Ed Johnson is the CEO and Co-Founder of PushFar, the world’s leading mentoring platform.
Since its founding in 2018, PushFar has rapidly grown into a widely used tech startup, providing mentoring technology to hundreds of clients and tens of thousands of individuals in over 100 countries.
The platform allows mentors and mentees to find, form, and manage effective mentoring relationships globally.
As an open mentoring platform, anyone can sign up for free to find a mentor, volunteer to mentor others, network, connect, and develop their career using a host of career progression tools and techniques.
Additionally, organisations can launch, run, and scale mentoring programs for their employees and networks.
What is the main problem you solve for your customers?
The main objective is to make mentoring more accessible, effective and impactful for all, so they can each reap the multitude of benefits that mentoring has to offer. We help individuals to find and form mentorships, whether they want to provide the mentoring or be mentored. We also help organisations to run mentoring programmes in an easy and effective way.
What made you start your business – did you want to rock the status quo, or was it a gap in the marketplace that you could fill?
I was originally looking for a mentor for myself and struggled to find one and I soon realised that a lot of people were in the same position as me. Organisations were also struggling to launch impactful mentoring programmes, with a lot of manual processes involved, which were time consuming and not wholly effective. It was clear that mentoring wasn’t easily accessible to either individuals or organisations and I wanted to change that.
What are your brand values?
Our brand values are what form the foundations of PushFar: Authentic, Accessible, Supportive and Innovative
Do your values define your decision-making process?
Yes – always. Our values are the fundamental principles by which PushFar is led, and they all play in to one another. We must remain innovative, constantly adapting the services we offer to ensure we are offering our customers the best support on the market whilst remaining accessible to all. Working by these values ensures that we remain authentic to PushFar’s founding mission of providing effective mentoring to all.
Is team culture integral to your business?
Team culture is absolutely integral to us. Working closely with clients who are mainly in the HR and learning fields, we know firsthand, the value of a powerful and supportive culture.
What do you do to go the extra mile to show your team you appreciate them?
Our appreciation to our team is shown via trust and empowerment across the board. We provide flexible hours and fully remote working, as well as flexible holidays. This allows our team to feel respected in the same we appreciate and acknowledge the value they bring to PushFar.
In terms of your messaging do you think you talk directly to your consumers in a clear fashion?
Yes! We ensure that our messaging is concise and understandable for all. We are here to help both individuals and organisations and we like to make the process as easy as possible from the start.
What’s your take on inflation and interest rates – are you going to pass that on to your customers or let your margins take a hit and reward customer loyalty in these tougher times?
We’ve not increased pricing in the last 6-years. We are focused on delivering a great service that helps our business grow whilst continuing to add value.
How often do you assess the data you pull in and address your KPIs and why?
We are constantly assessing the data that we pull in, in real time. As a tech company this is critical for both us, and for our clients. In an ever-evolving industry, the data we are continuously assessing ensures we remain the leading mentoring platform and that our customers receive the most up to date and highest quality service.
Is tech playing a much larger part in your day-to-day running of your company?
Yes! As a tech company, it is at the heart of everything that we do; From our service offering to clients, through to our remote working approach with colleagues and employees. Tech plays a major role in our growth, both in terms of our reach and the services we provide. The use of advancing technology helps us streamline processes without diminishing quality, guaranteeing the service that customers receive is as efficient as possible.
What is your attitude to your competitors?
We have a very healthy attitude towards our competitors. It discourages complacency when we all play fairly. Competition is important to ensure that the market keeps evolving and that the services on offer have no option but to be innovative. Innovation and growth are of great importance to PushFar so we don’t fear our place within the market.
Do you have any advice for anyone starting out in business?
If you are wanting to start a business, just do it. There will never be a right time, it’s all about the mindset that you apply. Focus, dedication and hard work are what you need to abide by. There’s no shortcut for any of it.
It can be a lonely and pressured place to be as the lead decision maker of the business. What do you do to relax, recharge and hone your focus?
I switch off, partaking in a digital detox and immersing myself in books and the outdoors through the likes of running.
Do you believe in the 12-week work method, or do you make much longer planning strategies?
I personally believe longer-term strategies are key. They’re less restrictive and allow for a greater sense of direction and a view of the bigger picture and long-term goals.
What is your company’s eco strategy?
As a tech company, we try to do everything we can to reduce impact on the planet. We actively encourage remote working and regularly host video calls where possible to reduce commutes. We’re also entirely paperless and will continue to make strives to ensure we are considering eco-impacts.
What three things do you hope to have in place within the next 12 months?
Over the next 12 months our focus is on growth; a larger team, a greater client base and more awesome features on offer.