Founder and CEO Dan Green of Homebuyer shares his advice for flexing your workforce, maximizing productivity, and more.
Supporting Homeownership Dreams
Dan Green says, “Owning a home builds generational wealth and creates better household outcomes.” He wanted to help first-time homebuyers achieve their dream of owning a home. Dan also wanted to help build stronger local communities around the country. Inspired by these goals, he founded Homebuyer in 2019.
Growing with Personalized Services
Homebuyer is a nationwide mortgage lender for first-time homebuyers. To help aspiring homeowners, Homebuyer uses intelligent personalization and an expert team to give consumers the advice and confidence they need to move closer to their homeownership dream. Homebuyer’s patent-pending personalization technology helps homebuyers learn about mortgages and make better financial choices.
When asked what he wishes he knew before starting Homebuyer, Dan said, “I wish I would have known how valuable and important the right mentors can be for a business.”
Flexing with a Liquid Workforce
In launching and growing Homebuyer, Dan has relied on the liquid workforce to support his company. Dan shared, “Homebuyer is a new company. Different parts of the business require different amounts of attention in different time frames. This month, we are coding new features into the user experience. Next month, we’ll test and observe those features. Because our workforce is liquid, we can staff up and down as needed and keep our runway long.”
Dan had one hesitation before engaging the liquid workforce. He noted, “Part-time employees only think about your business part-time, limiting new product ideas and those eureka! moments.” Dan shared the following advice for companies thinking about hiring liquid workers. “A liquid workforce is only as good as the direction you provide. Clarity yields efficiency; efficiency yields savings.” He added, “Communication matters. Keep your liquid workforce engaged — even when they’re off-project — because the best part-time employees care and you and your business.”
Dan also shared his favorite anecdote from working with a contractor. “Early in the company’s history, a contracted employee sat me down and explained his vision for Homebuyer — complete with a roadmap. It was an incredible moment to hear another person feel so deeply about the problems we’re solving for first-time home buyers. It’s also a reminder to check in with your vendors and contractors regularly — the best ideas don’t always come from company meetings.” “A liquid workforce is only as good as the direction you provide. Clarity yields efficiency; efficiency yields savings.”Dan Green, Founder, and CEO of Homebuyer
Advice for Business Leaders
For business advice, Dan notes that he avoids blogs and instead talks to mentors and other founders, particularly within the Techstars community. He said, “Mentors and other founders understand my specific business, its short- and long-term challenges, and the context of the questions I ask. They also draw out the question ‘beneath’ the question, which is usually where we find a path forward. Blogs are terrific, but they’re rarely contextual, and, usually, the author is selling you something.”
As the CEO of a startup, there’s no such thing as a typical day for Dan, so he sets a few key personal and professional goals daily. He said, “When I can help other people reach their goals, I feel like I’ve reached mine. That’s how I think about success.”
Dan also shared his tips for productivity. He said, “Study your body’s rhythms to learn when you’re most efficient. Then, lean into your rhythms. Set aside that time for activities that benefit from flow, such as writing or modelling, and eliminate distractions.” Dan added, “Stop it with the TV binge-watching. Shows like Game of Thrones and Brooklyn Nine-Nine take 7 workdays each to watch from start to finish. Ask yourself – how much more could I accomplish with one extra month per year?”
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