Who is Firas?
I am a co-founder and CEO at Ur My Type. I came up with the idea for Ur My Type in Spring of 2020. I had just been laid off and I had been wanting to launch my own startup for several years, and so decided it was the right time. I believed that I could use the power of personality types to make matching people online more meaningful, with the aim of having a positive impact on millions of people’s lives while building Ur My Type into a thriving business.
Tell us more about your role in Ur My Type.
Given we are still an early stage startup, I usually wear many hats, as do most of my colleagues. Personally, I lead on product, customer support, marketing, fundraising, and strategy.
What is the most difficult part of your job? But the most rewarding one?
That would be leading the team. Every individual is motivated by different things and has a unique worldview. It’s my responsibility to understand the needs and interests of my colleagues and make sure they are aligned with that of our startup. We have been working together for more than 2 years now, and our personal relationship and professional commitment to what we are doing has only gotten stronger, which has been rewarding both on a personal level and in terms of the progress we have made so far as a startup.
Is there anything that you would change about your professional path?
Not really. My professional path led me to where I am at the moment and I am not sure I would end up in the same place if anything about it changed!
What’s your key strategy for the development of your company?
I would say it’s rather a simple one. We do our best to understand our customers, innovate on their behalf, and ask for constant feedback.
What do you think about the next period of time, keeping in mind the pandemic and the new business climate? How will your industry be affected?
Without a doubt, the global recession is hard for most businesses, including ours. The main side effects are twofold:
- With high inflation and a looming recession, disposable income – and hence consumer spending – goes down. Which means that all things being equal, we would have less sales than we would in normal times.
- It makes fundraising significantly more difficult than before.
Please name a few technologies which have the greatest impact on your business.
The popular Javascript library React has had a great impact on enabling us to build our app. Many years ago, startups would have to build two separate apps, one for Android and another one for iOS. With React, we were able to build only one app which could be uploaded on both the App and Play Store!
What books do you have on your nightstand?
- Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
- The Dichotomy of Leadership b y Jocko Willink
- Purple Cow by Seth Godin
