16. Michael Perry (Maple)

In this episode I have an incredible chat with Michael Perry.

For those who don't know, Michael is, before anything else, father of two sons, Leander and Solomon. He is CEO of Maple, a family tech startup looking to help families free up time and spend more quality time together.

Before launching Maple, Michael was the founder of Kit, a fully automated virtual marketing assistant for small business owners. Before being acquired by Shopify, Kit was live in 30+ different countries and helped small businesses all over the world. After the acquisition, he then became a director in Shopify where he led product and marketing technology for 4 years.

Michael is also an angel investor, small business enthusiast, and considers himself to be a bit of a survivalist. He had amazing personal and professional experiences as an entrepreneur and business leader and is here today to share some of these learnings with us.

Here are some questions I asked Michael:

• You describe yourself to be a bit of a survivalist. What do you mean by that?
• You had your first professional experience when you were 7 years old, working on your uncle's video store. How was it to have this experience so early in life in a family-owned business?
• Do you remember what you did with the first money you earned? What did you buy with the money?
• You mentioned that being a father is the hardest, yet most important job you have ever had. How do you assess Michael the founder before and after paternity?
• Your parents sacrificed a lot to give you and your sister the best you could have. It's obvious you appreciate it very much. How do you want your children to perceive you as a father?
• You grew up in a very small town in California. But living in California at that point in time must have had huge effects on your tech entrepreneurial formation. How do you think growing up in such a vivid tech geography shaped your life?
• Do you have any habits such as journaling, meditation, exercise, that make you feel more balanced for your day-to-day activities?
• You are at the very beginning of your mission to make parent's lives easier at Maple. What do you think is the success threshold for Maple, what is your long-term vision?
• Is there something that you started doing recently that has significantly improved your life?
• Is there something that you think is true, but others don't?

Michael, thanks for joining us. The conversation was great, and I'm sure listeners will find it extremely insightful.