Co-founder of Anthroware Jon Jones talks about his unique perspectives on leadership and doing business in the tech sector in this episode. His goals are to make it easy to do hard things, and keep people at the heart of every project.
Jon Jones co-founded Anthroware in 2013 to build brands and products the right way— always starting from a creative, design and user-first posture. Every project is a product! Anthroware exists to create products that make it easy to do hard things, and they do that by obsessing over design, and the people and organizations that use the software. Jon has a B.S. and M.S. in Applied Physics and Nanotechnology from Appalachian State University, and worked in corporate America as a software engineer previous to becoming an entrepreneur. Jon has co-founded other companies including a networking app called ‘Coeo’ (RIP), and Asheville’s incubation hub ‘Hatch AVL Foundation’; a 501 c3 organization that focuses on helping high-growth startups get further faster. In his role at Anthroware, Jon leads this rapidly growing company’s business design, innovation, culture and goals. Outside Anthroware, you can find him enjoying Asheville’s outdoors with family and friends.
3 Key Points
- Business and personal life cannot be completely divorced. As a leader, you must recognize your baggage and beliefs to lead your business.
- Work with others who share your vision and goals. They’re going to care about the relationship: nobody will take each other for granted, and work will be easier and more enjoyable.
- Forge individual relationships with coworkers and partners. Having a business persona will get in the way of honest and impactful leadership.
Quote
“Leaders need to model their own values and let other team members model theirs.”
What We Talked About
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 01:20 – What is Anthroware’s impact?
- 03:48 – On finding the right partners
- 04:43 – Why do you work in healthcare and education?
- 05:50 – Talking about relationships and finding good connections
- 09:50 – On being authentic in the workplace
- 12:22 – How do you look for values in the hiring process?
- 16:15 – What does a good fit for your customers look like?
- 21:15 – What is “impactful leadership”?
- 28:30 – How have you collaborated with your co-founder Jason?
- 32:39 – On treating business partnership like a marriage
- 38:28 – Why do companies invest so much money in consultants and not receive a positive return?
- 42:50 – On the shift from product to experience
Actionable Tips
- Recognize that some impact is slow to manifest.
- Hire people who are better at the work than you are.
- Give what you can.
Resources Mentioned
- Jon’s company Anthroware
- Book: The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
Resources for Your Business
Click here for free resources to increase the impact of your business.
Support the podcast
If you find the podcast valuable, click here to make a donation to support the podcast. Thank you!
SUBSCRIBE TO THE WORK ALCHEMY PODCAST
Ursula Jorch, Host of The Impact Interviews
Ursula Jorch is a business coach, speaker, and podcaster who shows women leaders how to turn their businesses into profitable agents for lasting change, global impact, and a force for good in the world.
