Ai-Ching Goh: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Piktochart

Grow yourself, surround yourself with the very best people and clearly know what you want out of life. I obtain this clarity by asking myself, “At my death bed, what would I want to have achieved? What would I have regretted not doing?”

As a part of our series about strong female leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ai-Ching Goh, CEO and co-founder of Piktochart, a web-based infographic application.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

My Eureka moment happened while I was on a doctor-prescribed bed rest due to work stress. I got burned out after 15 months at Procter & Gamble where I thought I could make a large dent in the universe.

While I was recuperating, I thought to myself: “Is this really the life I would like to follow?” The answer was a clear no, so I set out to build a small web design consultancy firm with my husband. We didn’t know what we wanted. We just knew what we did not want.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading Piktochart?

I’m not sure if I have the most interesting story, but I have a lot of interesting moments on a daily basis. Going back to when it all started: While I was studying how to market our web design consultancy firm, I remembered past frustrations of not being able to design. This actually gave birth to Piktochart, which we proudly launched as a groundbreaking web-based infographic design tool in 2012 and continues to be a relevant and helpful tool to this day.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I made lots of funny mistakes. They don’t seem funny now, but I can certainly look back at them with a “face palm” type of expression! I still have some of the pitch decks that we first used to present our company to clients and raise funds from investors. They violated every marketing rule in the book! Our early presentations had no clear story but lots of distracting elements.

Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. What is it about the position of CEO or executive that most attracted you to it?

I wasn’t attracted to the position. I stepped into it and have been in it for a while now. I am happy to be part of a movement in creating a place where people with mutual passion and values could go to work happily everyday.

Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?

I think a CEO is sometimes an over-rated position, when all they have to do is have a vision for the company, get the best people, set the tone for the company and execute decisions like crazy — from hiring people to product management. And I say that with sarcasm.

What is the one thing that you enjoy most about being an executive?

Being able to decide the type of company we want to be, how we want to grow, when to innovate, whom to work with, what type of work culture we would like to have — it’s exhilarating!

What are the downsides of being an executive?

There are a lot of responsibilities placed on one person’s shoulders. We are expected to make the right call, and every decision we make will be be scrutinized. Sometimes, the few words we say can have such an impact we never expected.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?

I have heard people say, “You can do what you want. You’re the CEO!” or “You can say what you want; people will listen to you. You’re the CEO!” In my experience, leadership does come with authority, but it is better if the trust is earned through hard work and leading the company in a way that is consistent with the founder’s values.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

I am an emotional being. Whether one is male or female is beside the point. I have a lot of empathy for people but I find that I take a lot of time to relate to others and understand how they operate. Sometimes this is perceived as a weakness that I take so much time and pride in building relationships and a good culture.

What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

The actual job requires that this person is constantly growing. In fact, growing as fast as we want the company to be. Most people think that the best CEO is the one who calls the right shots and works as hard as possible. But often times, a leader has to grow in all sorts of ways — from managing and growing the business to developing its people, leadership and culture.

Certainly, not everyone is cut out to be an executive. In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive?

I think everyone has the potential to be a leader. If they have their heart in it, then anything is possible. I personally would not work for a boss who cares about nothing but the bottom line. But such people exist and the world may even deem them successful!

What advice would you give to other female leaders to help their team to thrive?

Grow yourself, surround yourself with the very best people and clearly know what you want out of life. I obtain this clarity by asking myself, “At my death bed, what would I want to have achieved? What would I have regretted not doing?”

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I can give thanks to so many people at Piktochart. Those who have left us have left an imprint and their legacy. Those who are still around are my comrades.

But if I have to give thanks to a specific person, it would be my dad. He is an entrepreneur and he has lived through the most difficult situations — from falling out with his co-founder, being in great debt, to finding great success. He has inspired me to be an entrepreneur, to be bold and to remember that there is nothing to lose. I also admire him for being a very responsible employer. He cares a lot for his workforce, especially those who have grown with him.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I mentor people and share my experiences as often as I can. I also encourage the company to give back through various charitable causes. More than anything, I hope that each person who comes in touch with Piktochart — whether as a user, customer, employee or intern — will find their life shaped significantly.

What are your “Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

I wish someone told me how important it is to grow myself in order to grow the company. It’s easy to become totally operational and forget the most important thing that a leader has to do, which is to be strategic.

I also wish someone told me that it’s okay for people to leave. We have an amazing employee retention rate, but I have started to understand and realize that it can also be good for the organization when people who are no longer growing with it can perhaps be challenged at a different place.

I wish someone told me that setting a clear vision for the company is the most important thing. If we don’t have the “why”, the entire company stops operating because all of the “what” we are working on does not matter any more.

I also wish someone told me strategy is not such a fearsome word. It is about understanding your roots and the world around you, taking stock of what you have and knowing where you want to go and how to get there.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I like the Zebra movement on sustainable growth, and balancing purpose, people and profit. The corporate world is often primarily profit-driven, but I believe it is sometimes necessary to find a groove that fits your values and beliefs.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Be balanced. Too little or too much of something is not a good thing. For example, bias for action. I am personally too biased for action and one of the constructive feedbacks I had at my former company was “Think before you leap”. Today, I understand that it is both my superpower and also my kryptonite.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I would love to have breakfast or lunch with Natalie Nagele, co-founder of Wildbit, a bootstrapped and successful startup by a husband and wife team, just like how Piktochart started.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.