In this episode of Chew on This, Ron and Ash sit down with Ben Sharf, Co-Founder of Platter, to discuss his journey and emphasize the importance of work-life balance in business. Ben shares insights on leaving a job to start a business, learning from experienced entrepreneurs, and utilizing personal strengths in business. He highlights the significance of hiring people for tasks where one lacks expertise, trusting employees, and scaling a business effectively. Ben also stresses the importance of avoiding wasting time on ideas and focusing on problem-solving. Their conversation provides valuable lessons on entrepreneurship, work-life balance, and building a successful business.

❓ How to build a team of 60 people in 2 months

🤝 Platter’s solution to the proliferation of apps in the Shopify ecosystem

🌐 The business benefits of consolidating apps and increasing efficiency for e-commerce brands

💪 The importance of separating work and personal life for increased productivity and satisfaction

🤑 Tech-enabled services as a profitable form of R&D for software products

​1:06 - Working on website creation.​

2:08 - Revenue in 5 months with 800 employees.

​3:06 - Leaving a job to start a business.

4:01 - Learning from experienced entrepreneurs.​

5:03 - Utilizing personal strengths in business.

​6:11 - Hiring people for tasks you're not good at.​

7:04 - Trusting and scaling a business.​

8:03 - Avoiding wasting time on ideas.​

10:30 - Building an ecosystem of features rather than standalone products for scalability.

13:00 - Recognizing the drop-off in utility of apps and focusing on building value.

15:43 - Transitioning from services to a software product for profitability and growth.

23:21 - Historical perspective of subscriptions.​

24:15 - Focusing on problem-solving rather than worrying about competition.​

25:11 - The need to provide features for startup businesses in the market.​

27:18 - The struggle with moderation and being all in or all out.

​31:00 - Reflecting on the decision to stop drinking and its impact on relationships and business.

32:02 - Ben's perspective on work-life balance and living work as part of life.​

35:03 - Shifting mindset from measuring hours to focusing on productivity and balance.​

39:06 - Setting expectations to attract the right audience.

41:25 - Emphasizing efficiency in product selection and innovation.​

43:36 - Leveraging services as a competitive advantage for profitability.

45:11 - Final chews.