Q&A WITH HELEN CHEN

Q Who is your role model?

A My parents are my ultimate role models.

They arrived in the US with next to nothing and have raised a daughter to believe she can achieve anything. Isn’t that remarkable?

Are you a risk-taker or a cautious entrepreneur?

As an entrepreneur you are naturally a risk-taker.

No one takes this route unless you are risk-seeking because you are disrupting the status quo.

If you could change one thing in your entrepreneurial journey, what would it be?

I am always thinking about how we can move faster. Speed is a start-up’s greatest competitive advantage, and it is something that we always want to be better at.

Are you on a hiring spree? We are hiring for select roles, but we are not on a hiring spree. We are investing in Dubai and are doubling the sales team in the emirate over the next quarter.

What is your vision for the company?

Our vision is to make home ownership simple and efficient because we are empowering agents to collaborate freely with one another.

What successful start-ups do you wish you could have started and why?

I admire many companies that have changed the way we think about technology and start-ups, but there is no other company that I would rather start than Nomad Homes.

What new skills have you learnt with Nomad?

Speed is a founder and chief executive’s greatest tool … it is also a start-up’s greatest competitive advantage. You learn how to make decisions and to move the company forward at a very fast pace.

What is your mantra for success?

Today is a great day. I say this every morning because I believe having a positive attitude drives positive outcomes.