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For our CEO Series, we visited the headquarters of some of the most innovative and imaginative leaders in business to learn what it takes to launch and grow thriving brands. In this episode, our staff visited the offices of M1, a fintech platform that bills itself as a “financial super app.” This powerful online investment and banking platform has raised $315 million at a valuation of approximately $1.5 billion and manages approximately $8 billion for 500,000 customers. I spoke with founder and CEO Brian Burns to learn all about the platform, how it was created, and his advice for founders on running a viable company.
Below are some highlights of the conversation, edited for length and clarity. Watch the entire video above.
the thrill of investing
“M1 is a personal finance platform. We founded the company about eight and a half years ago. We currently manage about $8 billion for half a million customers on this platform. We’re just trying to create the best way for people to access personal finance. We’re in control of their finances. And we’re doing that with a lot of personalization, customization, and automation. I’m lucky. In fact, I was introduced to the world of finance at a very young age and was immediately hooked. I love the idea of investing, of trying to find out. As an investor, you are making a bet with high conviction. If you are right, you make money; if you are wrong, you lose money. For me, it’s about what the value of the company will be over the next five to 10 years.”
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Doing business in good times and bad
“We want to build financial institutions that last for decades. There are companies out there that last for centuries. There is no question that there will be such massive disruption across the board.”Therefore, we are building an organization that can survive in any macro environment, rather than being customized to the macro environment. I’ve been trying to do that. ”
calm in the storm
“I try to remain calm on the outside. [Laughs] My favorite entrepreneurship quote is, “The highs are higher, the lows are lower, and the difference is 10 minutes.” Sometimes I think I’m conquering the world. And sometimes it’s like this: What on earth am I doing? I took all this money and convinced people to quit their jobs and join me. I’m competing with the Schwabs of the world. But stewing through all that stress accomplishes nothing. I think maintaining my emotions and finding ways to allocate my time productively are good traits I had in building an organization. ”
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Founder’s life
“Being the founder of a technology company is so much more than just being the CEO. You are both the most senior and the lowest person in your company. You are responsible for setting the direction, strategy, etc. But it can be in any field.Aren’t you someone who is dedicated to that role? It’s your responsibility to fill that gap.I think I was a CEO from 8am to 11am. and served as a Junior Analyst from 11am to midnight every night. You’re just running around and trying to add value where you can. How to expand your team as you grow. You want to pause things while you think about it. But that doesn’t work. You have to expand your team, build your product, and make acquisitions. There’s a little bit of chaos, but you manage to thrive in that chaos. I have to.”
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legacy of leadership
“My mother, Brenda Burns, was the CEO of PepsiCo and Sara Lee. I mean, he’s a great person to learn from. She was one of seven sisters. They all shared a bedroom. They were a Polish immigrant family living in Chicago. Her father was a “factory worker, so she always had a healthy respect for the people who actually worked at her company.” The people who bottle Coke, the people who load the delivery trucks. As a CEO, you have to respect what they know. “Their job is better than yours.” And a leader’s job is to set an example of what values they want to instill throughout the company. That’s good.” Please exhibit such things. ”
Visit our CEO Series archive to see more profiles of innovative and influential leaders.
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