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May 2, 2026
Kris Klein on Consulting to CEO in Three Years
Kris Klein on Consulting to CEO in Three Years
00:00
36:04
Transcript
0:03
All right, everyone. Welcome to Margin Theory, where we bring you stories from CEOs and business owners about how they make sense of business and life and everything in between.
0:13
Today I have a special guest, and I'm super pumped to have this conversation.
0:18
Chris Klein is CEO and co-founder of Pollen Sense, a deep tech life sciences company whose AI-powered optical sensors identify pollen, mold, and dust in real time across 25-plus countries, guys.
0:33
Chris, welcome to the show. Really glad to have you here. Thanks, Jay. It's, it's fun to get to speak with you. Thanks for the opportunity. Always a pleasure. So let's start from the beginning.
0:45
Tell me a little bit about your story, Chris. How did you get into what you're doing, and what does Pollen Sense actually do? Um, well, how I got into it is, uh, is quite interesting.
0:59
I don't have your, your typical, uh, path and trajectory to be a CEO of a global tech company. [laughs] Mm-hmm. Um, I came in three years ago as a consultant to- Mm-hmm...
1:11
explore the indoor and industrial markets for the company- Yep... that I was introduced to, um, about five, five years ago. Mm-hmm.
1:18
But three years ago, whenever I came in, I really saw that the data for all of us, um, was really broken around the world. Mm-hmm.
1:26
And, um, and I decided, uh, you know, there was a huge opportunity, and I decided- Mm-hmm... that year to stay and help build Pollen Sense. I worked for free that whole year- Mm-hmm...
1:37
um, because I was really excited about the opportunity and where it could go. Mm-hmm. And then in the past couple of years, I've gone from a leading sales to being asked, um, by the board
1:47
to now lead the company as CEO- Mm-hmm... and as a co-founder. Mm-hmm. Uh, so it's been a really interesting journey, and I've got, you know, over two decades- Wow...
1:56
28 years or so, of new business development and new markets, so new product, new markets, uh- Yep... strategy and partnerships- Mm-hmm... um, with a lot of different industries.
2:06
Uh, but now being able to kind of take all the good, uh, from those industries, it all supports where we are today. Mm-hmm. So it's, it's definitely been an interesting journey. That's awesome.
2:16
And Pollen Sense, what we really do with Pollen Sense technology is we deliver this, this layer of environmental intelligence- Mm-hmm... which is the air that we breathe- Mm-hmm... in real time.
2:28
For the first time, you're able to know what is floating around in your invisible space- Mm-hmm... that could be potentially affecting your health. Wow. And that's for outdoor, indoor, and in industrial settings.
2:41
So we pull, you know, we collect the particles from the air with a- Yep...
2:46
fan through the sensor, and we trap those particles, and then we use basically facial recognition technology to identify, to detect the particles and identify what they are. Wow. Wow.
3:00
I have a lot of questions for that now, 'cause that, that sounds really interesting. Is [laughs] so you were, so you, uh, started as the, uh, the sales development rep at Pollen Sense? Yeah.
3:12
I was, I was called in to actually do a presentation for a mold remediation group, a national- Okay... conference. Yeah.
3:20
And, you know, was asked, "Hey, could you learn, you know, our technology, and would you feel comfortable presenting in a couple of weeks to this group and to this big national group that was gonna be in Nashville?"
3:31
Mm-hmm. Um, and, and I said, "Sure, yeah. I can learn to speak on anything." You know, I have a sales development background, so you give me the product- Mm-hmm... you have to go talk about it. Mm-hmm.
3:40
So as I learned the tech kind of high level really quickly and learned some of the behavior of mold spores and, and then their industry, what, you know, would matter to them, and we put this presentation together, and I flew to Nashville and went and started talking about it.
3:54
[laughs] Wow. Wow. And so that's really how it, it got... That's how it started. And I, I saw this huge opportunity. I was like, wow. You know, I looked at the CEO and the original founder, and I said, "Just let me."
4:07
Mm-hmm. Right? I said, "Just, just let me. Give me, give me this other market that is not your primary focus." Yep. "Just, just let me. I'm super excited about it." I said, "I'll work for free." I said, "Just- Wow...
4:18
I'll, I'll pay for my memberships, for my conferences, everything." Wow. And he, I think doubtfully [laughs] said yes. It was like, "Well, maybe?" [laughs] Um, and then it just took off. [laughs] Wow. Wow.
4:33
So you're just out there. You're, you're probably a really good salesperson then, and just absolutely killing it, especially being, like, so, like, I can even tell, like, the energy that you have right now.
4:41
Like, you, you're very committed to what you're doing, and you probably believe in the mission behind, uh, Pollen Sense. What's the, what's, like, the mission behind Pollen Sense?
4:51
To be able to deliver this, this real-time environmental intelligence to, to people who care about their health. Mm-hmm. Um, yeah, there are nearly 100 million allergy and asthma sufferers in the US. Mm-hmm.
5:04
And there are 7 million people in North America that die a year, I think it's in North America, that die a year from causes that relate to air pollution. What? Really? Yeah. Wow.
5:17
Um, so just alone from your allergy sufferers to asthma to the people who are dying from, uh, chronic illness and stuff that is caused from poor air quality. Yep.
5:28
Um, and we don't think naturally that pollen or mold spores are actually air pollution, but they are. Uh-huh. So the mission is really, it's to serve humanity, you know, on a great level- Yeah, for... Yep...
5:41
and to bring this technology that hasn't been available.
5:46
Um, what's been available on the market is yesterday's single count and kind of an aggregate of that, saying, "Well, based on this single count of data, um, you know, we guess that tomorrow might look like this."
6:00
But that doesn't really- Mm-hmm... help you right now in the moment. Yep.Yep.
6:05
Um, one, one thing that just come, comes to mind is, is there, like, any unique, like, stats or, uh, um, unique, unique insights about, like, the air that we breathe?
6:17
Especially, like, maybe around our homes or something that we gotta, like, know of and we should, we should think of or, like, or is it just kinda like you're looking for air outs, um, and like, like, yeah, do you have any insights on, like, that?
6:31
Like, even just if you're going to sleep in the, in the, um, in, in your apartment or in your house or anything or anything like that? Yeah.
6:39
So the EPA, um, estimates that the indoor air that we breathe is two to five times worse than our outdoor air. Okay. And the air that is outside, so when we have wildfires- Yep...
6:53
or when we live in areas that have high, um, uh, microplastic potential, you know, and high- Mm-hmm... uh, other contaminants in the air- Mm-hmm... uh, industrial pollutants- Mm-hmm...
7:05
um, then that is actually getting inside of our h- living spaces. Mm-hmm. Um, by, you know, a lot of different ways. Our, our living space is not fully contained and sealed, you know? We're not, you know, vacuum sealed.
7:17
[laughs] Mm-hmm. Uh, so, so yeah, our indoor air is actually two to five times worse. Mm-hmm.
7:22
Um, and we, we can change it out with a HEPA filter and try to filter through whatever we can, but the problem has been that we just don't know what we don't see. Mm-hmm. And we breathe 20,000 times a day. Mm-hmm. Wow.
7:35
So you're constantly breathing in potential threats. For some people it could be pet dander. And I don't have cats,
7:43
but I have cat dander that shows up in my house because my dogs are tracking it in when they're going in and out of the house. Wow.
7:51
So to think about some of these things that we pull in from the outside could be causing an a- allergic reaction too. Mm-hmm. Wow, okay. Cool, cool.
8:02
And we don't, and a lot of people, unless you suffer from, you know, if we look at outdoor allergies and asthma, unless you suffer from, uh, severely suffer from, say, a pollen or a mold allergy- Yep...
8:14
then you might not be aware that whenever you do go to sleep at night, um, what's been, you know, if you went on a run outside- Mm-hmm...
8:22
whatever has hitched a ride home with you via your hair, your clothing, whatnot, will also make its way to your bed. Mm-hmm. So then it's on your pillow and you're breathing that in.
8:33
So if you are highly allergenic, then you could be making your symptoms worse. And then just overmedicating because you're just not aware of all the factors that come into play. Wow. Wow.
8:43
Do you guys, like, how do, um, how can, like, I or, you know, some people use your technology for themselves? Like, how does, how does that end up working? Are you guys just direct to consumer?
8:56
Are you guys, do you guys sell to b- big, bigger companies? Like, how does that work? So we currently work with, um, public health agencies and news broadcasting media outlets- Mm-hmm... and TV stations.
9:09
Um, some healthcare practitioners in the respiratory field, allergy, immunology, otolaryngology physicians. Um, and we work with a lot of researchers in academia. So we're more B2B- Okay... B to government, B2G. Yep.
9:23
And we license our forecast to big data whales. Yep. So your Microsoft Bing, NOAA. We work, um, with, with large enterprise businesses like that. Um, when it comes to consumer level, Pollenwise is our allergy app.
9:39
Uh, so- Mm-hmm... if you are an allergy or asthma sufferer, we have the only, the only real time, you know, automated pollen, mold, and dust sensor network. Mm-hmm.
9:49
So we pull from that network to then model with kinda the weather and everything. Okay. So we have the best data on Pollenwise than you can get anywhere else- Uh-huh... um, 'cause it's real ground truth.
10:01
But we have- Yeah... a few, we have a few severe sufferers who have actually bought sensors or license, you know, annually a sensor package, uh, to, to help their family or to help themselves.
10:13
Um, it's a little expensive right now, but we are working towards getting that more to a, to a more kind of citizen scientist, uh, level. Got it. Okay. Cool, cool, cool. Wow. Right. [laughs] Okay.
10:24
So you've been now CEO of this company for around a year now or... Yeah. Almost. You know, we're, we're, I guess we're at- Congrats on that, by the way... eight, eight to 10-month mark. Uh-huh. Thank you.
10:36
Yeah, it was wild. It wasn't what I had seen where I saw my life going, but, uh, but I'm passionate about it.
10:42
I, I love lobbying for the cause, um, and helping people, and you see these instant rewards and that it could, where we're headed could be really, like, world-changing technology. It's, so it's kinda fun. That's cool.
10:55
That's cool. Well, I know I s- I, I know, uh, in our previous talk that we got together, you know, I just, I didn't wanna just talk about business today. Yeah. You know, the real story's, you know, within you.
11:06
I mean, you're running this company. Um, you're the CEO now and the, you know, like you got a whole board to report, to, you know, talk to and that appointed you.
11:18
And so, um, I'm really interested in how you got, got, you know, how you got yourself up to being at this level and this level playing field. And so let me ask you this. So as you were working with, um, this company,
11:34
uh, what actually grounds you?
11:35
Like, when, when things get hard, you know, and you're, and you're out selling and, and, and doing what you need to do to get to becoming CEO, and even, like, right now while you're running this company, you know, like, and the answers aren't just obvious, what keeps you going?
11:51
Um, so a couple of things. Mindfulness is one. Mm-hmm. Uh, being able to, and in the past I've gone to a few retreats where I've learned different forms of meditation. Mm-hmm.
12:03
Uh, so being able to quickly, when you start to feel that deep anxiety, I see it like a snake wrapping around my chest. [laughs] Mm-hmm.
12:10
When you start to have the boa constrictor, you know, wrap around-And you can't breathe. Um,
12:17
conditioning that way in the past for several years, um, really helps because now I can, some- most of the time, stop and breathe and kind of calm my nervous system. Mm-hmm. That's huge.
12:30
Um, and then I also, whenever I get a chance, I like to find little moments of awe. Mm-hmm.
12:36
Uh, so if I'm walking around, you know, a path outside, um, you know, if I can stop and notice the, the wildflowers popping up in the spring or a dog barking or a kid laughing on a swing or, or something, and actually being present enough to- Mm-hmm...
12:53
notice those moments- Mm-hmm... then I feel like that brings a lot of, uh, grounding- Mm-hmm... um, in a, in a simple way. Mm-hmm.
13:00
And, and of course, I love to travel, so whenever I do actually get the chance to take a day off, if I can go somewhere new, then, um, and if I can have- Of course... at least a day alone- Yep...
13:10
then, then I find that I get out of my comfort zone and I trust the world, I trust strangers, and I trust- Yep... myself more in those moments. Yep, yep. It's like we're like deep down inside real explorers.
13:23
Like, we always wanna see new, new stimulus and see the new surrounding. Like, I think that's what dri- like, that's what drives a lot of us innately and stuff. So yeah. Where, where did you end up going, uh, Chris?
13:36
Was it, uh, like, where'd you just get back from? Um, a, a friend, luckily, a friend had a birthday and, and I couldn't, um... It was non-refundable, um, so I couldn't use the work excuse.
13:48
Um, and I didn't want to, but I had work piling on me, and we went to Turks and Caicos. Um- Oh, wow. Jealous...
13:55
I'm really blessed now that, that she, a longtime childhood friend, pushed and said, "You've gotta come, you've gotta come," and, and I made it happen. And it was magical. I got to watch the sunset.
14:08
I listened to the waves crash on the beach.
14:10
And I had, I had time away from my phone and from email and from the demands to where I could actually engage with people in real, you know, just casual conversations and connect socially, and I didn't realize.
14:26
I thought with all of my work social engagement, that that was fulfilling.
14:31
Without actually thinking about it, this, the time away and just having conversations with other people and getting to know new people, um, in that space was really, uh, I don't, I don't know.
14:44
It, it, it, it made me feel alive again in just a couple of days. Mm-hmm. It was really fulfilling. Mm-hmm.
14:51
Other than, uh, what grounds you and the meditation and, you know, like, the awe, the awe moments, by the way, which I love. The awe moments is, is great. I never thought about it like that.
15:02
I'd always think about it, like, as I'm walking around, just like,
15:05
you know, stop and look around, but, like, there's so many things that could be, you know, like, that it's, it's crazy the world that we live in, really, if you take a step back and... But, um,
15:18
uh, other than just that, like, do you, like, do any type of activities? Do you work out, like, watch what you eat? Any routines that keep you sharp? Yeah.
15:28
I'm, I'm trying, as I, as I drink my ginger and turmeric tea here.
15:32
Um, I am trying to, to manage that because, um, y- I think you, the days pile up really quickly and you don't realize that the, there's chronic stress and worry because now not only did I, you know, lead sales, you know, I stepped in to lead sales a couple of years ago.
15:52
Um, as CEO, I mean, I'm, I really am the provider for the entire team. Mm-hmm. And it's a lot of pressure, um, and it- Mm-hmm... can get really scary, and you try to fight through imposter syndrome and all of that.
16:06
So, um, I started to, to ignore the chronic stress that was- Mm-hmm... popping up. And, and yes, I went to an integrative medicine doctor, a functional medicine doctor, um, that seemed to fit for me and- Mm-hmm...
16:21
um, he's also an MD. And I did a lot of, a lot of blood work and a lot of lab work. And, um, I have been, I've been putting myself better on a really specialized diet, uh- Mm-hmm...
16:33
for anti-inflammation, um, to reduce, you know, to reduce the inflammation from the stress. Mm-hmm. Um, and then also, um, to ele- eliminate some toxins. Mm-hmm.
16:45
Um, and so it's a pretty detailed diet and supplement plan and all of that.
16:49
And, and I do go for walks, um, and then I have one of those little walking pads that sometimes I'll, I'll try to jump on that and at least move- Walking pad? Like, is it just a walking pad while you're working too?
17:00
Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I gotta get one of those. To just move. Like, move the body, move the tissues, and then I think that that moves more of the, um, the worry out. Yeah. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah.
17:14
Rather than just sitting in the office all day and, you know, just, like, sitting there and, like, sometimes you just forget to walk, you know? Like- Yes. You could sit for, like, 16, 14, 16 hours- Yeah...
17:26
just working on stuff- Yep... and then say, "Oh, yeah, I haven't drank much water today. I haven't-" Mm-hmm... "haven't moved my body. I haven't left my house in three days. I haven't..." Mm-hmm.
17:34
Like, there's so much, and then all of a sudden you look back and it's, it's been a lot longer of a time period. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So, okay, so then you're on the diet right now. How's the, how's the diet going?
17:44
Like, have you been consistent with it or is it- No. [laughs] What? No. [laughs] Oh, traveling is really hard. Traveling.
17:52
Um, even traveling for conferences, stuff like that, like, you end up, um, trying to make decent choices, and then sometimes you're just, you just say, "Screw it," and it's- Mm-hmm... it's not.
18:03
And then you just have to start over and pick up- Mm-hmm... the pieces again. [laughs] I know. Yeah.
18:08
I'm trying, I'm trying all these new diets too, and it's, it's always hard because I'm always, I always want the same thing.
18:15
I'm, I'm on, I'm, I'm on a protein, a high protein diet, but it's like, you know, I try to keep it consistent with one thing, but I don't know. It's hard to stay consistent with a diet.It is. Mm-hmm.
18:25
It is, and I, I've been working with, you know, different LLMs, right, like everyone has, and, you know, uh, talking to, um, AI to say, "Okay, here's, here's the outcome that I want. Can you help me with a meal plan?
18:41
Can you also help me with a travel meal plan?" Mm-hmm. You know, what would I eat in the airport or on the plane if it's a longer flight? Like, what are some better choices that I could bring along?
18:51
Um, and it's hard to do, but I've- I'm gonna keep trying. [laughs] How do you protect that? Like, when you're working...
18:58
When, when you s- you said you were working like 12 to 14-hour days, which by the way, I'm working for the, the same thing, and that's what it takes at this level. Yep.
19:06
Like, you have to be, you know, working hard, but, you know, also working smart.
19:11
And, um, you know, you gotta protect, you know, protect the time to kinda like be able to, you know, go back in that, I think it's called the parasympathetic state or something like that, just kinda like- Mm...
19:23
you know, the non-stress state that you were bringing up. How do you, uh, do you have any strategies that you use to, you know, kinda protect that time? I like frequency.
19:34
Um, and if I can, usually in the morning, so my ti- protecting my time and listening to different frequencies.
19:42
Um, and it's usually really early in the morning because if my brain wants to wake up at 4:00 a.m., [laughs] uh, to answer email.
19:49
Um, so if I look at it, then I'll try to remember to stop myself and give myself like a couple of hours- Uh-huh...
19:55
to just kind of have either a slow morning or move my body and kind of get some of the tissue flowing, um, and just calm. I try not to have too many lights on yet. I try not to, um, to jump into things.
20:10
I say try, and I stress that because I'm not- Yeah, of course... always great at it. Mm-hmm. Um, if there's a little fire, then I feel like I need to put it out right away. Mm-hmm.
20:19
Uh, but actually after being gone this last weekend, um, I want to be more mindful again and block that off. I think I lost- Mm-hmm... that over the last eight months. Mm-hmm.
20:31
Yeah, it's, you're transitioning into this big role and stuff, so it's, you gotta make sure you got... You're, you're just, you're figuring it out as you go. Yeah.
20:38
And I, you know, I wanna be able to block time for family and friends- Mm-hmm... um, and have it be more quality time. Mm-hmm.
20:47
So that way, you know, uh, maybe one weekend here and there, one day, you know, I'll be able to get together with somebody and, and just carve that time out. But right now it is,
20:57
it's, it's been hard to, you know, to keep telling friends, "No, I can't come. No, I can't come. No, I can't come." [laughs] Mm-hmm. And to keep turning down, you know, invitations.
21:07
Like, please, please keep inviting me, I just can't attend yet.
21:11
[laughs] So w- about the people side of, you know, outside the business, um, who matters most to you, you know, when you close the laptop up in the day, when you do have time for people? Who do you usually hang out with?
21:25
Um, so I have a few close longtime friends in the Dallas area where I live- Mm... most of the time. Um- Mm...
21:32
and luckily one of them lives just a few miles away, so I've got people really close by, so we can meet up and go walk around the lake or go, you know, do something fun, go to a game.
21:43
You know, in Dallas you've got a lot of different activities to do. Um, so that's really nice. Uh, my dad lives an hour away, and then my husband- Awesome...
21:52
um, e- even though my husband works in another part of the state of Texas, um, we, I am married, so we get to communicate usually... Us- usually the first person and the last person in the day is usually my husband.
22:06
Mm-hmm. That's cool. That's- Yeah... that's awesome. You got your dad to ground you and your husband.
22:11
You get the, that's a, it's always good to have other people that support you and support the mission that you're doing and stuff, so. Yeah. Yeah. Um, okay. All right, so
22:23
by the way, just appreciate you sharing all that, Chris. Let's zoom back in to Pollen Sense. What does it actually look like today?
22:34
If we were to zoom back to the present right now, what you're focusing on, where are you taking it from here?
22:41
So we're working on some, hopefully, [laughs] um, a really big licensing partnership with, um, a global weather provider. Mm-hmm.
22:51
Um, so we're, we're talking to a few big, um, big companies and am hoping to move that ball forward. Um- Mm-hmm... we are also working with, um, in the early stages of working with Procter & Gamble, uh- Mm-hmm...
23:05
to protect worker safety and to work on risk mitigation- Mm-hmm... um, with our technology, um, in manufacturing. Oh, wow, nice. So we've got a couple of avenues, you know.
23:16
So we do outdoor and indoor monitoring, but I really want to continue, our outdoor space will continue to grow. Um- Okay... we'll license that, um, to work with a, a big channel partner.
23:28
Um, but then we also wanna look at being able to bring this technology for the workers. Yeah.
23:34
Um, and, and getting into that original space that I had, you know, consulted on for indoor and industrial, it looks like we're gonna be able to do some extra development on our technology that will be able to unlock those, uh, those verticals and those doors.
23:49
Got it. Got it, okay.
23:51
So if we were to like, also, I know we're go- we went back to s- the present, but like, you know, if you were to like do it all differently from day one, and I love to bring this up, but, you know, if you were to go back to your sales development, um, role and until the role that you are right now, if you were to do, you know, anything differently starting over, what would you do?
24:17
Um, I would probably slow down on, uh, the, the amount of, I guess-... attempting and trying some different avenues.
24:30
So for me coming in, I thought, "Okay, well if I'm not gonna go after this other market that was, you know, the outdoor air that's already been in play-" Mm-hmm...
24:40
"and I'm gonna do something new," then I needed to try different pilots. Mm-hmm. So one thing that I would do is maybe try a f- a couple of less pilots. [laughs] Mm-hmm.
24:50
Um, and focus more, um, on, uh, you know, uh, just narrowing that down. Mm-hmm. You know? And, and not being as scattered with it.
24:59
But I thought, okay, in my background I thought, well, let's, let's try this one, this one, but it, it ended up pulling on the team a little too much. Mm-hmm.
25:09
Um, and I'm grateful for where we are now and the amazing team that we have, but looking back I would definitely pull less on them, uh, by throwing different things and, you know, throwing less at 'em.
25:22
[laughs] Like too many experiments, too many projects at once you're saying kind of? Yeah. Yeah. I was like, "Oh, it's, it's not a big deal," and really in hindsight it was a big deal. Mm-hmm.
25:31
Uh, being able to look at the mining industry, agriculture, when you're looking at all these different ones, for me as a strategist it was, "Okay, we gotta try these out quickly so then I know where I need to go."
25:44
Where you need to go. Yeah, 'cause you're getting- Yes... you're, you're being a mad scientist in general. You're trying to, you gotta get the data to be able to make the right decision. Yeah.
25:53
It, it was a double-edged sword with it, you know, 'cause I definitely, I put a lot of pressure on the team- Mm-hmm... doing that. Mm-hmm.
26:00
Um, and they're, they're grateful now that I've, I'm like, "Okay, let's, let's approach it a different way." Um, but we also, we were also learning t- how we all worked together. Mm-hmm. Yep.
26:12
And now we've got this really great groove where everyone is an operator, everyone takes ownership for what they do, so we just have this small team of leaders, you know, just showing up- Mm-hmm...
26:25
and getting stuff done, and it's really an incredible, seeing that process and where that came from out of some of the, the messiness to start with, um, is really rewarding.
26:35
I love that you brought that up because managing your team is, is, uh, huge, and being the leader for your team and, uh, um, now I have a question that I'm gonna bring in all my interviews actually.
26:46
Uh, this is, this is great 'cause now I can add this and stuff.
26:49
So what's, what's like the biggest, uh, lesson you've learned when it comes to leadership and leading your teams and kinda like, um, how, what, what's your philosophy on leading your team?
27:01
Um, I've had two great leaders, um, I feel in my life. One when I was in my early, early 20s, about 21, 22 years old, um, and another one, uh, just, you know, five years ago.
27:14
Um, and both of them led from like the bottom up, like an inverted pyramid, and they, and the first one when I was really young would say, you know, "I'm down here."
27:24
He would do his hands in an inverted pyramid and he'd say, "I'm down here at the bottom supporting you guys," because we looked at him as the top down. Yeah. Yeah. And he's like, "It's not top down.
27:33
I'm, I'm not the boss. I'm here to support you." He's like- Yeah... "You guys are the boss." Yeah.
27:38
And that, and then giving the team, hiring the right people, and then getting out of their way, giving them the right tools, supporting them with information and, and education if that's necessary, but then getting out of the way and letting-
27:55
Mm-hmm... them, letting them be successful because we're all adults, we all wanna be successful. Yep.
27:59
So now I see the team as whenever I do conferences, if I can bring one person from the team to each conference, then they get out of the office, they get to a- also experience sales life. [laughs] Yep. Of course.
28:13
So that's nice.
28:14
And then they understand what I'm going through, they understand the more the customer's perspective 'cause they're spending time with them, they're seeing the different reasons why we're doing what we're doing.
28:25
And then we've got a teammate right now, he's our, our lead, um, on our air biology team. He's fantastic, and he's at the American Geophysical Union, uh, the lobbying events with Congress right now. Oh, wow.
28:39
The first day yesterday in Washington, DC, and he's gonna be there for a couple of weeks.
28:45
And he took it on his own to say, "Hey, I wanna go and do this," because he's been engaged with that group since we got, I got engaged with it. Yep. Yep.
28:54
Um, and he, it really has sparked this grand in- like curiosity and interest in him, so now he's in DC lobbying, you know, with, with co- talking to Congress- Mm-hmm... to, for policy change and stuff. Mm-hmm.
29:07
And it's great, and I love that. To be able to have that spark and lead in that way that someone is so fulfilled with their job, then we all work harder, and that's not the intention.
29:21
It's actually to care about the team. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. To care about their life. Whenever we get together as a team- Mm-hmm... it's always bring your plus one, so we get- Mm-hmm...
29:30
to know each other's spouses or partners or best friend. Mm-hmm. Um, and we have a blast, and we do fun things together.
29:38
We have an, you know, an able-bodied team that can go and, and, you know, run around on the lake or go curling and, and it's, you know, we do things that get people out of their comfort zones- Mm-hmm...
29:51
um, and build, uh, you know, build that team atmosphere together. And that's- Mm-hmm... it's really fun. I, I- Wow...
29:58
you know, we, we really do love each other, um, as a little family, and I don't wanna lose that as we continue to grow. You said you had a mentor, that this mentor taught you this? Yeah.
30:09
They both, um, so one, um, in a senior living consulting company, um- Yeah... his name is Paul Markowitz. He- Wow... he was amazing. Like he is, he's, he led in this unique way.
30:23
He had the, he has the best people on his team. I was one of themAnd he would, every now and then, he'd, he'd say, "You know what? You're working really hard.
30:32
Go, go out to eat, you know, or go with your, you know, boyfriend or whoever and go out to eat." Or he would get concert tickets 'cause he knows somebody wanted to see a show. Wow.
30:40
He'd be like, "Hey, I got you tickets to this show. Take off the rest of the day, have a blast." Wow. Or go- Genuinely cared, yeah... go get a, go get a manicure or go to this retreat.
30:50
And it was always like you just, you felt so appreciated and seen by the way that he led that you just, you wanted to, to show up more for him, for that person. It, it hurt more to let him down than not. Yeah.
31:07
You're like- Yeah... "Man, like this is... Like, he really cares about me. I care about what I'm doing." Yeah. "And he wants me to be able to help more people." Yep. Yeah. Wow.
31:16
Uh, that, that strikes me and reminds me of someone in my, uh, in my life, but I wanna get in, into it, but no, totally resonate with that. That's, that's great. That's great. All right- Yeah... uh, Chris.
31:27
Sorry I got two more questions, two more questions left for you. This was great. I love that, I love that, uh, part. But, um, all right, so looking ahead,
31:37
uh, I know we might have probably went in a little bit of these, but I'm just gonna say these ones. So looking ahead, what are the next, what are the big goals for the next 12 months, both in business and in life?
31:51
In business, uh, the biggest goals in the next 12 months is going to be to secure, uh, to actually release our global modeling, um, for allergy forecast.
32:03
Uh, so we have, um, someone new joining our team there, and then that will secure strategic licensing customers, partners. Mm-hmm.
32:13
And then also to develop, um, some of our data compliance to reach that more industrial market, so development there professionally. Yeah. And we'll grow our team, um, a little bit more with some high-level great people.
32:27
Mm-hmm. Um, and then personally it is to, uh, to have more of those days where on my own I get those moments of awe, uh- Mm-hmm...
32:37
that inspire me and fulfill me and bring, uh, drive my trust in the world and in myself- Mm-hmm... to, to keep, to keep s- you know, growing the company and growing my spirit together. Mm-hmm. Got it.
32:51
Those are two great goals. And then, um, last question. What's been one of the biggest challenges you have in, in navigating the business lately in terms of getting to those goals?
33:04
Um, juggling being in the role as CEO, um, you know, over- overseeing, um, some of the financial responsibilities now from that and kind of hiring processes. Mm-hmm.
33:18
Um, but then also, um, the responsibility that comes from raising capital- Mm-hmm... but then also juggling sales. Mm-hmm.
33:26
So it's like having two full-time sales jobs in different capacities, 'cause you have different language for each. Mm-hmm. And then also doing, um, high-level pressure administrative things. Mm-hmm.
33:39
Um, so all three of those things together are, are challenging. Uh, so- Wow. You're juggling a lot. It is, it is a lot.
33:47
Um, so I really am glad that I have the, the freedom around me and two little dogs that bring me joy, [laughs] um, and the freedom around me personally to be able to, um, to breathe whenever I need to breathe, to show up when I need to show up, and, and to ask for help.
34:05
Got it. Okay. Cool, cool. All right. All right, so then before we wrap up, where can people find you and what you're working on that you want people to know about?
34:18
Or, and what are you working on that you want people to know about? Um, so people can find me, um, you know, on LinkedIn or, uh, that's usually an easy one to track me down. Um, and to follow Pollen Sense.
34:31
You get a lot of updates, and you see all the cool things that our technology's supporting.
34:35
We've got, um, uh, big research projects globally that are gonna have, uh, research, um, impacts on human health outcomes- Mm-hmm... tied to, you know, our air quality- Mm-hmm...
34:46
um, and the particles that we breathe with pollen and mold. Um, and that's happening globally. We have very big research projects happening. Mm-hmm.
34:53
And then NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmosphere, um, Atmospheric Administration- Mm-hmm... is about to publish, um, on our data, so I've got a call with them tomorrow. Mm-hmm.
35:04
Uh, so if you follow Pollen Sense on LinkedIn, then you'll get a lot of these updates, and then we can engage, um, to possibly even be able to work together. Cool. Cool, cool.
35:15
All right, Chris, this has been a great conversation. You know, I loved hearing all about that, all about your, the lessons and, you know, how you're building this thing.
35:25
And so just wanna say, [laughs] appreciate- Thanks [laughs]... appreciate you being so, so open with me today and, you know, my audience.
35:33
And, you know, the way you think about what you're building is exactly the kind of story that other business owners and business, and just pe- people who in business wanna hear.
35:41
And so to everyone tuning in, thank you for being here. If this resonated with you, share it with a business owner in your life who needs to hear it or just anyone in your life who needs to hear it.
35:52
Until next time, keep pushing forward in faith, family, fitness, and business. Chris, really appreciate you. This was a great one. Thanks, Jake. Take care.
Margin Theory
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