Architect explains why accounting, innovation and horizontal culture are pillars of growth
In an interview with PodSonhar, from Poder360, the architect and founder of (engineering and architecture company that operates from technical feasibility analysis to project development and construction management), Barbara Kemp, shared reflections and practices that she considers essential for those who want to undertake. Responsible for large-scale projects, such as changing the brand of 3,000 stores in 11 months, she detailed 7 points that shaped her trajectory.
Why undertake
Barbara states that the starting point is to understand the real motivation. “It’s important to know why you want to start a business”he said. She reported that she decided to open her own company after realizing that her efforts as an employee “I wasn’t being paid the way I thought I could be”.
According to the businesswoman, it is necessary to put “all the pros and cons” and recognize common illusions: “I want start a business because my boss is boring? That’s fine, but you can have clients who are much more annoying than your boss.”
Be prepared to lose at first
The founder of Kemp highlighted that entrepreneurship requires giving up stability. “Before resigning, it is important to consider the losses“, she stated. She also warns: “Who undertakes cannot take 30 days of vacation. It took me 10 years to be able to travel on vacation”.
Be careful with accounting
Barbara said it took her a while to understand the importance of the tax area within the business: “I went see this too late. I had been with the company for over 10 years and paid a lot with that”. She explained that she received incorrect guidance, was taxed incorrectly and had to pay high amounts.
“Accounting is not mathematics, despite being a number”he said. Therefore, it recommends that entrepreneurs study the basics and maintain direct control of taxes.
Do it differently
Barbara stated that she created Kemp to break with the hierarchical model she experienced as an employee. According to her, the company was born with a culture of horizontality – a format that “Always brought them closer employees“ of leadership.
Innovate within what you do
The entrepreneur described processes of continuous improvement, digitalization and standardization. She claims that “o innovating is not about developing a system. Sometimes you have to look at your process and see where its elbows and band-aids are.”.
Decide based on data
Barbara reinforced that the company can only use tools such as artificial intelligence if the data is organized. For her, it is essential that an entrepreneur “be knowledgeable about your company’s data“.
“If you don’t have your data correct and structured, you won’t get AI to help you,” he stated.
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