Cayley Ostrin is the Co-Founder & CPO at the urge, a fashion search engine that let’s you shop the world’s leading brands, stores and online retailers in one place.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I started my working life 10 years ago in pharmaceuticals as a brand manager for Australia’s number one selling eye drop, Murine Eye Drops. After 5 years there I transitioned across to work with my boyfriend (now husband) on an app for texting business, essentially a WhatsApp for business.
During that time I was also a marketing consultant for Westfield USA, working alongside their customer experience team in New York, launching a last-mile delivery pilot program.
Fast forward to today, my husband, Doron, and I cofounded the urge, a fashion search engine that let’s you shop the world’s leading brands, stores and online retailers in one place.
2) What does a typical day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
My routine involves waking up at 6am for Pilates or yoga, proceeded by my favourite part of the day, catching the ferry to our office in Sydney CBD.
I like to get my emails done and out the way by around 10am so that I can then spend the rest of the day focussed on design or marketing initiatives in peace.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Oh yes! We encourage freedom and flexibility in the work that we do.
In fact one of our core values is “Brain hours are move valuable than body hours – Answers don’t always come to us when we are sitting at our desks. Remember to take that breather; rest the mind and let it wander.”
I like to take advantage of this freedom and tend to work from home when there is a deadline, or I really need to concentrate on something.
4) Do you have any tips, tricks or shortcuts to help you manage your workload and schedule?
We recently started using Asana for task tracking and to keep the team on the same page. This has worked wonders and I do not know how we have made it that far without it. Slack is great for communication, but often important tasks or messages get lost in the chaos.
5) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
Being the cofounder of a start-up in the consumer space, that term sounds great but in reality it does not exist (right now). I am either at work or at home or out, but always thinking about the next thing I need to get done on my to do list.
6) What do you think are some of the best habits you’ve developed over the years to help you strive for success and balance?
- Waking up at the same time every morning keeps me fresh and focussed.
- My best ideas often come whilst on a walk and therefore I aim to walk at least 2-3 times per week and use this time to keep on top of everything that is going on at work and in the world around us.
7) Are there any books that have helped you improve over the years?
These are a must read!
- Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger
- Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
- Building A Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donal Miller
8) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?
Get a good nights sleep – 8 hours!
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Sometimes the term can be overrated, work-life balance is a great selling point for large corporates to attract talent, but if you are doing something you love, then work and life can often blend into one and you enjoy them both just as much.
If you’d like to have a conversation with us about how you balance the grind, get in touch with us!
