Paint & Pipette: The Art & Science of Innovation S2Ep08: Pivoting and Prioritizing to make an Impact with Serial Entrepreneur Mustafa Abdul-Hamid
Today’s guest never set out to become an entrepreneur, he just wanted to make a really big impact. He followed his love of basketball and policy, as well as his unique ability to connect the dots, into the business world. Now Mustafa Abdul-Hamid is the co-founder of My90 and the founder of Boost. In this episode, he shares his journey with us in an amazingly inspiring conversation. Tuning in you’ll hear about the impact having kids has had on his life and how he maintains his focus on the ‘North Star’, personally and professionally, through the practice of ruthless prioritization. He chats about the two companies he founded or co-founded, the different contexts of each, and how they both overlap and feed each other. He explains how his unique skill set and perspective led him into the world of entrepreneurship, how Boost greatly evolved from what it started out as, how Mustafa knew when to pivot the company’s direction, and what he will do differently the next time he starts a company. We’re sure you'll enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with an incredible entrepreneur, so tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
- The impact of having kids on Mustafa’s life as a founder.
- The value of ruthless prioritization and how this plays out in his business.
- How choosing a co-founder is very similar to choosing a life partner.
- How ruthless prioritization plays into consensus-building and the importance of clear direction.
- An example of a recent output Mustafa and his wife/co-founder Kona achieved as a result of having a clear direction.
- Insight into the two different contexts Mustafa draws upon and is responsible for as a founder of two companies and how they feed each other.
- How Mustafa came to see this common thread in these two contexts.
- Mustafa’s love of policy, his ability to connect dots, and his desire to make a big impact.
- How he came to use his unique skill set and perspective in entrepreneurship.
- What Boost did when it first started and how it has evolved into data-driven story-telling.
- How Mustafa knew when to pivot in the evolution of Boost.
- How to reduce the risk when founding a company and what Mustafa will do differently next time.
- The magic that happens when you do enough to inspire a potential customer to see your potential and ask you to do something.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: