Petr Marek Of Invoice Home On The Digital Divide and Why & How We Should Close It
An Interview With Monica Sanders
Trust yourself. When first starting out as an entrepreneur, you have to have faith in your own abilities. If you are constantly second guessing your decisions and not taking your own advice, it will catch up with you in more ways than one. In the early days of Invoice Home many believed it was too simple, however, that simplicity is now the driving aspect of why consumers enjoy our services.
Digital inequality reinforces existing social disparities, demanding considerable efforts to acknowledge and address this pressing issue. In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders, policymakers, think tanks, and experts on this topic to share their insights and stories about “How Companies and Policymakers Are Taking Action and Can Further Contribute to Closing the Digital Divide.” As part of this series, I had the pleasure to interview Petr Marek.
Petr Marek is the co-founder of Invoice Home Inc., a SaaS company based out of Austin, TX. The online billing and invoicing tool, designed to empower small businesses and freelancers, has amassed almost 8 million users since the product launch in 2013.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
All in all, I came from very humble beginnings. I was born in central Bohemia (about 30 minutes outside of Prague) on a very old family farm. The home was relatively small but has been in my family for many generations dating back to my ancestors.
However, this was during the time when Czechoslovakia was under a communist regime and heavily influenced by the USSR. The living situation was comparable to that of the 1984 novel as there was little room for growth and free will was a construct rather than a right. When the regime was overthrown in 1989, I remember it being one of the best days of my life. There was so much opportunity, and it felt as though the world was at my fingertips.
Though there were many struggles that my family and I lived through economically at that time, we had each other. While my immediate family was relatively small, I grew up with many extended relatives all around the village. Family was always around, that is something I really value and try to replicate for my own kids.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
When I ponder the many impactful books I have read over the years, The Egyptian by Mike Waltari comes to mind. As a history buff, I was always attracted to historical accuracy throughout the novel. Also the references to WWII geographically I find to be incredibly subtle, but prominent if you grew up in a situation similar to myself.
There is a recurring phrase that has stuck with me: “So there has ever been and ever will be.” Many take this quote at face value, that we as a society will never change. However, I view the main theme under a more positive light that everything or nothing at all can change. It is your perception of life that shapes the story.
Sinuhe, the protagonist, is very pessimistic towards humanity as a whole. Therefore his life is written from a very negative viewpoint. I have encountered many challenges myself growing up that would encourage this same behavior, but I choose to focus on the successes. That is life after all, filled with magnificent highs and challenging lows, but at the end of the day what you choose to focus on shapes the story.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).” ― Mark Twain
Throughout my life, I have found success in taking a risk and making my own path. This was especially true when starting Invoice Home Inc, as there was a conscious effort to try something different.
We (Jiri and I) wanted to help the “little guys.” An application built to help with invoicing and document creation for those just starting out, similar to myself when I was a young entrepreneur. Invoice Home is a tool I would have greatly appreciated when I started my first enterprise.
12 years later, questioning what the market was missing brought about such positive change in my life. That is why I found this quote to be so insightful that I have kept it with me through the years. I always try to instill this in my employees — don’t look at what our competitors are doing, focus on what we are currently doing and what we COULD be doing.
Ok, thank you. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. How would you define the Digital Divide? Can you explain or give an example?
The digital divide at its core comes down to an issue of equality and equity. One of my biggest philanthropic interests is education, specifically the importance of education being available to all. Technology is a major component of the education system today and those that lack access to it are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to learning and growing at the same pace as the rest of the world.
There is a large technology gap that grows with the passing of each new iPhone (for example), while other regions still struggle to access the internet. Going back to my quote about taking a moment to pause and reflect, when speaking about the digital divide it becomes clear that the tech industry has to take some responsibility in contributing to the matter.
The digital divide especially impacts small business owners not only in parts of the world that are typically known to have limited infrastructure but even in the United States, where rural communities, for example, are often underserved when it comes to broadband internet.
Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to close the digital divide? Can you share a story with us?
The initiative led by school districts around the world that are working to close the digital divide is one that I am super passionate about, as a father of four myself. The members of these school districts are continuously striving to provide all of their students with affordable, equal access to the internet, both at home and at school, as well as centering their academic curriculums around technology, all to ensure their students are building the necessary skills to be successful in society. This initiative is an inspiring one and continues to make great strides in bridging the divide by providing connectivity and education to the communities that need it most.
SNG’s Small Business Growth Program is another initiative that is important to me, as the majority of my customers and who my product is designed to empower are small businesses. Oftentimes, small businesses struggle to fully understand how the internet can be used to their advantage. This initiative provides these businesses with the tools and insight they need to capitalize on these benefits for growth.
This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important to create change in this area?
With each passing day, our lives move further into the digital age. The lack of reliable internet and broadband access prevents a lot of people from connecting with the rest of the world. In addition to that, most jobs today require some form of digital skills, leaving those without access to technology unable to attain these jobs. They are then forced to take jobs that typically have lower pay and get stuck in a pattern of lower income work. Countries that are struggling due to the digital divide are at an extreme disadvantage that results in a lower quality of life and less successful economy.
What specific actions has your company or organization taken to address the digital divide, and how do you ensure that your efforts are making a positive impact in the communities you serve?
We make a concerted effort to ensure that our platform is as accessible to as many potential users as possible, no matter where they are in the world. Since founding Invoice Home, we cater to all user environments, from the user’s internet speed, or the hardware/software that’s available to them. A user shouldn’t have to have the newest hardware on the market to use the product at top-speed. Careful thought is put into optimizing the website’s loading time and accessibility, for anyone to be able to use the product fully in whatever condition. In addition, we function under cloud invoicing capabilities to ensure that both the desktop and mobile options are completely in sync 100% of the time, eliminating any discrepancy in data that is accessible on one device versus another.
Because we purpose-built Invoice Home to be easy to use no matter your educational background, our users are also able to easily create and share invoices on whatever device is convenient for them. We function on whatever device you have, as long as you are able to login to our service. We also allow distribution of documents via SMS, WhatsApp, or a personal email, so our users are not excluded based on their communication platform.
What are some of the challenges that individuals or communities face when trying to bridge the digital divide?
The obstacles one might encounter when bridging this gap depends on where they are located in the world, but are largely the same. There are technological challenges you will face, ranging from accessibility, to the condition of current infrastructure, to the cost of the actual devices. The educational disadvantages, especially in developing countries, are at the center of a lot of the challenges we see. Because digital skills are ones that are built upon in higher education, without the basics, using technology is similar to speaking another language.
Even once you have established broadband internet access, many are faced with utilization challenges, especially small businesses. The lack of time, money, and resources available to a small business are all contributing factors when it comes to the gravity of this issue. Learning how to use the internet productively in order to both save money and make money can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to start, and continues to be an obstacle for many.
What role do you see technology companies playing in closing the digital divide, and what steps can they take to ensure that their products and services are accessible to all?
Technology companies should be offering a free payment plan option for users. This would allow more people to familiarize with the technology while also reaping some of the benefits of using it.There should be increased access to digital literacy training. Driving initiatives such as digital inclusion policies, programs, and tools that incorporate both affordable and robust internet service. Technology companies should be putting a strong emphasis on providing quality technical support at all times. Lastly, start thinking about how certain technology changes will affect ALL your users/customers.
Because of investment coming from the federal government, we have funding for great access to infrastructure and digital skills training. In your view, what other policy changes are needed to address the digital divide? How can companies and policymakers work together to implement these changes?
While it is not mine or my company’s expertise, I believe that the current strides towards closing the digital divide are on the right track. I am a strong believer that we have to embody the change we wish to see in this world. By offering a service that is intuitive and easy to run for those in underserved markets, I believe we are starting with ourselves to make positive change. We oftentimes look to others to create change, rather starting with the man in the mirror.
We are already in Web3.0. What should we be doing as leaders to ensure the next iteration(s) of the Web are green, accessible and beneficial to as many people as possible?
Web 4.0 is projected to be more collaborative and interactive than ever before, with an even deeper focus on user-friendliness and accessibility. These four things, if delivered, will play an enormous role in the efforts to close this gap. The user-centric approach to web design is beneficial to everyone affected by the divide. No matter where you are in terms of your experience with the web, what you are interacting with will adjust to your specific needs through Web4.0. Leaders have a responsibility to drive these initiatives forward because it not only helps their company succeed, but furthers the tech community itself in a positive direction.
This is the signature question we ask in most of our interviews. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1 . This is one of the first things I try to instill in my employees, you are going to fail. At some point your project will not be successful, and it is what you do after that carves out your space in the industry. This happened countless times when Jiri and I were working out the hiccups that came with uploading Invoice Home to the app store. We had only been available via desktop prior, so creating the app came with a whole new set of challenges. It took trial and error to reach the success of having 8 million users.
2 . Trust yourself. When first starting out as an entrepreneur, you have to have faith in your own abilities. If you are constantly second guessing your decisions and not taking your own advice, it will catch up with you in more ways than one. In the early days of Invoice Home many believed it was too simple, however, that simplicity is now the driving aspect of why consumers enjoy our services.
3 . Never stop learning. Learning is an investment and will reflect on how you carry yourself through the business realm. In my years of running Invoice Home, I can confidently say that I learn something new every day. My team helps keep me well versed on the latest social media trends and marketing strategies so that we are always working to take ourselves and the company to the next level.
4 . Help those around you. I work directly with all of my employees and make sure they know I am accessible. I don’t do this because it is the easy route so to speak, but because I want to make sure I am doing my part.
5 . Challenge your confirmation bias. Some of the best ideas come from questioning where things could go wrong. When brainstorming ideas with my employees I always try to help them, “see the other side,” so to speak. You have to be able to see things from all sides to ensure success.
What role can individuals play in closing the digital divide, and what steps can they take to support these efforts?
A great way to get involved would be to identify initiatives in your community actively working towards closing this gap and participate in their efforts in any capacity that you can. One example would be working with a nonprofit either as a donor or volunteering your time to help spread awareness and drive the change forward for communities impacted. There is a Sam Levenson quote that has always stuck with me and I believe applies here: “Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Monica Sanders JD, LL.M, is the founder of “The Undivide Project”, an organization dedicated to creating climate resilience in underserved communities using good tech and the power of the Internet. She holds faculty roles at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Professor Sanders also serves on several UN agency working groups. As an attorney, Monica has held senior roles in all three branches of government, private industry, and nonprofits. In her previous life, she was a journalist for seven years and the recipient of several awards, including an Emmy. Now the New Orleans native spends her time in solidarity with and championing change for those on the frontlines of climate change and digital divestment. Learn more about how to join her at: www.theundivideproject.org.
