When you think of innovation hotbeds, you might think of places like Austin or LA. Ten years ago, maybe it was San Francisco or Brooklyn.

I’m guessing the words “Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada” don’t immediately come to mind.

Well, not yet, anyway. Especially if this week’s Awesome Office guest Daniel Matishak has anything to say about it.

Daniel is the co-founder and CEO of Mindable, a marketing optimization company that specializes in activating niche communities in the personal development space. The company has been able to grow into a massive, 8-figure marketing juggernaut based out of - you guessed it - Sherwood Park, Alberta.

How have they pulled this off? One strategy that has paid off is a mostly remote workforce, that enables the company to attract top talent not just from their own backyard, but from across the globe.

There are, of course, challenges that come with a dispersed team like Mindable’s. Namely - how do you maintain the right culture when more than half your staff never sets foot in the office?

That's really what this interview is all about.

Key Takeaways

• Daniel talks about his entrepreneurial beginnings at age 19, and why he’s chosen to stay in Canada throughout his nine year career.
• Daniel shares how went about building a business without an idea for one.
• Why the business world is seeing more venture-backed internet marketing businesses - and will continue to.
• Daniel shares Mindable’s competitive advantage, and it’s not what you might think.
• How to maintain the right culture when the majority of your workforce is remote.
• The advantages of starting a company in a place like Sherwood Park, Alberta.
• Daniel walks us through the thought process behind his company’s newly redesigned office space, and shares the quirky features that have enabled Mindable to maintain a great culture.
• Daniel explains why he feels culture is so important and relates a story about how Mindable overcame one of its lowest moments - when they lost roughly half their business.
• Daniel talks about how he combats self doubt, and why he thinks egos kill companies.

Links

• Mindable
• Daniel on LinkedIn
• @DanielMatishak on Twitter
• Daniel on Instagram
• Trello
• Kolbe Score
• Edmonton Oilers

Recommended Reading

• The Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

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