Greg Silver is the GM of Performance at Finder, an award-winning fintech company, helping people around the world make better financial decisions and improve their lives.

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

I have just hit 10 years at Finder in September, which has gone by so fast. As GM of Performance I head up the Client Services team, we are primarily responsible for driving outcomes in terms of measurable success for our partners. We also play a role in the strategy, direction and ambition of Finder in Australia.

In a past life I have: knocked on doors, washed cars and even attempted to sell superyachts in Europe during the GFC. Then I met Finder’s founders, Fred Schebesta and Frank Restuccia. They were still in their previous business. I worked there for free initially to learn as much as I possibly could about online marketing.

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

Our six-month-old small human alarm clock usually goes off around 5am, we chill out together for a while before venturing off for a coffee, walk, or a drive. We try to fit in the Byron Lighthouse or a beach walk with the not so little guy strapped on, as often as we can. 

Two coffees in and feeling relieved no one can smell me through the phone or computer,  I crack on with emails, Zoom and phone calls. I don’t have an exact routine, but I ask myself what the highest impact thing is for our partners, my team, and the business and then take action from most important and impactful. Sometimes you will see a scribbled to-do list, but it’s mostly in my head.

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

Completely. We lived in Byron from around March to September 2020 and came back up in June this year. In between, I worked from our Sydney office as much as I could.

Working remotely is certainly not the same, but we have made it work as best as I believe it can. I’m super excited about what next year is going to bring in terms of a shift in dynamic when our Finder crew is back together.

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

For the most part, I am in “go mode.” If I were driving a car, the pedal would be fairly flat to the floor. There’s always so much to do and so many opportunities to secure. Working with Finder for me is not like a job, it is an exciting challenge and it’s motivating to know how much value there is to offer and also the amount of growth that still can be realised. 

That said, a client gave me some great advice to take some time off with the birth of our little one. That was an epic experience to focus on my new family, and I truly disconnected for the first time since I could remember.

I try my best to spend some time off my phone (shouldn’t be so hard, should it?) and I love a good restaurant, drive, cruise on the harbour, chill at the beach, travel somewhere beautiful. 

Another way I find balance is the places I spend my time. These are often “surfie” places like Byron, Bali and Bondi, which is funny because I don’t know how to surf. The vibe of the sun, ocean, great food and smiles helps me stay balanced. 

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

In the past 12 months we have gone a bit nuts with renovations (we have renovated two places), which frankly is a hassle and even more hectic in the midst of a new baby and working from home.

But I see them as investments to change our space and life quite nicely when complete. Hand in hand with this, I’ve also started experimenting with taking bigger risks in other ways, like investing. And I’ve focused on gratitude. Ensuring you are grateful is a super key habit I believe. 

I thought about giving up whisky, but I gave up on that idea instead.

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

I am reading Chapter One (The Thankyou story), by Daniel Flynn right now, which is great. I actually found out as a coincidence that one of our Editors at Finder played a part editing it! I’m also excited to get stuck into Fred’s [Schebesta] book, Go Live! 10 Principles to Launch a Global Empire, when I am done with Chapter One. 

Fred is my best friend and I’ve learnt so much from him. This is Fred’s first published book and it hit number 1 on the Amazon Best Seller list in its first week! It shares Fred’s stories and learnings from building incredible businesses and how anyone can take on these principles to reach their success.

We recently ran an initiative in my team to buy a different book for each crew member. The titles were self-selected or crew-to-crew recommendations. Some epic titles on there (many I have not read yet) from The Courage to be Disliked, to Start with Why, to Think Like a Rocket Scientist.

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

I love a well made wristwatch. I am on Whatsapp & Slack lots, I am obsessed with tracking outcomes of our partnerships on our internal dashboards and I am often tracking the share, crypto and real estate markets quite closely. 

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

I’m not really “that” into sports, but Michael Jordan. The guy emanates success at an atomic level and it would be cool to hear his view on balancing it out.

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

I would see it as a real shame if you are not mixing business with pleasure. I feel life is too short to do something you aren’t passionate about. If you are not happy and/or inspired where you are or doing what you are doing and you can change it, change it.

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