Adam Ginsburg is the founder of Buzzy Company, a no-code platform that allows creators to quickly spin up working products directly from their Figma designs.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I’m a husband, father, surfer, geek, and founder of Buzzy Company. I started out with computing science and was drawn to using tech to solve new issues. After uni I landed a few contract gigs, worked like a madman. and along the way, with a couple of co-founders started a web design agency that pivoted into web content management software vendor that IBM acquired, that was fun/mad and pre-kids.
Being Sydney-based, we opened offices in the UK, US & Mexico city. Being the youngest of the founders I travelled a lot, suit bag (full of t-shirts) and surfboard bag. I was in the US, Boston, at the time IBM acquired us. stayed for a year and then headed back to Oz to have our first kid. After working at IBM as a product manager for about 10 years I had the burning desire to go at it again. and started Buzzy.
Loving being back in the thick of it. and still coding. At Buzzy, we’ve created a ground breaking tool that’s going to allow folk to create better apps and sites faster & cheaper. We’re practising what we preach, iterating quickly, getting feedback from users and taking that to market.
If it works for us, it should work for you. For me, I am not only coding, but I am building solutions with our tech, speaking to users/customers, getting feedback and putting that back into the hopper. It’s continuous learning and balancing with other factors like commercials and life.
2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
I wake up early, check the surf. I’m lucky enough to live walking distance to the surf. If it’s good get a surf in, if not, either a beach run or go to Palmy and do a session with the Sandhill Warrior.
Then into the office. Being a founder, my role varies. On some days it’s development geek stuff (yep I still code), or it could be switching gears into a sales/marketing or management role.
We have a daily standup with the team. Just a quick 15 min meeting to cover what we’ve done, will doing and any issues we need help with.
Depending on the day, I may head home to have dinner with family and depending on what’s on my plate, I may work after dinner.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
For sure, our team is spread across the country and we are working with global teams, so being in the same room is not a requirement.
The timezones can play havoc with the balance, especially when trying to work from Oz with the Americas and European customers. makes it hard to get all three of us on the same call.
So, I need to be flexible to keep the continuity going. Also the buck stops with me, so working a late night or weekend is not uncommon.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
I think if you look back at the last 24 hours, week, month and ask yourself, “on the whole, did I enjoy it?” I think that’s the key.
For me, I am lucky enough that on the whole, I love my work and enjoy it. I think that makes balancing work/life more blurry. So working late or longer does not always feel like work, it’s fun.
Trying to balance this always connected world we live in is hard – so you have to draw some boundaries, especially when you have a family and it’s not just you.
Surfing/exercising each morning is the key. It balances my day. People asked me if I would get a watch with a phone on so I can speak to people when I am in the surf. Never – I need the break!
Other simple rules like you can’t work early mornings and later nights and the days as well. I tried it when I was first doing a global role at IBM from Sydney. 3 weeks max and you burn out. you need to choose one: early or late – that’s it!
5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
Yep, I got more religious about my exercise – I try to do something every day. Sure I may miss one here and there. but it’s been something I have kept up for about 12 months now, as they say you have to “sharpen the axe”.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
When I run/walk I usually listen to a few like Tech Meme Ride Home, ABC Conversations, Blinkist. I get a ton of newsletters each day. ranging from Crunchbase to a few of the local ones like The Sizzle.
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
Phew, I guess my tech and my surfboards and never the twain shall meet.
8) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
You’re going to be doing a lot of it. so find a job you enjoy, with people you enjoy working with . and that gives you flexibility to do the “other” stuff that you enjoy so you can look back and go. That was fun.
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