MSMP 58: Amar Ghose on Failing Forward

What Does MSMP 58: Amar Ghose on Failing Forward Talk About?

In this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, Mads interviews Amar Ghose, co-founder of ZenMaid, a scheduling software for maid services. Amar shares his journey from being inspired by Tim Ferriss's 'The Four Hour Work Week' to becoming a successful digital nomad. The conversation focuses on the concept of 'failing forward'—learning from failures to achieve success. Amar discusses the importance of regular 1-on-1 meetings with team members, especially during lockdowns, and how these meetings revealed hidden talents within his team. He also emphasizes the value of hiring for personal development and feedback receptivity. Additionally, Amar talks about his acquisition of Burnchurn.io, a SaaS business, and the strategy of 'managing up' where he works for his team by reviewing their solutions, allowing for better trust and delegation.

A lot of people have read Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Work Week. Many of those have gone on to try to live, in some part, the lifestyle of the digital nomad that Tim champions in that book. Of those, few have persevered beyond their first failures to one or more successes.Mads Singers

Who Is Featured on MSMP 58: Amar Ghose on Failing Forward?

Amar Ghose grew up in Silicon Valley and was inspired by Tim Ferriss's 'The Four Hour Work Week' to pursue the digital nomad lifestyle. After several business attempts with varying success, he co-founded ZenMaid in 2013, a scheduling software for maid services. Amar has been living the nomad life since 2015 and manages a remote team of 20 people distributed worldwide. He is also the acquirer of Burnchurn.io, a SaaS business, and focuses on traits like personal development and feedback receptivity when hiring.

What Are the Key Takeaways From MSMP 58: Amar Ghose on Failing Forward?

• Regular 1-on-1 meetings with direct reports are crucial for uncovering hidden talents and desires within a team.
• Hiring for personal development and the ability to receive feedback graciously leads to significant team growth over time.
• The strategy of 'managing up' allows leaders to work for their team by reviewing solutions, fostering trust and delegation.
• Failing forward is a key lesson for digital nomads, as perseverance through failures leads to eventual success.
• Acquiring a SaaS business like Burnchurn.io can benefit from the same growth and management skills developed in a primary business.

One of the things that Amar learned during the lockdowns earlier this year was the value of 1-to-1s. He had a chance to ask his team what they were interested in learning about and doing during the rest of the year and found out some hidden desires and talents.Mads Singers

Is MSMP 58: Amar Ghose on Failing Forward Worth Listening To?

This episode is highly recommended for managers and entrepreneurs interested in building remote teams and fostering a culture of growth and feedback. Amar's practical insights on 1-on-1 meetings and managing up provide actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately. The discussion on failing forward offers motivation for those facing setbacks in their entrepreneurial journey. Listeners will gain valuable lessons on delegation, trust, and uncovering hidden talents within their teams, making this episode a worthwhile listen for anyone looking to improve their management skills.

Who Should Listen to MSMP 58: Amar Ghose on Failing Forward?

• Digital nomads
• Remote team managers
• Entrepreneurs
• SaaS founders

What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?

A lot of people have read Tim Ferriss’ The Four Hour Work Week.  Many of those have gone on to try to live, in some part, the lifestyle of the digital nomad that Tim champions in that book.  Of those, few have persevered beyond their first failures to one or more successes.  That lesson, the lesson of “failing forward,” isn’t really discussed in the book but is a key part of the life of successful digital nomads.

On this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast I chat with Amar Ghose, who grew up in Silicon Valley and read The Four Hour Work Week  when it first came out.  That planted a seed that led Amar to try establishing several different businesses with varying degrees of success until in 2013 he co-founded Zenmaid, which is a scheduling software for maid services.  He’s got a remote team of 20, distributed around the world, and has himself been living the nomad life since 2015.

One of the things that Amar learned during the lockdowns earlier this year was the value of 1-to-1s.  He had a chance to ask his team what they were interested in learning about and doing during the rest of the year and found out some hidden desires and talents, for example that one of his team wanted to do some copywriting, even though they were in an entirely unrelated department.  This opened up an avenue for me to stress (as I do in my management course) that 1-to-1s are always to be done with regular reports on a weekly basis, not just during a lockdown but even during “normal” times.  

A trait Amar looks for when hiring that I really appreciated was the desire to develop personally and seek feedback (and receive it graciously).  He talked about how far some of his team had come in the years they had been together because of this trait.

We also got to learn a bit about his motivations behind acquiring a SaaS business, Burnchurn.io, that is unrelated to ZenMaid but still benefits from the way Amar has been learning to grow and manage businesses.  One of those ways is the strategy of “managing up,” which Amar looked into more closely when an employee sent him a Harvard Business Review article on the topic.  In brief, this strategy allows Amar to work for his team in different departments, insofar as he often looks over solutions that the team has already come up with.  By more trust and delegation, Amar has been able to apply himself where he is most needed and valuable, and that’s a game-changer for a small business.

Key Learning Points:

1. Amar shares his biggest management challenge - 2:54

2. Amar discusses the importance of 1 on 1 meeting during the lockdown - 8:30

3. Mads stresses the importance of regular 1 on 1s with direct reports - 11:45

4. Amar shares a key trait he looks for when hiring - 13:01

5. Amar shares (for the first time anywhere) his acquisition of burnchurn.io - 14:35

6. Amar notes the challenges of being a non-technical founder - 18:55

7. Amar talks about “managing up” is a game-changer - 22:35

8. Amar discusses his annual MRR goals for ZenMaid - 28:30

9. Amar tries to sell Mads on the value of using Twitter - 35:05

Connect with Amar Ghose:

1. Twitter