Want to work for him? Here’s what you need to know
WHEN IT COMES to hiring new employees, Jon Richards has a simple rule. “I look for whether I can work with that particular person; whether they have energy and they show heart; and whether we can trust them. I then let the senior management team test them on their technical skills. Beyond that, we are looking for experience, and we are looking for people who understand digital in today’s market.”
“I like people who are entrepreneurs themselves, and who are looking to start their own businesses,” he added. “This might scare some managers, because of the fact that you might lose such people when they feel that they are ready to go off and start with their own business; but, I like having those people around simply because they are driven. Also, you get an opportunity to have stock options, which means that you are part of the founders anyway. I’m also look for people that are prepared to work hard. The one thing that I want to know about potential candidates is what are they doing today; what have they done over the past 12 months; and how much they know about our company.”
Speaking on the importance of ensuring a seamless and memorable online user experience, Richards revealed that his team is constantly working on improving a user’s experience. “If you were to visit our website everyday, I guarantee that you will notice a small change every single day. This goes to show just how much we value innovation. At the same time, we try to keep things as simple as possible on our website. We believe that you should be able to find and select which products are the best for you in a minute. Our aim is to inform you about the various options in the market in a timely and simple manner, and we have invested a lot towards achieving that goal.”
Richards also describes the startup environment in the UAE today as “amazing”. Entrepreneurs have a lot more options today when it comes to licensing, and the market itself is much more active.
“It is much more easier to launch a startup today compared to when we first started,” he noted. “There are a lot of incubators today as well, so it is definitely a good time to be a startup. In addition, you have a lot of freelancers that are active in the community, and you have a growing local talent pool. When it comes to financing, there is also a lot of support from peer-to-peer financing platforms, which have bridged the gap that was present with SMEs looking to get financing for expanding their operations.” His advice for young entrepreneurs is simple. “Don’t confuse passion with stupidity,” he stresses. “If something doesn’t seem to be working, be honest with yourself and move on to something else.”