Insights: If Not You, Who Else? (plus 9 more takeaways) 💎
Unpacking an interview with the founder of ClassPass
ClassPass was founded by Payal Kadakia in 2010 and continues to operate independently from a brand/user perspective despite an exit to Mindbody last year. Some of Steve B’s podcast guests are a bit questionable but when he hits the nail on the head with the selection they really are jam-packed with gems. The title is a bit loud as is customary on Youtube but nevertheless, scroll down for my top 10 takeaways (my fave is #10).
[1] Passion is Within
Payal found her passion (dance) early on at 5y/o and found leaning back into this was not only key to her adulthood-happiness but fundamental to her purpose - helping people find passion through movement. IF you haven’t found it already, exploring your childhood passions could be the key to discovering your purpose.
[2] Go Towards Purpose - Have a Why
This is a classic mantra but seeing how Payal’s pursuit of her purpose allowed her to narrow down the noise of life and make decisive moves was refreshing. In pursuing dance (choreography, performance and leisure), she navigated away from a time-consuming corporate job that often clashed, to a less invasive job which created some balance but still wasn’t enough, to then venturing out solo to build a business.
[3] Confidence is a Staircase
When organising dance shows, Payal started small and pushed the boundaries slightly the time once one was successfully executed. Coupled with simply doing her job well it dawned on her that over time she had cumulatively built up evidence that proved she was good. I take this to mean: confidence is the sum of all W’s no matter how small… over time it all adds up and this can be used as fuel to swing the bat in the future.
[4] Rebel Towards a Passion
Payal’s journey encompassed conformity initially and this is not a bad thing at all. it helps build track record, demonstrate reliability and can minimise the noise from life in general - sometimes too many choices can lead to decision fatigue. However, when the time is right, rebelling against the norm in favour of your passion can be the difference between what-if and life being completely transformed.
[5] Build a Runway
There’s 2 key elements at play here 1) the privilege of securing a career that pays enough to generate savings and 2) being sensible with said savings. During her career, Payal saved up 3 years worth of costs and used that as a runway/safety net in pursuing her purpose. Making use of her privilege in this way is pretty admirable, there are countless people who have 1) but cannot or have no desire to do 2).
[6] If Not You, Who Else?
This one resonated hard as it’s something I use to assign conviction when I am pursuing an opportunity or setting out to do something competitive. As she said in the podcast, how many other Bain employees who studied at MIT and loved dance were pursuing the same journey as her? Probably no one.. she had the profile, passion and positioning and through those lenses the world would actually lose out if she had not attempted to leave a print on the world.
[7] Do the Work - Invisible PR
Another classic mantra but sometimes we just need to hear it again. This one speaks to general attitude and fulfilling responsibilities. Payal cites one of the reasons she was able to secure funding from an ex-colleague was because that person had already built up an image of her through observation of her work when she didn’t even realise. Take pride in your work always.
[8] Marathon Not a Sprint
You can operate on the notion of instant gratification or you can build solidly and steadily with the core focus on product-market fit which in turn yields huge results later on. It took ClassPass 3 years to find product market fit. Most people would have quit within 6 months.
[9] Leadership Style
Let people be free and show you their highest potential rather than boxing them in with labels
Hire to plug weaknesses - every founder I’ve spoken to personally says the same thing
Knowing when to let go of the reigns. Payal (like the gymshark founder) swerved from the CEO role to refocus in another role where impact could be deeper.
[10] Failure is a Datapoint NOT an Endpoint
I mean, this one is just dope and my favourite! L = lesson ✍️