Jordan Zarate was born and raised in Rancho Cucamonga, CA before moving his life up into the majestic San Bernardino Mountains with his wife, a Springer Spaniel named Lincoln, and two fiercely independent cats. Digital Mountaineer’s Founder & CEO Jordan opens up in this Q&A.
What’s your key to getting started in the morning?
– Our Digital Mountaineers mascot, Lincoln, waking me up early and having me take him outside so he can run to his heart’s content.
– A cup of tea, usually Earl Grey or Jasmine Green Tea.
What is your favorite thing on your desk?
– My desk itself, a 1950s drafting table.
– My trusty Remington Rand typewriter that I use to keep track of my daily tasks.
What’s the best thing about working remotely?
Although there are distractions abound, I actually find working remotely to be more productive. Office politics, sitting in meetings that have extended beyond their life, commuting, and other time-consuming tasks not relevant to work just don’t enter the equation.
What’s the toughest part of running your own business?
Sometimes you have to do things yourself and sometimes, those things are not in your skillset. It can be quite difficult to take something on without having the skillset to handle it but, it is part of the job. The best thing to do is spend a lot of time learning that skillset until you can bring onboard a team member that can do it better than you ever could.
What’s the most important part of company culture?
While there is no one thing that can make a company culture, I’d say empathy is certainly a big part of the equation. Every team member has a different specialization & role, and as such, a different personality. This means every team member may handle a situation differently and when one decision is needed, this is where empathy is key. Being able to empathize and truly understand why one team member is advocating for a certain direction can help build a consensus faster and more assuredly.
Do you ever ditch the desk?
Absolutely. Some days it’s working from a coffee shop, at a WeWork, or at a client-site and some days it’s working from a different part of the house (the couch or a desk I have downstairs). Some days I even visit tech/entrepreneur friends and work alongside them.
Any hidden talents?
Funny enough, I can walk on stilts.
Coffee or Tea:
Tea. I don’t like coffee.
Beach or Mountains:
Mountains.
Apple or Android:
Both are needed in our industry. That being said, I do have an Android for my main phone.
Early Bird or Night Owl:
Early Bird. I’m an old man.
