Alain Cohen of Bublup: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Launched My Business or Startup
An Interview With Doug Noll
Get investors who believe in you. Some people are so happy to have any investors that they don’t consider the value of having the right ones. Before they know it, rounds of investment later, they don’t even have a large share of their own company anymore.
Taking the risk to start a company is a feat few are fully equipped for. Any business owner knows that the first few years in business are anything but glamorous. Building a successful business takes time, lessons learned, and most importantly, enormous growth as a business owner. What works and what doesn’t when one starts a new business? What are the valuable lessons learned from the “University of Adversity”? As part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alain Cohen.
Alain Cohen is the CEO and co-founder of Bublup, a digital organizational platform that provides a simple solution to digital clutter. An electrical engineer, computer scientist, and software designer, he holds over 60 issued or pending patents relating to software, data networks, electronics, and simulation. Prior to Bublup, Alain co-founded, led and grew OPNET Technologies through its IPO, 12 years as a public company, and eventual sale to Riverbed Technology in 2012.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
As a child, I developed a keen interest in business. Like many other kids, it all started with the classic lemonade stand, but I took it a step further. When I moved to France, I discovered stamp collecting. In fact, I started visiting the stamp market in Paris at the age seven to sell them for a profit. Ever since then, I’ve always known that I’d become a business owner. Fast forward to my college days at MIT when I came up with my first business venture while working on a graduate project about data networking. It gave me the idea to do something innovative in a new, growing field and sparked the creation of OPNET Technologies. My entrepreneurial itch and love for technology led to me to later co-found Cobro Ventures and most recently, Bublup.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?
While forming and growing OPNET, it took us almost a decade to go public. We knew we were ready and brought on venture capital experts to help with the transition. When we were ready to go public in 2000, it was during the stock market crisis, and the bubble was bursting at the end of the .com. boom. We were one of the last companies to go public in 2000, and it was a real nail-biter.
While it worked out in the end, it was very stressful. My advice to others is to always prepare for these hard times by having the right team with you for support. You don’t always know what shape they’ll take, whether it’s an economic downturn or something else unexpected, but having a solid foundation of people around you will ensure you can face any obstacle that comes your way.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
No matter how stressful things are, you need a good team to persevere through tough times. You’ll likely face some challenges, but having a solid team dynamic will increase the chance of success. Having people who get along and work well together and who aren’t ego-driven but rather want to be part of something bigger and derive meaning from that, is not only important but makes it easier to push through the hard times.
You never know what will happen, but having a loyal team who wants to grow with you is key to me.
So, how are things going today? How did grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?
Invention and creation continue to motivate me. After selling OPNET Technologies in 2014, I was already thinking of my next idea. With my background in electrical engineering and technology, I’m constantly on my phone or computer. I started to realize that the tools that I’m using aren’t connected to each other and found myself using different web browsers, search engines and other digital tools, but it all felt disjointed. That sparked creating Bublup to address a fundamental problem that not only I was having but many others who suffer with digital clutter were looking to solve.
Reflecting on my previous business ventures from OPNET to Cobro Ventures and now Bublup, I’ve been able to take every challenge or mistake and use it as a positive learning experience to lead my teams. I also found that being passionate about your work is key to overall success.
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?
Not really a funny mistake, per se, but more of a classic problem many entrepreneurs face is following your gut — sometimes blindly. In my early days, I felt my instincts were my “superpowers,” and I probably relied a little too heavily on them when making decisions. But my brother, Marc, was always the voice of reason and reminded me how important business fundamentals are to growing and sustaining a company. You need to have a full understanding of the market you’re in. Truthfully, I feel like you can never do enough research, and we rarely ask around enough to really get our finger on the pulse of what people want. I wish I had the wisdom to seek out others’ opinions and consider less of my own. Now, I try to remember the importance of instinct and research when making core decisions.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
As life has become more digital over the last 10 years, specialized apps and tools are everywhere. The average millennial uses 25 apps daily for video, news, photos, project management, and the list goes on. Bublup was created in response to this chaos and is the only app of its kind that uses visuals to help you find and track your content, which can be of any file type or link. Bublup’s uniquely visual approach redefines cloud storage to help users manage their stuff day-to-day and save time.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
It goes back to finding a team you can truly rely on. Find people as passionate and hardworking as you are, so that when you need to step back, you know someone reliable is in the driver’s seat. You’ll feel comfortable taking a break, which is often very enlightening and positive for your well-being.
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?
I’ve hired tons of people and over time, I’m so grateful to say I’ve had tremendous loyalty. I have people working with me today who have been on my team for more than 30 years. Each and every one of them has contributed to the success of the companies and projects they are a part of.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
In addition to Bublup, my brother and I founded Cobro Ventures, which primarily invests in biotech advancements for diseases like cancer and multiple sclerosis. These diseases affect not just the person diagnosed but entire families and support systems. I’ve been fortunate enough to have built companies and supported causes that help people, large numbers of people, by attempting to bring about transformational change.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first launched my business,” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1 . Get investors who believe in you. Some people are so happy to have any investors that they don’t consider the value of having the right ones. Before they know it, rounds of investment later, they don’t even have a large share of their own company anymore.
2 . Always know your “why.” Have a clear understanding of why you started your business and what your overarching mission is. As a business owner, you may have some days where you wonder, why am I even doing this? But if you know your “why,” you’ll have a north star to follow and give you strength when needed.
3 . You can’t do everything. Get good at hiring the right people. Nobody comes equipped with every skill, so hire a solid team that can cover all your bases.
4 . Be able to think quickly on your feet. You won’t always have the answers, but trying to problem-solve in real-time can teach you a lot more than you think.
5 . Money won’t give you meaning. Invest in things that will make people’s lives better.
Can you share a few ideas or stories from your experience about how to successfully ride the emotional highs & lows of being a founder”?
If you don’t believe in yourself or your idea, no one else will. Taking an idea from its inception to reality continues to motivate me and keeps me driven through the highs and the lows. One small thought can blossom into a billion-dollar business so long as you believe it’s worth pursuing.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
If I could create a movement, it would be about providing people with “peace of mind.” I think stress and being overwhelmed is very prevalent, and people don’t always have the resources needed to find balance. This has always been a guiding principle in the companies and causes I’ve supported.
At Bublup, for example, we provide a way for people to find things — and reduce the digital chaos in their lives. But I’m just getting started, and there is so much more that I wish and plan to do.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Bublup.com and our social channels, of course. We are always adding new features to further enhance the app and the consumer experience.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.
