BC Business
BCBusiness will announce the 2017 30 Under 30 winners on April 13. In the meantime, here's what a 2016 winner had to say last year
To help us choose last year’s 30 Under 30, we sent each candidate a series of questions to see what made them tick. Here’s how Elin Tayyar, who Co-Founded and and is CEO of New District and The Volumes Project, responded.
What motivational quote gets you going?“Never let a serious crisis go to waste’ – Rahm Emanuel, former chief of staff to Barack Obama.”
Beyond family/friends, who inspires you to succeed?“I’m pretty into politics so Obama is an obvious one, but a lot of less-known people as well that are part of the political decision-making arena. A lot of what they do is really inspiring. They do it not for the money but for the impact and helping the society at large.”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?“Make sure you do stuff that’s manageable and you can sustain that level of activity as opposed to having to bail on some project.”
What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?“Your body needs sleep. Whenever I listen to it, I get way too much sleep and not enough work.”
What’s your biggest fear?“Stagnation in terms of a business or economic context. In general just becoming complacent. The world’s not sustainable as is, so the constant need to improve is a big one in all types of organizations and contexts.”
What’s your biggest regret?“All the mistakes I’ve made have been learning opportunities. I think it’s been a good experience. No regrets so far.”
What’s your favourite TV show right now? “Mad Men and House of Cards are probably the two most appealing ones in general right now. I just finished Narcos and that was pretty interesting. It’s an interesting insight into human nature.”
Favourite magazine?“Acne Paper is a very cool concept. It’s a literary and cultural thing done by a clothing company. It’s irrelevant to their line of business but shows that they’re caring about the culture at large, and I think it speaks well for their brand. It’s an entertaining read as well.”
What song is on repeat on your device right now?“I go through phases. Right now I’ve been listening to a lot of OMD, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Depeche Mode and Gary Numan and that whole genre. I’m also quite into rap and Drake and all those catchy newer hip hop songs.”
A little-known fact about me is…“I have an obsession with nuclear power because I think it’s going to solve all of our energy problems.”
Meet the 2017 winners at the 30 Under 30 celebration.