Some people think that the key to success lies within their daily routine. Do you agree with this, and if so, what is your daily routine?
I believe that success can be attributed to our daily actions, habits, and mindset. At the top of my list in my daily routine is maintaining my health, which means getting adequate sleep and eating healthy foods. Some habits of mine that I’ve found helpful to stay productive:
i. Taking time for myself to re-energize each day. For me, this may be running, cycling, or playing the piano.
ii. I read a book, undistracted, for at least 30 minutes each day.
iii. Always keep a positive mindset.
iv. I’m highly selective about who I spend time with. I surround myself with kind, motivated, supportive, and successful people.
v. No procrastination. I have a “must-complete” list of tasks each day. This means I won’t let myself go to sleep until I finish these items. It keeps me accountable to myself.
vi. I show up. If I agree to attend an event, meeting, or dinner with friends, you won’t see me cancel or reschedule. I care deeply about respecting people’s schedules and time.
Looking back at your teenage years, did you have any entrepreneurial interests?
As a teenager, I taught piano to many students and got first-hand experience on the power of word-of-mouth marketing, referrals, and ensuring happy customers.
Is there a specific time of day where you feel most productive?
I generally feel productive throughout the day (from 8 am through 10 pm).
Do you think there is one character trait/skill that is important to have in order to become a successful entrepreneur in today’s world?
Integrity. It’s a must-have character trait of anyone I’ve worked with and hired. Your words and actions must align with one another.
Has being a woman in the business world denied you of any opportunities, how so?
I always focus on the positive. Being a woman in business has helped me in that I feel like I had to always build a noticeably better product and learn and achieve certain business metrics faster. It’s made me adapt quickly and work harder and smarter. I’m proud that all my closest friends are all successful female business leaders and entrepreneurs.
What is one major goal that you wish to achieve by 2030?
Build Blaze to be the best and most popular no-code platform for teams to create internal tools! We want to enable anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit to build software and applications without needing to write code.
Who is your biggest influence, and why?
My husband, Jonathan Maroko, and my co-founder, Tina Denuit-Wojcik. They are my biggest influences because they are the people I interact with the most. And I’m lucky that they are. They’re two of the most brilliant people I know. Jonathan has a massively positive influence on me in regard to eating healthy and being athletic. Tina has incredible drive and a top-notch work ethic. She’s a wonderfully inspiring teammate. Something they both have that I respect a lot is their ability to be independent, critical thinkers. They question the status quo, do their own research and analysis, and don’t simply follow the crowd.
What has been the most formative advice you have received and why?
You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. That’s why I actively surround myself with amazing people.
What has been the most impressive/memorable question anyone has ever asked you?
If you could write your 10-year-old self a letter, what would you write?
If you have siblings, are they also entrepreneurs?
I have an amazing sister, Jamie Liu, who is 12 years younger and a sophomore in college at UC Berkeley. She is very entrepreneurial and has started several tech projects and apps.
Do you think the drive to become an entrepreneur is born with or is learned?
It can probably be both! I think it doesn’t matter whether someone has the entrepreneurial desire from when they’re young or they discover that passion much later in life as long as they take steps to turn that drive into building a business.
CONTACT INFORMATION & SOCIAL MEDIA Blaze Co-Founder and CEO Los Angeles, CA LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/nanxi website: http://www.Blaze.tech