Hasham Shafiq

What's something you were terrible at when you first started doing it, but are now pretty comfortable with? I'd love to hear the non-obvious answers.

What's one thing that instantly makes you think someone is good at what they do? Not their title or qualifications. Something you notice from the way they work or communicate.

Do you prefer having a proper plan before starting something, or figuring it out as you go? I keep switching between the two, depending on how much I know about what I'm getting into.

I have a soft spot for people who are good at explaining complicated things in simple language. It's harder than it looks, and it's useful in almost every profession.

One thing I've learned from working online: A short, clear message is a skill. You'd be surprised how much time gets wasted because people don't say exactly what they mean.

Hot take: not every meeting needs to be a video call. Sometimes a 3-line message is enough. Sometimes a quick voice note is better. We don't need to see each other's faces to solve every problem.

What's a habit you've picked up in the last year that has actually made your life better? Not a big transformation. Just a small thing that stuck.

I still find it funny how one small typo can make yo stare at a screen for 15 minutes. Then you fix it and suddenly feel like a genius.

The Hire That Gives You Time Back # 9 A remote team doesn't become effective just because everyone has a laptop and a job title. Clear expectations matter. So does knowing who owns what. At ZenStack, that's something we think about before a person even starts.

What's a skill you learned outside school or university that turned out to be surprisingly useful? Could be anything. Cooking, writing, negotiating, fixing things, dealing with people.

Do you read the terms and conditions before clicking "I agree"? I've accepted things with the confidence of someone who has absolutely no idea what they just agreed to.

I think the internet has made us feel like we're always behind. Someone launched a company. Someone raised money. Someone hit 10k users. Meanwhile, most of us are just trying to get through Tuesday.

What's a completely unnecessary thing you spend money on but refuse to give up? Mine might be good coffee. I can make a cheaper one at home. I just don't want to.

Some days you get 10 things done. Other days you spend 3 hours on one thing that should've taken 20 minutes. Running your own thing is a strange experience 😂

walkthrough had 339 new visitors in the last 24 hours, from 20+ countries. the US led, then India and the UK. that’s the highest so far, up from 132 in a day before. a one-time $29 screen recorder that saves to your own Google Drive, and people are finding it from everywhere. walkthrough.cc

If you had to find your next 5 customers without spending money on ads, what would you do? Personal DMs, LinkedIn, communities, referrals, cold email?

What's been taking up most of your attention lately? Growing a business, finding a job, learning something new, building a product, or just figuring life out? No wrong answers.

What's the last thing you cancelled because you realised you weren't using it enough? A subscription, app, service, membership... anything.

A lot of founders end up doing sales, support, admin, marketing, and operations themselves. At some point, you have to hand something over. That's part of why we're building ZenStack around helping growing teams find dedicated remote people without taking on the whole recruiting process themselves.

What's one thing you wish your current software did better? Not a new feature. Just something it already does, but annoyingly.