BC Business
Ryan Holmes, HootSuite | BCBusiness
What’s your preferred method of communication? Face-to-face conversation.
What is it that you most dislike? Settling.
Which talent would you most like to have? Perfect balance.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “Try it, and let’s just see what happens.”
When do you get your best ideas? While I’m riding my bike or post-yoga.
What is your greatest fear? Not being innovative.
Which business figures do you identify with? Early inspirations were folks like Jobs, Bezos, Gates, etc. I love hearing about how they challenged the status quo.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Faultlessness—it’s an illusion. Everyone makes mistakes; all risk-takers fail.
What do you never travel without? iPhone, headphones, hoodie, Visa, HootSuite.
What is your greatest extravagance? My bike.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Keeping my company firmly planted in B.C. despite early encouragement to plant our roots elsewhere.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My inability to get enough sleep.
What do you value in your colleagues? Big-picture thinking.
What is your most marked characteristic? Entrepreneurialism, which could translate into having new ideas floating around in my head at any given time.
When and where were you happiest? Most recently I was happiest announcing the news of $165 million in funding with my team.
What is your present state of mind? Dogged—some people would kick up their feet after big milestones, but it’s just fuel to the fire for us.
What is your greatest regret? I try not to have regrets. Instead, I learn from experiences, accept the current situation and move forward. I don’t have time to sit around wishing I could change the past.
What is your favourite motto? “They copied all they could follow but they couldn’t copy my mind so I left them sweating and stealing a year and a half behind.”—Rudyard Kipling
What is your favourite post-work drink? A Big Red—it’s got anti-oxidants.
What is your favourite destination for business? There’s no place like home (Vancouver).
What is your idea of perfect happiness? I think people are striving for the idea of “perfect happiness,” making compromises to work toward the ultimate. Day to day, I live a really happy life. I love activities that push me and bring me joy, like biking, cross-country skiing and surfing, on a regular basis. But I also work in an environment and have a company where challenge, drive and fun are the norm. Hustling every day is my idea of happiness, and I’m lucky enough to be living it.