Are you familiar with Jason Smith, the CEO of Klue? It’s probably already obvious that he’s what many people would likely refer to as a unique individual, provided you know anything at all about the company that he is in charge of. If you don’t, here’s a short synopsis. Klue is a company that allows business owners to see what their competition is doing in real time. The system actually tracks various activities involved with marketing and other day-to-day business operations and then compares competitors’ actions to your own in order to help you better ascertain what you could be doing with your own business. Just coming up with an idea like that is challenging. Being able to pull it off is something else entirely. Chances are, you’ll want to know more about the person who’s responsible for it all. Here are 10 things about Jason Smith that might surprise you.
1. He believes in taking risks
No doubt about it, he definitely believes in taking risks. When he decided that his company needed another round of funding to survive the pandemic, he made the decision to try and secure that funding via Zoom conferences because it was his only option. Everyone told him that it was a huge risk to make this move, but he had risked a lot to start the company and he was more than willing to take another risk in order to make sure that it continued to operate.
2. He’s also a firm believer in people, not just business
One of the reasons that he stands out as a CEO is because he believes in people more than he believes in numbers. He’ll be the first to tell you that numbers are important. In fact, they are almost always what decides the success or failure of a business. However, those numbers are nothing without the hard work and ingenuity of the people that are involved.
3. He likes the idea of getting to know people better
He thoroughly enjoys the idea of getting to know people on a more personal level. Most CEOs aren’t even capable of telling you the names of everyone who works for them, much less knowing any personal details about their staff. As far as he’s concerned, it’s virtually impossible to run a business successfully if you’re not willing to get to know the people who are involved. Knowing what motivates a person to do their best work, as well as knowing their likes and dislikes, can make all the difference in the world between having an employee that goes above and beyond or having one that is so unhappy they’re calling in sick in order to avoid being there.
4. He’s extremely ambitious
Obviously, he’s ambitious or he wouldn’t be in the position that he’s in today. He’s always had a strong desire to succeed in business and when he gets an idea in his head, he says that it’s almost impossible to talk him out of moving forward with it. Like a lot of entrepreneurs, he tends to almost obsess over certain business-related ideas until he can see them through to fruition.
5. He takes action based on his gut instincts
He listens to the advice of other people, but he tends to take action based on his own gut instincts. Even when everyone else advises against something, he has a tendency to think through all of the advice that he’s been given and then make a decision on his own based on his gut feelings. It’s not something that everyone is comfortable doing, but it’s virtually the only way that he’s comfortable functioning.
6. He’s well qualified thanks to a good education
He attended the University of British Columbia and received a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing back in the 1990s. That has allowed him to enjoy being in a rather unique position when it comes to being the founder and CEO of any business, but especially one like Klue. Since the entire business centers around marketing, this degree gave him the foundation that he needs in order to develop certain skills that will benefit him throughout his entire career. It’s something that has clearly worked thus far and it will undoubtedly continue to serve him well in the future.
7. He loves his native Canada
There’s no doubt about it, he genuinely loves Canada. In fact, he says that he can’t even imagine having his business based anywhere else because he’s so fond of it. As far as he’s concerned, it’s important to be happy wherever you live and he knows that he has definitely found happiness in what he often thinks of as one of the most beautiful places in the world.
8. He likes the challenge of beginning a new startup
Like a number of entrepreneurs, he enjoys the challenge of beginning a new start up almost as much as he enjoys heading up a successful company. Some entrepreneurs thrive on the ability to have one start up after another. For many of them, it’s about the process of thinking about a new idea, creating it and watching it grow, and then selling it to someone else once it has gotten to a certain point. That way, they have a chance to make some money off of it, but they’re also free to do something else.
9. He knows how important family is
He realized a long time ago that without family and friends, it’s almost impossible to do anything consistently. He loves spending time with his family and he credits them for his success, saying that if it weren’t for them and the support they provide, it would be virtually impossible for him to have the focus, drive or ambition he needs to experience any level of success whatsoever.
10. He understands the power of social media better than most
He frequently uses social media to talk about his business goals. He understands that by keeping the business relevant on social media, he is constantly generating a buzz about it. In fact, he uses the power of social media to his advantage because he understands it well enough to know that it can sometimes be the difference between a successful business or one that fails.
