A Day in the life of a CEO - Find out how Jeremy Goldschmidt, Founder & CEO of RentBetter manages to balance work, life and all things in between...

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As featured in online publication - Balance the Grind

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‍Life these days is so busy that we often don't take the time to sit down and reflect on what's most important to us. Some would argue over the past few years, maintaining a work-life balance has become far easier. With work from home becoming the norm, there's seemingly more time than ever before to spend with our loved ones.

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On the other side of the coin, some people may find it hard to draw the line between work and personal life with everything so 'mashed' together, it can be difficult to completely switch off.Recently Jeremy sat down with the team over at Balance the Grind to chat all about he manages to balance work and daily life and, how he runs the amazing team over here at RentBetter!

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‍Check out some of the interesting things he had to say in the interview below.

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To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

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Before I made the decision to start RentBetter, I spent about 15 years as a management consultant, and then worked in strategy at one of the banks.I really enjoyed being a consultant as it provided me with the incredible opportunity to learn about different types of businesses and a never-ending list of challenging problems to solve for clients, whilst working with really great people.

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I was also lucky enough to be able to travel quite a bit for work, which is a nice benefit in any job. My current role is CEO of RentBetter, a tech platform for self-managing landlords. We’ve been running for over 5 years now and recently completed a round of funding. Over the past year, our subscriber base has grown 250%, and it’s a really exciting time to be part of the disruption in the property sector.

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What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

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My day starts out quite structured, and then intentionally becomes less structured. It helps me manage the more technical and creative aspects of the business and my role. I have 3 young children, Zev (8), Jake (6) and Izzy (2), so my days tend to start pretty early! After an early breakfast with the kids, I’ll check emails and news headlines and get the kids ready for daycare and school.

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From there I have a fairly set sequence of activities to review performance, operations and ensure that the team is set up for success. Late morning and the middle of the day is more focused on team planning and knowledge sharing sessions, and then in the afternoon I tend to focus on business development activity. No two days are the same, but I try to operate within these general guidelines to structure my time.

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Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?

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Over the past two years, we’ve had to become pretty good at working remotely. We’re fortunate in that a lot of our work can be completed remotely without any impact. We’ve had to adapt to using the right channels for communication and the right tools for planning sessions online.

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I quite like drawing on a whiteboard and the interaction of the team in a discussion, so of all the changes in work styles, this has probably been the hardest one to adapt to. At the same time, the team works incredibly well together and with the benefit of a few basic online collaboration tools, we are as productive, if not more productive while working remotely.

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What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

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It’s always a tricky one to manage. Maintaining the balance means you constantly need to adjust and course-correct when things move too far in one direction. I am not sure I ever have it right at any one point in time, but over all, try to focus on making sure that there is a balance.My wife, my children and my family are my main motivation and driver of happiness, so I tend to pick up pretty quickly if things are out of balance.

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In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?

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The business has grown quite a bit over the past 12 months, so in general, there is a lot more happening each day than ever before. I have found some basic meditation has been really helpful to focus and clear my thoughts. It’s something I have really enjoyed and found beneficial, and look forward to doing more of in the future.

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Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

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I have been listening to the Michael Lewis series Against The Rules which I highly recommend. He has a really amazing way of exploring a theme and analysing a situation. One of my favourite books of all time is the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, and for my kids I love the Dr. Seuss book Oh, The Place You’ll Go.

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Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?

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The honest answer to this one is my phone and computer. I received an electric scooter as a birthday gift from friends last year, and that has been an excellent addition to my life.

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If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

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That’s a hard one. I think work-life balance is pretty unique to the individual, and everyone has a different way of managing their particular situation. I’ve found that each person you speak to has something to contribute to the discussion and something you can learn from.

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I watched a doco on Bill Gates some time ago and found his approach to a ‘think week’ where he takes time out each year to read and think for a week, quite fascinating. It’s something I aspire to do!  

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Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

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Like most things, it’s about setting goals and then achieving them. The goals may change, or the way you try to achieve them might change, but being focused on what you want to achieve is the first step.

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Balance the Grind is a work-life balance publication on a mission to showcase healthy work-life balance through interesting stories from people all over the world, in different careers and lifestyles.