4. What is your greatest achievement?
About three months ago, we became larger than Tumblr and WordPress on the iPad. So becoming the largest publishing platform on the iPad is a big step for us. But we still have a lot left to do.
5. What has been your biggest failure?
Early on, one of my first companies failed. I learned, "Hey, it doesn't always work out." I didn't know enough about product in technology at that point. I needed to go back to school and get a computer information systems degree -- not an entrepreneurship degree -- to learn the basics of computer science. I soaked up everything I could possibly learn about product management, product creation, and what makes a great product in technology. So my failure was not knowing enough of that stuff, but then I went and learned from that.
6. What was the most important thing you learned in school?
Third grade was the first time I ran for a student government office. From that I learned the power of public speaking and leadership and everything associated with that, especially the importance of clearly communicating to a group of individuals. I continued all throughout high school, where I also did Mock Trial.
7. What is one goal that you would like to accomplish during your lifetime?
I would love to create a hardware consumer product. I think software is one thing, but the art of creating something that's actually a physical product that people love, that's difficult. It's not just designing great software; it's designing something that looks great at all angles and is actually easy to use. That's another level of challenge that's fascinating. My biggest inspiration is from cars. Cars are a piece of art in motion. If you look at a Porsche, Aston Martin, or a Corvette, those cars are timeless. I'd love in my lifetime to be able to create consumer products that are used by a billion people. That would be one thing that I'd love to do.
8. What do you do to live a balanced life?
Try to check your shit at the door. When you get home, of course you're going to bring work there, but don't let it influence the other people in your life. Try to separate the two and make sure that you have time between both sides of work and life. That's a hard thing to learn.
9. Describe an ideal day.
I'm happiest when I'm creating content or creating a product. I love, first and foremost, creating things. That's what I think entrepreneurship is: the art of taking absolutely nothing and creating something that hundreds of millions of people use. That's fascinating. So a day when I'm creating and doing, instead of sitting in meetings.
10. What is one unique or quirky habit that you have?
I've run a 5K every day for four and a half years, even if I'm traveling, sick, or was out late the night before. The reason for that is, as a startup, you're trying to do the impossible, and you've got to have a commitment to that. If you can't even get yourself to spend 20 to 25 minutes to run a 5K, how can you do that? It also allows me to clear my mind on a daily basis.
