👋 Tell us a bit about yourself: how did you get started?
Hey guys,
My name is Josh, I’m the CEO and Co-founder of my startup Outlit. Outlit’s goal is to educate the next generation of fintech users. We’re focused on helping GenZ learn about personal finance and financial products, followed by connecting them with fin-tech apps, neo banks, credit unions, and banks to get the products they need for financial independence. As for myself, I studied finance and economics at university but while studying, I developed a passion for UX/UI design which led me to a career in product design.
I started Outlit because while in university I came to the harsh realization that I was not financially literate. I quickly realized this when I was taking out a $20,000 student loan and didn’t even understand the concept of compound interest. Like many young people, I simply didn’t know what I didn’t know.
To solve this, I took it upon myself to study and try every method of learning personal finance. I read the books, watched finance YouTubers, spoke to successful people, went to seminars, and even worked in the financial service industry. After studying, researching, and trial & error, I finally felt comfortable with any personal finance topic. The only issue was that it took me almost over a year to understand everything. I knew that was way too long, so I wanted to create a new method for young people like me to learn.
👋 Our community is curious about all that you do: what do you do in your current role? What’s it like working at Outlit? Walk us through a day in your life!
Currently, our founding team consists of myself and my two technical co-founders Leo and Gilbert. Being the only non-technical cofounder, I usually will be coordinating with our marketing team, speaking with investors, developing partnerships, and my favorite thing, developing new designs for our product to deliver the absolute best user experience.
Working on Outlit is amazing because my team and I have total control over what we create. We’re creating a solution for GenZ built by GenZ so not having to adhere to anyone else is great with our creativity. I wouldn’t rather be doing anything else.
👋 How does your brand connect with their audience?
We connect best with our audience by just speaking to them to be honest. Of course, we use Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit to interact with our audience, but we haven’t had better experiences connecting with them other than just chatting. Doing this helps us with understanding our users better to see if our value propositions are solving their pain points.
👋 What is something you love about what you do? Any favorite projects you’ve worked on?
One thing I love about building a startup is the constant change. When building a startup nothing is ever set in stone, things are always changing. There are always going to be new issues, tasks, and changes of direction. I find these types of work environments super interesting and cause you to constantly think on your feet. Outlit must be my favorite project I’ve worked on!
👋 If you could tell gen z one thing about making career moves, what would it be?
I would tell GenZ to put yourself out there and create your opportunities. I can’t begin to explain how many opportunities I’ve received simply by just reaching out to someone or putting myself in unfamiliar scenarios. I would suggest finding the conversations where you can add value, this will help you connect with other like-minded people. You never know what will come of it.
👋 What is a superpower you know we have as a generation?
I think as a generation our superpower would be having a nonconformist mindset. What I mean by that is, GenZ has successfully been able to change traditional social norms and is not afraid to disregard how things were previously done. I think this sets the stage for a new generation of thinkers and innovators that will be able to make a real change by addressing problems with a new and original perspective.
👋 Here at Pineapple, we’re firm believers that we’re more than our work: we’d love to know one fun thing that gets you through the week?
I would have to say these two things always make my weeks go by smoothly.
- This playlist on Spotify
- Chatting with other founders and mentors
Listening to music just makes ideating, designing, and building much easier for me. It can always get me in the right headspace to work.
Also, I take much pleasure in meeting with other entrepreneurs and my mentors. For me, it’s the easiest and best way to figure out a question if you are stuck or just get a fresh perspective on something. Having a strong founder and mentor network will help you grow faster, while also in the right direction!
👋 Where can others find you?
Pineapple: pnpl.io/josh
Instagram: JoshhEarle / Outlit
TikTok: JoshhEarle
Twitter: JoshhEarle / Outlit
Medium: JoshEarle
