Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My father is my direct inspiration in business. He opened his company when I was 10, and ran it for 10 years. Watching him work to build his business showed me tenacity and perseverance are necessary to create a business from scratch.

How do you stay motivated?

I don’t rely on motivation—I rely on conviction. Motivation fades, but the belief that systems can be redesigned doesn’t. Too many industries run on outdated assumptions. Entrepreneurship is the work of challenging those assumptions and building something better. Curiosity, progress, and that mission keep me moving forward, even on the hard days.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would treat the $25,000 the way great founders treat early capital: as fuel. It would fund product development, early testing, and the initial community of founders and collaborators around the idea. The goal would be to turn one investment into proof that the concept works.