An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Be Yourself. I hope for most leaders, this suggestion doesn’t fly in the face of everything else I just shared, but it’s so important to be true to yourself. If you get excited about one element of the business, let it show. If you know less about another function, don’t pretend — be vulnerable, ask questions and learn. No one is expected to know everything. We all want to be accepted for who we are, and we want to genuinely know who we’re working alongside of. I have seen firsthand how this authenticity can lead to such a positive work environment where people genuinely enjoy working tether, because they genuinely enjoy who they are working with.

As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alan Cole.

Alan Cole is a seasoned eCommerce executive with over 25 years of experience leading businesses in the internet sector. He is currently the President and CEO of GovX, a membership-based eCommerce site built for those who serve. Alan earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University and received his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I earned my undergraduate degree at Santa Clara University — which is nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley. After working as a Project Engineer for a couple of years in Palo Alto, one of my classmates and I moved down to San Diego to start a ‘web development’ business. The web was still so young at the time, and we found a niche building dynamic, database-driven sites, which was a novel feat at the time. After running the company for nearly ten years, I realized there was so much I still needed to learn from a business standpoint, so I headed back to school to get my MBA at the University of Texas at Austin. UT has such a great program for entrepreneurs as it allowed me to get practical work experience that filled so many voids I didn’t even know I had. During my time in Austin, I worked for an early stage Venture Firm and also worked at several local startups in a variety of sales and marketing roles. This experience translated well when I headed back to San Diego and took a job at The Active Network — a venture-backed online registration company that was growing fast. For most of my tenure at Active, I was responsible for the consumer media properties, which set the foundation for my subsequent roles. Prior to joining GovX, I was the COO at TakeLessons, another venture-backed company that built a platform to match students with private instructors. The company was at a much earlier stage, which allowed me to develop my operational toolkit and prepare me to step into my current role. I have been the President and CEO at GovX for over five years now. Even though I have been in the eCommerce space for over two decades, there is always more to learn, especially in the current environment.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

GovX is an eCommerce business. Today that can mean so many things, but at the core, everyone in this space is doing the same thing: building connections with consumers. That said, companies competing against Amazon and Walmart have to develop more than a transactional relationship.

At GovX, we have created a platform that enables us to understand our visitors before they shop, which in turn allows us to deliver a unique experience to our members. Our catalog is still at the core of the site — and it just so happens that we offer the coolest selection of products anywhere. Beyond shopping, our members will find that we invest in fundraising programs to support important nonprofits that are focusing on serving those who serve. This program, GovX Gives Back, is so core to the experience and every month we advocate for a different nonprofit, donate 5% of sales from our GovX Gear line, contribute 100% of the proceeds from our Patch of the Month and work with great brands to match donations. We leverage our platform to truly support those who keep our countries and communities safe. In order to connect with your customers in a way that is memorable and meaningful, you need to invest back into the community in a genuine and sincere way.

When it comes to our business model, one of the ways we have been able to scale so quickly this year is by tapping into the Shopify platform. In addition to reducing the friction for merchants, Shopify has also made it super easy for service providers to connect with their millions of sellers. For GovX, this has allowed us to build a new business that complements our legacy retail model. More specifically, any merchant on Shopify with relevant products can easily publish directly onto GovX.com as an affiliate partner — all within their Shopify dashboard. This has accelerated catalog growth (which provides more value to our members), and it has enabled thousands of brands to connect with our community through a platform they are already familiar with (and with no code, no cookies, no tags).

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

At my first company, we provided web and tech support for the San Diego Sports Arena. As part of that agreement, we had the opportunity to set up a booth at San Diego Gulls Games. (For technical context — this was in the early 2000’s.) So we hauled down an early all-in-one Mac, hooked up a Connectix webcam and set up a booth for ‘Email Postcards’. Our plan was to allow people to take a (small, grainy, black & white) photo with the webcam, which we would save, and send to an email address they provided once we got home (no internet connection available at the booth). We would add a marketing message to the email and were hoping to generate some buzz. But, as it turned out, no one could remember their email address! So, the obvious lesson learned was to understand your audience. If we had set that up at CES, it might have been a different story. But we learned a valuable lesson to put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Be aware of the situation and look through the lens of your customers.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

I honestly never felt comfortable seeking out a mentor. I’m an introvert — so I don’t learn very well in real-time conversations, I need to digest and process feedback. So while I didn’t have any formal mentors outside of work, I learned a great deal from my managers and peers at every stop along the way by observing, processing and doing. It’s just tough for me to internalize ‘advice’ for some reason. I need to see something in action so I can absorb it. So with that said, I’d have to say that my long-time manager at Active, Jon Belmonte, made the biggest impact in my career. The most important lesson that still sticks with me today is to proactively take care of your team. Fair comp is obviously critical, but more importantly, he taught me to be thoughtful around roles and responsibilities and make sure that great folks are given opportunities to grow.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

A disruptive product is an order of magnitude better than its predecessor. Shopify is a great example. Self-serve eCommerce storefronts weren’t a new innovation. But Shopify just made it so much easier and built an ecosystem that added exponentially more value for merchants. This is a win for small business owners who can operate their businesses more efficiently and a win for consumers, who have direct access to a wider variety of products online.

I also view Roblox as an incredible platform and truly disruptive in the gaming and creator spaces. The platform obviously allows gamers to access an endless library of content. But more importantly, it offers tools that allow new creators to build games and develop worlds with such low barriers that it fosters creativity and empowers the imagination. Speaking from first-hand experience, my son started creating games on the platform when he was thirteen, and has been able to publish games, collaborate with other creators and even learn about running ad campaigns to drive traffic. This experience is just unmatched and opens so many doors.

It’s also easy to spot disruption that’s ‘not so positive’ when you look at something like Buy Now Pay Later. Positioned as ‘fintech’ companies for some reason, these businesses found a way to layer more debt on consumers without a credit check. I’m not entirely sure how a new form of lending has received so much credit for revolutionizing shopping, but it’s certainly an example of a ‘disruptive’ offering that’s driving consumers backwards.

Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

Per my earlier comments on mentors, I’m not great at ‘taking advice’ per se. Instead, I’d rather learn by watching others’ actions. So here are the top lessons I’ve learned along the way by being a student of my surroundings:

• Be Attentive. This is so important in so many situations. Whether it’s having a 1–1 conversation or presenting to a large team, it’s just critical to observe what’s happening around you by watching and listening for feedback. Leaders must be situationally aware so they can react in the moment. And this only comes by preparing so well that you’re comfortable reading the room. I have seen so many speakers get tunnel vision and just focus on getting through their material without any concern for how the receiving party is reacting. This goes well beyond meetings, and into the overall energy of the business. Leaders must recognize what’s happening within the organization, so they can prioritize accordingly.
• Simplify. Overly complicated words are not only out of place in an operational setting, but they also add the risk of a misunderstanding. The strategy, goals and operational plans should be plain simple. Is it easy for everyone to see the destination and understand how to get there? Is there a dead easy roadmap that we can follow to make sure we’re on the right track? At a previous company one of our executives was just so good at this. Whenever we had a new rollout that required customer adoption, he would ask us to put together a simple grid that articulated the priorities and easily measured progress. Simplicity wins.
• Be Decisive. This sounds so obvious, but it’s surprising to see how hard it is for some people to make a decision and own it. And per the prior point…articulate clearly why that decision was made — with a strong point of view. There are times when it makes strategic sense to wait, and even that is a decision if it is framed with thoughtful rationale. An organization with managers who are not decisive will spin their wheels trying to figure out what’s important, where to head and ultimately what made an impact. There is no such thing as perfect information, and most of the time, the best way to learn is by moving forward.
• No Egos. Entrepreneurs certainly need to have above-average self-confidence to believe they can start and grow a successful business in the face of all statistics showing that most companies are doomed to fail. That said, with very few exceptions, it takes a team to build a business. And from my experience, most people don’t like working with folks who think they know it all. The most impressive people I’ve seen along the way are incredibly smart, extremely accomplished, and just so humble. People who possess those qualities have the ability to bring out so much more from their team because they are focused on the success of the organization, not their own headlines.
• Be Yourself. I hope for most leaders, this suggestion doesn’t fly in the face of everything else I just shared, but it’s so important to be true to yourself. If you get excited about one element of the business, let it show. If you know less about another function, don’t pretend — be vulnerable, ask questions and learn. No one is expected to know everything. We all want to be accepted for who we are, and we want to genuinely know who we’re working alongside of. I have seen firsthand how this authenticity can lead to such a positive work environment where people genuinely enjoy working tether, because they genuinely enjoy who they are working with.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

My focus is squarely on GovX. We have so much room to grow here and we have a number of exciting announcements on the horizon that will continue to underscore how we’re investing in eCommerce innovation.

Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?

My approach to managing people stemmed from many of the lessons I learned from the book Intrinsic Motivation at Work. It’s such a good book for individuals who are exploring their own career paths, and it was particularly interesting to me regarding how managers can more effectively work with their team. It all boils down to ownership. Empowering the team to own solutions and take responsibility for the outcomes. And more specifically, to stay out of the way. While managers may feel like they are being helpful with incremental suggestions, most feedback truly just reduces the employee’s ownership of the outcome. Once the course is set and the strategic priorities are identified, managers need to trust their teams to make forward progress using their own creativity. Finally, and I’ll quote this one directly because it’s so important: “part of your job as a leader is to buffer the team from low-return demands”. It’s easy for folks to be busy. It’s harder for folks to stay productive. And its productivity that drives engagement, moves the business forward and creates overall job satisfaction.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“There is no trophy for most hours worked.” Ok, that’s something I said to one of my junior employees when I was running my first startup about 25 years ago. And my sentiment holds true today. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t be a dedicated team member who works hard to achieve a common goal. To the contrary. I’m just saying that you should focus on how to make the biggest impact, and have a relentless focus there — so you can get the highest return on your invested time. This will enable you to focus on what matters more — your life outside of work — which in turn fuels your professional success.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

As an entrepreneur, and a father of two teenagers, I would really like to see businesses find a way to hire more kids. It seems like everyone in my generation has some old story about working when they were in grade school. For me, it was a paper route I had when I was in third grade, delivering papers before school around my neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia. That experience taught so many lessons from sales, communication skills, customer service and financial management. Today, it’s extremely hard for a 14-year-old to find a summer job! Early employment opportunities build self-confidence, teach the value of money and reduce idle time during a very vulnerable age — where boredom and questionable judgment can lead to really bad outcomes. By providing more kids with the opportunity to learn new practical skills, contribute to a team, and earn a paycheck, we’ll help them build their self-worth from an early age.

How can our readers follow you online?

Feel free to connect on LinkedIn, and be sure to check out GovX.com

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

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Meet The Disruptors: Alan Cole Of GovX On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.