, to be more conscious and happy.

Meditation - observation of the feelings, thoughts and states. When we switch to a state observer, there is a choice, how to act in any given situation.

Do not react in the usual patterns, for which then ashamed and breathe and look at the situation from the outside. The effectiveness of meditation is confirmedMental training enhances attentional stability: Neural and behavioral evidence studies, and structural changes in the brain on MRI visible after only eight weeks after the start of practice. Stress reduced quality of life is improved.

Surfing - the quintessential sport for me, body and soul connection. It requires good physical preparation: need endurance, flexibility, balance.

And, of course, a spiritual practice. Meditation on the horizon line-up in anticipation of a wave, a reminder that if you are covered, you need to relax and not spend oxygen, and, of course, the state of playfulness and flow, when you're on wave. I try to get out a few times a year.

Kundalini yoga - the practice of which is through breathing exercises body and allows you to quickly immerse themselves in a state of meditation, live repressed emotions and learn to be able to observer.

Kundalini meditation and do every day, a total of about 1-1.5 hours. More about Practice writing in your channel Telegram.

Layfhakerstvo by Dmitry Dumika

books

• «Opening the organization of the future"Frederic Laloux - a book about the evolution of the company, which deals with the so-called turquoise organization -" Organization of the future ", or" living organization. " This successful company, in which instead of managers - coaching and self-government, and instead of the KPI - goals and values.
• «A source"Ayn Rand - the book that inspired to believe in yourself and do as tells the heart, not the society.
• «Strength of will. How to develop and strengthen"Kelly McGonigal - a good system and a deep study of willpower with a lot of practical advice: how to work with it and develop.

TV series

• «eighth feeling»(Sense8) - Sisters Wachowski series about a group of strangers who have access to each other's consciousness. Through this metakonstruktsiyu very nice discloses the concept of love, community and unity in the world.
• "Billions» (Billions) - series about business, tough decisions and moral dilemmas that arise on the way to the state in the billions.

Podcasts and videos

• TED Talk on Happiness - the conclusions of the longest (40 years), the study of happiness in humans.
• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - Lecture about meditation for Google employees.
• A simple way to break a bad habit - performance at the TED Talk, which focuses on the essence of meditation that goes on in our brain.

Blogs and Websites

• Stratechery.com - one of the best blogs about technology and business strategy with a good analytical approach.
• Startupdigest.com - a great selection of topical digest mitapov and conferences for those who come to the valley.
• ponchik News - Telegram channel Alexey Ivanov, the designer from San Francisco, about how to apply the design approach in the relationship, self-knowledge and strategies.
• Dumik - entrepreneurship and awareness - My Telegram-channel for top entrepreneurs, product designers, and where I am writing about the awareness and business in IT.
• Waitbutwhy.com - favorite blog Elon Musk. Very deep longridy on the topic - from procrastination to space - that make really think.
• Dayoga.ru and yogaglo.com - Kundalini Yoga video tutorials in English and Russian.