Health Tech: Paul Crusius On How Hear.com’s Technology Can Make An Important Impact On Our Overall Wellness
Don’t accept hearing loss as a part of getting older. I know so many people who stopped socializing because they couldn’t hear and it was extremely frustrating for them, so they just stopped. Many people believe that hearing aids make them old, but in reality, it’s the opposite. When someone is actively engaging in a conversation and able to keep up with those around them, they are viewed as quick, spry, and youthful.
In recent years, Big Tech has gotten a bad rep. But of course, many tech companies are doing important work making monumental positive changes to society, health, and the environment. To highlight these, we started a new interview series about “Technology Making An Important Positive Social Impact”. We are interviewing leaders of tech companies who are creating or have created a tech product that is helping to make a positive change in people’s lives or the environment. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Crusius.
Paul Crusius is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of hear.com group, the fastest-growing hearing care company in the world. The group is headquartered in both Miami, Florida, and Berlin, Germany. With its two core brands hear.com (North America and Asia) and audibene (Europe) the company is currently active in 10 countries and employs more than 1,200 people. After studying Business/Managerial Economics at the prestigious WHU — Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management in Germany, Paul spent six years as a leader and consultant for a variety of industries at The Boston Consulting Group, an American management consulting firm. He currently lives in Miami with his wife and two kids.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how you grew up?
My childhood was wonderfully unique. I grew up one hour west of Frankfurt, in a really small village of 600 inhabitants. I come from a family of winemakers; my family has been making wine for more than 400 years, with multiple generations living in the same winery. I’m the oldest of four, so you can imagine how that is — if you grow up in a family winery, you work a lot from an early age. And the bad thing is, you’re not allowed to drink the product until you’re 18, so you get used as a working resource.
To this day, I appreciate this upbringing as it taught me how to work hard. In my 20s, I enjoyed working on the winery very much. But for me, it was never really an option to pursue being a part of the winery business because of the lack of travel. You have to stay in one location and take care of the land; there is no opportunity to travel the world.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Whenever I reflect on my career, I remember my first internship in Berlin, a speech technology startup. I was adamant about building my own business, but I had no idea how to do it. After observing the ins and outs of a startup, it ignited my love for entrepreneurship.
It was fascinating to watch young innovators, ranging from 20–25 years old, achieve so much in such a short amount of time — it was magical to observe, and being a part of that team as an intern for three months, has driven my mindset throughout my career.
I’ve always found it remarkable just how fast you can achieve meaningful things with a small, young, aggressive team by simply going after it and leveraging your resources. Looking back, you don’t learn that at university — you don’t learn how to build momentum — but it’s really powerful to see in action.
What we’ve done with hear.com has been incredible. We started with a 10-slide deck and a two-person team. Soon there were five of us and just like that, we generated customers and built ourselves a business. In this digital age, all you have to do is validate your opportunity, and have an idea of how to tackle it. If you can do that, you can be off and running in a couple of weeks or months.
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?
If I had to choose anyone in the world whom I would dedicate my success to, it would be my wife. We have been together for nearly 21 years, and she has been so supportive of my work, risks, and all. I wouldn’t be the same without her support in my career. Her biggest concern is if I’m happy. To her, success is measured by happiness.
In the early years, my co-founder and I were both about half a million dollars in debt, and I never once got any comment or any criticism from her. She said, “If you believe it works, let’s do it. I trust you that it will turn out fine.”
If it hadn’t been for her support, I probably wouldn’t have pushed myself as far as I had, and I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One of my favorites is “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” by NHL legend Wayne Gretzky. I think it’s extremely relevant to nearly everything that happens. Staying idle means missing out on a lot of opportunities and joy’s that life has to offer.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Curiosity — I like to surround myself with a team of curious individuals. People who are naturally curious in their work seek the truth and go extremely deep on whatever matter they’re looking at.
- Balanced — I’m always looking for people who are very balanced, people who are equally as analytical as they are personable.
- Vision-driven — I love to build a team of visionaries, people who want to break the mold and create innovative products that help shape the world.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the tech tools that you are helping to create that can make a positive impact on our wellness. To begin, which particular problems are you aiming to solve?
In the world today, there are about 500 million people who suffer from some type of hearing loss, but only a few are actually investing in hearing care. People’s lives, including both their mental and physical wellbeing, are drastically improved with hearing care. If someone isn’t able to hear well, their communication and overall health are inhibited, and they can’t remain engaged in society.
Don’t accept hearing loss as a part of getting older. I know so many people who stopped socializing because they couldn’t hear and it was extremely frustrating for them, so they just stopped. Many people believe that hearing aids make them old, but in reality, it’s the opposite. When someone is actively engaging in a conversation and able to keep up with those around them, they are viewed as quick, spry, and youthful.
There are so many solutions to hearing loss and getting the hearing care you need can make a huge difference in your mental wellness and longevity.
How do you think your technology can address this?
hear.com consistently educates people about the features and benefits of hearing aids. One of our goals is to remove the stigma and show that modern hearing aids are high-tech and discreet, not the big, old-fashioned, gadgets of the past. We want everyone to enjoy life to the fullest, hear everything that matters, and that no one feels isolated due to having hearing loss.
The ideal hear.com Horizon hearing aid user wants to hear the uninterrupted sound of the world around them. They attach great importance to personal success and desire to perform well at home, work, and play. It’s essential they never miss a detail — especially in conversations — and fully understand the nuances that lie between the lines. It’s crucial for them to come across as attractive and confident, and to be trendsetters in modern design and technology.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
After I graduated from University, I received a job at Boston Consulting Group. Every 3–4 months, I would get a new project in a new industry, which made me learn a lot about several different spaces.
At one point during my time there, I was put on a consulting project in the hearing care space and fell in love with it. This space was a wonderful hybrid of consumer business and healthcare, it was the perfect place for me to start a business. Back then, there was no business model in hearing care on an online platform. The potential to both build a successful company and have a positive impact on the health of millions really drove my passion.
How do you think this might change the world?
In this day in age, you can get just about anything delivered. Whether it be clothes, alcohol, food, or even toiletries — why not medical care? Some patients don’t have the capability to meet with a doctor or audiologist in person, but truly need hearing care to live a better life.
By developing an online platform that allows customers to connect one-on-one with an audiologist, it gives them personalized care through the comfort of their home, easing the process that can sometimes be difficult.
hear.com focuses on removing the stigma and the barriers for our customers to start taking care of their hearing, ultimately creating a more inclusive and accepting society.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
What’s so special about hear.com’s technology is that there are no drawbacks or downfalls. Our technology can only help a person’s quality of life, allowing them to experience the joys of life that has to bring.
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five things you need to know to successfully create technology that can make a positive social impact”? (Please share a story or an example, for each.)
- Understand the size of the problem you are solving
- Learn the needs of your consumer
- Question why the solutions to date have not worked
- Learn the barriers in adoption — don’t skip any steps when developing your solution
- Simplicity. Simple products often make the greatest impact on society — don’t overthink it
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Having a passion for something that creates a positive impact on society is truly fulfilling and motivating, but young people are so focused on being successful and making an impact, that they neglect to think about their long term happiness. People in their 20s jump into careers because they seek instant gratification and success. If you’re lucky enough to know your passion, you can’t go wrong. The problem is, many people don’t know and it’s okay to explore and learn about your passion and interests because doing what you love will serve as long term motivation for your career.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Jay Z — without a doubt. From his music career to the empire he has built, he is truly an inspiration to me and my own career.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
- Website: hear.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-crusius-1bb232/
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.
