Jobs: Alexander Boiko, the investor, the former head of Timeweb
Workplaces / / December 27, 2019
Alexander Boykov not received higher education, but from the ground has created a major web hosting company and went into business investment. In an interview Layfhakeru he gave valuable advice to budding entrepreneurs and talked about his original approach to time management.
Alexander Boykov
Investor. Invests in international startups, including Silicon Valley. Before that he headed the hosting company Timeweb.
What do you do in your work?
For the previous year, my work has changed dramatically. A year ago, I was the CEO of Timeweb, where 120 people work. A month ago, handed over his post successor, he left the board and focused on venture capital investments.
investor level different from the level of CEO. You own a small share in many companies.
You're no longer the boss. You partner.
Talk about the management of the company does not have to here. The work is reduced to the interests of the management.
Any company formed around the shell of the stakeholders: customers, employees, partners of all kinds and even contractors. The more different interests manages to keep the company, the greater its influence and income.
What is your occupation?
He studied mathematics at the programmer. This laid the foundations of systems thinking. From school won in city Olympiads on programming, so at the time of admission was well prepared. However, the university, I never graduated. We opened Timeweb, and we had to make a choice.
This is one of the best decisions I made in my life. The company is now among the top three in the market. But there are also negative consequences: will not take me to Google. There's higher education shall be compulsory.
I have passed all the relevant management courses in Russia, including the English-speaking trainers. I lecture on strategies to enter the market at universities and accelerators.
I talk a lot with mature entrepreneurs all over the world - it allows you to deepen understanding of the most interesting topics for me.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Of the strengths - wild self-reflection. I bear the lessons from each situation. Flexible in thinking, can understand any point of view. It's harder than it seems.
Of the weaknesses - I am constantly late for meetings and detain people. Wildly annoying habit of his colleagues punctual.
Poor understanding of people who are prone to emotional thinking. Sometimes make terrible mistakes. I use the services of an interpreter "from the emotional to the Russian." Often the actions of people with the mindset, focused on emotion, tells me my wife. :)
How does your workplace?
Now my work consists of meetings that take place in different locations around the world. Office everywhere: at the airport, Starbucks, partners' offices in the car between appointments.
Suddenly I fell in love with the diversity in the workplace and now take the opportunity to change the situation by 100%.
I equip home office, since many meetings occur on Skype before or after the workday.
I'm a big fan of Apple technology. It saves a lot of time and allows you to live with a sense of relative security. The two main devices - MacBook Pro and iPhone.
Desktop software do not use at all.
Forgotten as a nightmare. Send me a specific Excel documents useless. I use Google cloud services, and do not see them adequate replacement. Except mail that I have to Timeweb.
To communicate using Facebook. Once appeared Messenger and calls via the social network, do not see the point in other messengers. Is that in order to reach out to those who do not use Facebook.
How do you organize your time?
I myself poborovshis owl. The most effective work at night, but it's bad for your health and energy level. Therefore, long accustomed myself to go to bed at 23 pm and wake up at 7. Now I feel very comfortable, thoughtfully time to work from home until everyone gets to work.
For the organization of the time using several tools.
- Celoxis - for long-term planning with a Gantt chart. There can be up to a year to mark the common good strokes major projects. I make up for the year ahead, and every month updated.
- Todoist - once a week on the basis of the chart I make a list of discrete tasks and scoring here. Todoist I always have on hand, so I bring back all the thoughts. Share of priority. Hard task I bring to the calendar, flexible allocation of days. As a rule, no more than three compulsory tasks / appointments per day and no more than five extra. On one significant task should be every day that brings me closer to the strategic goal.
What's your hobby?
I love to travel. I visited two different countries / locations per month. I visited almost everywhere: on the west coast of the United States to Australia. Artist absorb new experiences, approach to life in different cultures.
What place sport occupies in your life?
The only constant - a gym.
It was a lot of things at different stages of life: horse riding, swimming, karate, snowboarding and even Thai boxing. I reach the level of proficiency and move on.
Layfhakerstvo from Alexander Boikova
books
I'm constantly learning. I read 24 books a year. Last year, that number was close to 50, but realized that the brain can not absorb such volumes of high quality. Do not have time to think. Now the speed has decreased, but increased quality. Only I read paper books, because they are better remembered. Associative memory works.
From reading exactly I recommend this.
- «Innovator's Dilemma. Both because of the new technologies perish strong companies"Clayton Christensen.
- «You or you, the professional operation of subordinates. Regular management for rational manager"Alexander Friedman. For managers will be useful all seminars Alexander Friedman.
- «Thinking strategist. Business Art in Japanese"Kenichi Ohmae.
- «Atlas Shrugged"Ayn Rand.
Tips startups
- Search for "unfair advantage" at the entrance to the market, which will not have a competitor. Access to the customer base, unique technology, exclusive partnerships and so on.
- Find a mentor. It accelerates the development of dozens of times, and sometimes pushes the ball rolling, you can not overcome on their own. Many important decisions in the career I accepted under the influence of a mentor.
- Act ethically and openly. This is difficult, as will have to sacrifice short-term interests and to oppose the majority. But in the long run it is the right strategy.
Finally - one more life hacking.
Learn basic meditation. This is not a strange occupation for the Indians, who have nothing to do. It increases the ability to work in practice and puts the brain into a state in which it is able to generate breakthrough ideas. Time investment pays off many times over. If you still do not do it, it's time to try.