Ed Johnson is CEO and co-founder of PushFar, the world’s leading mentoring platform.
Since its inception in 2018 PushFar has quickly grown into a widespread technology startup, providing mentoring technology to hundreds of customers and tens of thousands of individuals in over 100 countries.
The platform enables mentors and mentees to find, build and manage effective mentoring relationships worldwide.
As an open mentoring platform, anyone can sign up for free to find a mentor, volunteer to mentor others, network, connect, and grow their career using a variety of professional development tools and techniques.
Additionally, organizations can launch, run and scale mentoring programs for their employees and networks.
What is the main problem you solve for your customers?
The main goal is to make mentoring more accessible, effective and impactful for everyone so that everyone can benefit from the many benefits that mentoring has to offer. We help individuals find and design mentoring opportunities, whether they want to offer mentoring or be mentored. We also help organizations run mentoring programs in a simple and effective way.
What motivated you to start your company – did you want to change the status quo or was it a gap in the market that you could fill?
I was originally looking for a mentor for myself and was struggling to find one, and I quickly realized that there were a lot of people in the same situation as me. Additionally, organizations struggled to launch effective mentoring programs, requiring many manual processes that were time-consuming and not entirely effective. It was clear that mentoring was not easily accessible to individuals or organizations, and I wanted to change that.
What are your brand values?
Our brand values form the foundation of PushFar: Authentic, accessible, supportive and innovative
Do your values determine your decision-making process?
Yes – always. Our values are the core principles by which PushFar is run, and they all play together. We must remain innovative and constantly adapt the services we offer to ensure we provide our customers with the best support in the market while remaining accessible to everyone. Aligning ourselves with these values ensures that we remain true to PushFar’s founding mission of providing effective mentoring for all.
Is team culture an integral part of your company?
Team culture is absolutely natural for us. Working closely with clients working primarily in HR and learning, we know first-hand the importance of a strong and supportive culture.
What are you doing to show your team that you value them?
Our appreciation for our team is demonstrated through trust and empowerment across the board. We offer flexible working hours and full remote work as well as flexible holidays. This makes our team feel respected, just as we appreciate and recognize the value they bring to PushFar.
Do you believe you are speaking directly and clearly to your consumers when it comes to your messaging?
Yes! We ensure our messages are concise and understandable for everyone. We are here to help both individuals and organizations and want to make the process as easy as possible right from the start.
What are your views on inflation and interest rates – will you pass this on to your customers or will it take a hit on your margins and reward customer loyalty in these tougher times?
We have not increased prices in the last 6 years. We focus on providing a great service that helps grow our business while adding value.
How often do you evaluate the data you collect and address your KPIs and why?
We evaluate the data we collect constantly and in real time. As a technology company, this is critical for both us and our customers. In an ever-evolving industry, the data we continually evaluate ensures we remain the leading mentoring platform and that our customers receive the most up-to-date, highest quality service.
Does technology play a much larger role in your day-to-day business?
Yes! As a technology company, it is at the heart of everything we do. From our service offering to customers to our remote working approach with colleagues and employees. Technology plays an important role in our growth, both in terms of our reach and the services we offer. The use of advanced technology helps us streamline processes without sacrificing quality and ensure that the service our customers receive is as efficient as possible.
What is your attitude towards your competitors?
We have a very healthy attitude towards our competitors. It discourages complacency when we all act fairly. Competition is important to ensure that the market is constantly evolving and the services offered have no choice but to innovate. Innovation and growth are of great importance to PushFar, so we are not afraid of our place in the market.
Do you have any advice for someone starting out in business?
If you want to start a business, just do it. There will never be a right time, it just depends on the mindset you apply. Concentration, dedication and hard work are what you need to stick with. There is no shortcut for any of this.
Being the key decision maker in the company can be lonely and stressful. What do you do to relax, recharge, and sharpen your focus?
I switch off, take part in a digital detox and immerse myself in books and nature, for example by running.
Do you believe in the 12-week working method or do you develop much longer planning strategies?
I personally believe that longer term strategies are key. They are less restrictive and allow for a better sense of direction and a view of the bigger picture and long-term goals.
What is your company’s environmental strategy?
As a technology company, we try to do everything we can to reduce our impact on the planet. We actively encourage remote working and, where possible, host regular video calls to reduce commuting. We are also completely paperless and will continue to make efforts to ensure we consider our impact on the environment.
What three things do you hope to implement in the next 12 months?
Over the next 12 months our focus is on growth; a larger team, a larger customer base and more great features on offer.
