Anamcara Founder Series — Paul Martin, Co-Founder & CEO of equipme

I reached out to Paul about this interview a couple of weeks back and he kindly agreed. I didn’t give much context. During the interview I wondered a few times if he would have preferred I had. As you will see, some of these questions are somewhat personal. But if he felt apprehensive he definitely didn’t show me. The result is authentic and deeply inspiring. Thank you Paul for entrusting me with this.

- What is the secret to co-founder harmony?

To disagree a lot. But in all seriousness, to be committed to the same mission. Alex and I are the most different personalities you can imagine, but we are unified in our vision and the goal we are aiming for, and I think this is the secret. You must be committed to the mission. I also think that personality and ego needs to be left at home when you go to work and aim to go to the moon.

- What is something about your childhood that still influences you today?

I was born in East Germany, during a time when Germany was a divided country. My parents had to leave everything they had in our home in the middle of the night to get across the border. They had two young children, and they made it, started a new life and a successful one. I think somehow this influenced me that there is always a day 1 where you can start all over again and that you have to take risks to have a better life, and I think this drives me till today.

- What words do you think your co-founder (Alexandre Seifert) uses to describe you?

I am a doer and Alex is a thinker. Probably from his perspective, I am maybe too practical, too fast in executing and moving things without a final plan, while Alex always first builds a vision, and needs a kind of master plan at the start. I think this combination of his wide view and visionary approach and my “let’s try it” mentality helps us get started and then we look how to adjust along the way, but start anyhow. I think that’s the combination which works well for us. But I think he would probably say that Paul is always too fast in execution.

- What does success look like for you?

I am not a money-oriented person. Success for me is a feeling when I go home, and have moved things during the day — for example, a new satisfied customer, or I see that the team is growing and everyone is doing well and grow beyond themselves. But I can leave this right behind when I see my family, and I have this freedom that I have this great job. Success is a combination of a satisfying and demanding job with a meaningful purpose but also free time and being able to make time for family. It is a work-life mentality that is really balanced. It’s a gut feeling that I can’t really describe in a number or an achievement. It’s really improving the world, as Alex would say, but with an everyday focus on a positive impact on the people around me, that really moves me forward.