We interviewed the CEO of Biomers, Matthias Straub, to find out more about why he left a MNC to embark on a startup journey.
Please tell me about yourself before Biomers.
I have been working for almost 20 years in dental/medical industry and was always responsible for managing innovations in this field, first as a regulatory and quality manager, then as an innovation project manager, and lastly as a subsidiary manager in Research and Development, Manufacturing and Distribution. This latest orthodontic product is just one more opportunity to work out something new. I love green fields where I can build something new.
How did you became a part of Biomers?
After working for very small family owned businesses and Multi-National Companies, I opted for a venture capital driven organisation, with the target for an IPO, which I have never done before and wanted to learn about it.
What motivates you on a day to day basis?
The diversity and the ever changing requirements of a green field job such as building something from scratch, put your personal stamp on, being creative and pushing a team forward to achieve the best performance.
Can you share some of the hustle you have experience over the course of this business?
Almost every day there will be good things and bad things, ups and downs. It is about how you are using it to improve yourself. You will learn more from overcoming the downs, and you can see these adversities as opportunities instead.
What is your take on the importance of unity within your team?
Every team requires a common goal. I also believe that the best idea counts no matter who thought of it. And there should not be anything that divides the team, everybody should try to have fun together such as playing tennis, darts or snooker.
What is the best advice that a mentoring entrepreneur gave you? Is there any advice you would give to our readers?
I did not receive much good advice and mentoring in my whole career. But I now can understand better on how to do things after learning from the weak points of my bosses. So, to pack this in an advice: Question and analyse carefully, do not stop improving and discovering a better and your own authentic way of doing things, always treat your colleagues and employees with respect. Focus on yourself, start looking out for mistakes that you have, learn to expect more from yourself and lesser from others. It will allow yourself to constantly improve and not always complaining about others which never helps to improve things anyway. Always be positive and avoid negative people, stay out of negative talks and concentrate on continuous improvement. Complaints and negativity will eventually weigh you down.
If you could go back in time, what would you like to do differently?
I should have sent off the employees who abused my generosity and did not learn their lesson. I saw how they continued their career, destroying teams and even claiming credit when they do not deserve it, I regret I did not fire them when the time was right. These employees must be removed, if you ever identify one, show no mercy!
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
After I finished the intended IPO successfully, I shall retire from business and work as an artist, as I have always wanted to.
What do you do to maintain your work-life balance?
I follow my two boys and play games with them such as soccer and music. I also do photography and paintings. But nothing is more rewarding than a great family where you can always feel love and affection.
What is the greatest pride you take with regards to your business?
You should not show pride in business, but enjoy yourself along the way and be happy about the success and positive energy that comes with it. Always stay humble and grounded, how can you be proud of something, that you cannot influence 100% by yourself, you should understand that other people, lucky circumstances and fate have helped you a lot as well. Just be grateful that everybody played a part in the success and you got a chance to experience it.
What are some key aspects do you look for when hiring an employee?
Well educated, balanced and humble person. This person must also be a good fit for the team and be willing to be consistently learning throughout his or her entire life. Lastly, he or she should also be flexible and open minded with social competence.
Are there any other things you would like to share with our readers?
I’d like to stress a good set of values (honesty, integrity, reliability, etc.), a broad education (engineering, economy, soft skills, certifications) and open mind set with a healthy portion of courage and craziness!
Study more history and other great people to get inspired.
There is a tendency that nowadays we educate too many specialists, deeply specialised in one particular thing only. But the real genius is more diverse, everybody should take some time and study these geniuses such as Leonardo DaVinci, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Galileo Galilei, Humboldt, Aristoteles, Newton, Descartes, Kopernikus and so on. They had never been limited in one discipline and were constantly trying to study as many disciplines as possible, because the best inspiration comes from interdisciplinary knowledge and out of the box thinking.
Today we are still building teams that consist of people with different specializations but this is not effective as these people will lack the ability to understand their counterparts from different disciplines. I believe that the ability to have interdisciplinary knowledge might be a probable job requirement in the future.
History, Philosophy and Psychology are underestimated disciplines that was somehow lost in our everyday business and leadership. Ironically every business book is proposing another or a “new philosophy” to follow that will guarantee your success. But good leaders and bosses know, they have to start from the basics such as “ADAM and EVE”, otherwise they would not be able to understand wrongly proposed guidance, tendencies of today and the need to resist them successfully in order to move forward in their own authentic way. Too much of philosophy? No, it can never be enough.
More about Simpliclear by Biomer:
Website: simpliclear.com
Facebook: @simpliclearSG
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