Sam Hörbye is the co-founder of Olsam, a company building a European consumer goods company that acquires and scales category leading Amazon FBA brands.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I am currently the co-founder at Olsam Group, we are a UK based venture backed acquirer and operator of ecommerce brands. Our team of 40 sits across investments, supply chain, PPC, marketing and other functions.
Prior to founding Olsam, I worked for Fever-Tree PLC and helped launch their retail business in the tri-state area.
Before this I spent 4 years at Amazon in their marketplace team as a program manager supporting the growth of the UK and EU’s largest ecommerce companies selling via the marketplace.
2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
My day is a mixture of operational and strategic. I deep-dive into business reporting, brand strategy, sometimes I find myself on a creative shoot creating awesome videos and images for our brands during their overhaul. I then have strategy sessions with my Co-Founder thinking about the 1,3,5, 10 year time horizon.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Yes – 3 days in office, 2 days at home. We encourage employees to balance work and social, as well as to consider their mental health.

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
I don’t think work necessarily needs to be a strict trade-off. Work-life balance implies that you can do 1 and then not the other. The reality is as a founder you need to always have one eye on the business – this is natural and part of the journey.
5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
Reading at night – I love reading before I go to bed, helps me relax and switch off. Running – I find it takes my mind off work
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
Loads – I love the Pod Save The World podcast, I am a current affairs geek. I also love Stanford GSB’s ‘A View From The Top’, they have awesome speakers and hosts on the show.
7) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz.
8) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
As a founder, be selfish with your time. You are sometimes working long hours and in demanding environments. The key is being able to separate that with social and personal life.
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