#mathilde collin

[techcocktail]

If Your Startup is Struggling, That Might Be a Good Sign

[3qs-blog]

Interview: Mathilde Collin

As the bold, intelligent face of FrontApp, Mathilde Collin is an impressive example of a CEO on a mission to change how we communicate...using the ubiquitous email.

Q: What are the top two things that motivate you or get you inspired?

A:  1. Our customers' feedback. Good: I'm super motivated. Bad: There is room for improvement! 2. Our mission: Deeply change how people work.

Q: If you could send personal or business advice back in time to yourself in 2010, what would you tell yourself?

A:  1. "You can do it" 2. "Don't compare yourself to successful entrepreneurs": Everyone started as small as I did. Even the most successful founders had feelings of doubts, fear or even of throwing everything out the window. They weren't born successful entrepreneurs, they worked their butt off to get where they are today, you and I can too. 3. "Make something people want": Y Combinator's #1 advice, but it's true that it's all that matters at the beginning of a company.

Q: What are five reasons why Front could fail and five reasons why it will succeed?

A:  1. Innovating in the email space is hard 2. Having a team split between Paris and San Francisco is not easy to manage (9 hours of time difference…) 3. People don't like to change something they already do all day (& have habits, workflows, process etc.): email. 4. We build too many legos and don't work hard enough ;-) Why Front will succeed: 1. We have the best team in the world 2. Slack has proved that there is room for companies to innovate in the communication space. They've changed how companies communicate internally, we're changing how companies communicate with the outside world. 3. We've got amazing investors to help us! 4. Customer's feedback is very good 5. Customer churn is extremely low

Thanks Mathilde!