Pop Quiz, Monday with Kyle Bailey, CEO & Founder at NuVinAir
The Pop Quiz, Monday is a fun little exam that we love to give to savvy business people. The examination is not a surprise after all since the interviewee already knew about the questions in advance. However, we can always pretend and have fun with the scenario of a young entrepreneur sitting in class nervously biting on their pencil. They are ready to take a pop quiz on a chapter that they were supposed to read the night before. Instead, they played Metroid all night on their SNES (Oops, this was me in high school). The real purpose of the pop quiz is that this is a fun way to introduce business tips from real-world experiences that you cannot learn in a classroom. We want to thank our interviewee for being a good sport and volunteering their time to answer a few questions to help our community grow from their knowledge.
I want to introduce you to our guest today who will be taking our Pop Quiz, Monday.
Can you please tell everyone your name?
Kyle Bailey
What is your job role?
CEO & Founder, and I’m responsible for directing all aspects of NuVinAir’s strategic plan, while positioning the company for international expansion and the success of our distributors.
Tell us about your company?
NuVinAir is an automotive-industry pioneer offering proprietary odor-elimination products to car dealerships, car washes, detail shops, rental-car companies, and truck fleets.
What do you love most about your job?
I love that every day has fresh possibilities. On a daily basis, we experience the ongoing challenges and successes that come with disrupting a global market. Also, looking back and realizing the growth of the team is also incredibly fulfilling.
What motivates you to get up everyday and go to work?
It’s not about the cash and it’s actually not even about the company. I’m motivated by the opportunity to grow and develop our people. We are all experiencing similar ups-and-downs, and working through them together in order to maximize our success is what invigorates me.
How do your co-workers inspire you?
I get inspired by watching my team grow, stretching their abilities and exceeding their potential. For me, that’s what it’s all about.
How do you have fun at work (team building, pranks, etc..)?
We regularly participate in offsite team-building exercises, including Topgolf, go-karts, bowling, and an arcade, which is really fun…and increasingly competitive!
What are some of the challenges of your job?
As the CEO and founder of a startup, I struggle with delegation, which I know is pretty typical for many founder/CEOs. That said, the other “challenges” with real impact on the company are the ones that motivate me to innovate.
What are some lessons learned from a past project that you can share with us?
Sometimes saying “no” is the best response. If you stretch and bend too much, you can end up jeopardizing your foundation. Staying firm in a decision that doesn’t necessarily make everyone happy — especially if it’s for the good of the company or your moral compass — may be the best decision.
What advice would you give to some one who is starting out in your industry?
I love the parable about the Chinese bamboo tree. If you plant a bamboo seed, it stays in the ground for five years with no visible signs of activity. Then, over a six-week period, it grows to be 90 feet tall. Sometimes, growth is not immediately seen, but success comes because you build it with integrity. You nurture the soil and learn your surroundings, which is exactly how I think of our team at NuVinAir.
Thank you for taking our pop quiz today. You get an A+ for effort. You can learn more about our interviewee and their business by visiting them on the web:
