How often do we come across a 12-year-old who is not only interested in business but also determined to be an entrepreneur? Andrew Mayfield, the Founder, and CEO of Optimal Workshop was a mere 12-year-old when he knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur and chose “Small Business Accounting” as an elective subject in school. He was born and brought up in a family that inspired him to become an entrepreneur from a young age.

“I would help both in various ways…”

Andrew’s mother taught classes of sewing and painting from home, whilst his father was renting computers to folks who needed them for project work. Andrew helped them both in various ways, such as sanding things ready for painting or putting together computers ready for rental. “I ran a computer games shop from my locker at school,” said Andrew. It is apparent that business was instilled in his mind as he always thought to himself, “well, if I’m going to have a big business someday it’ll probably start as a small one first.” Starting from a school locker, today he is one of the most influential CEOs.

The beginning of the journey

As a user, we might come across various platforms that offer complex services and are difficult to use. Andrew pursued a career in the field of user experience as he always believed that products and services are designed to make life simpler, better, and more enjoyable for everyone. Thus, Andrew along with his friend, co-founded a company to create websites in 2002. Soon both were pivoted to specialize in online ordering websites, point-of-sale systems, and kitchen and franchise management software for fast food businesses. The business was a successful endeavor and in 2009 was sold out to a client.

Almost immediately, Andrew joined the tiny team of Optimal Workshop as interim CTO for 3 months, overseeing the development of a billing system. However, the then-founder decided to leave and pursue other ideas and thus Andrew became the CEO of the company. He initiated his journey intending to be with the team for 3 months but now has been at Optimal Workshop for a decade. Today, Optimal Workshop has about 60 team members and a new office in Wellington.

Andrew added, “We’ve come a long way from the windowless room and 4 people we began this journey with!”

Measuring and Improving User Experience

The journey of the company was initiated by two founders with an aim to create a quick and easy way of running a remote card sort. This led to the establishment of an online card sorting tool called OptimalSort in 2004. However, Andrew and the founders later discovered the benefits of remote user testing. Consequently, the company was set on a path to develop an entire suite of powerful UX tools. Eventually, the company was rebranded as Optimal Workshop in 2007.

Optimal Workshop offers tools for measuring and improving user experience (UX). These tools are leveraged by the clients such as user experience designers, information architects, and usability researchers. Moreover, the services provided by the company are widespread in over 106 countries and available in 70 different languages. Apart from the powerful quantitative tools, the company recently added the first qualitative research tool—Reframer, to its portfolio. Reframer captures research notes and observation in one place and assists the clients to make sense of their findings quickly with easy-to-use analysis tools. Its clientele base includes personnel from some of the biggest organizations around the world.

Optimal Workshop’s Distinguishing Factors

Despite the challenges, Andrew has time and again kept the company growth persistent, making everyone question what has made Optimal Workshop flourish over all these years. Over the years, companies tend to forget that the biggest reason behind their success is the client base. On the contrary, Andrew and his team have continuously worked to develop themselves as ‘servant leaders’. The team always listens carefully and develops genuine empathy for the needs of others in the team and for its customers too. In addition to this, the other qualities that have managed to distinguish Optimal Workshop are,

• Having a strong sense of self-awareness
• Relying on influence rather than positional authority when making decisions
• Thinking strategically by balancing conceptual and operational perspectives
• Always remaining open to new ideas
• Hungry to learn
• Keen to communicate the ‘Why’

Tackling the Uncertainties

“As the CEO at Optimal Workshop, I’ve worked hard to implement a calm and interwoven structure of self-managed, cross-functional, and semi-autonomous delivery teams across the areas of operations, product, and revenue. My job is to work on the organization as a considered system, looking for opportunities and constraints, and working to optimize for both.”

The calm and structure both were indeed disturbed with the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19. These times call for motivation and being a responsible leader, Andrew has always instilled the quality of ‘placing people at the heart of decisions’ in his team. This quality works both ways—for internal working environment decisions and product decisions.

Given the time of COVID-19, there are several uncertainties surrounding businesses out there. As a business leader, keeping people at the center of decisions is vital advice. Andrew believes that the pandemic has given us the time to think about the people we serve. To reason about their context that has changed, and what remained unaffected. Also, contemplate what we can adore in the new normal, and how can one influence to make better changes in the world.

Optimistic About the Future

The measures taken for COVID-19 included social distancing which forced the companies to shift from normal working to remote working. Andrew and his team were swift in adapting to the new environment. The Optimal Workshop team adapted the asynchronous communication technique to ensure excellent communication. Due to the new working routine, the clients of Optimal Workshop also shifted from their traditional white-boards, post-it notes, and presentations to using Optimal Workshop’s tools for remote UX research. Moreover, these research tools also helped the clients to understand their consumer behavior patterns. This has increased the popularity of the company’s products and services.

Andrew did highlight that the pandemic created a sense of urgency for remote working. On the contrary, he believes in working in normal conditions where the team is more involved with each other and building a strong connection. “It is a privilege to spend time together again, here in NZ, and we are more conscious of doing so when it is the best choice, rather than as the default,” said Andrew.

Despite the crisis, Optimal Workshop has managed to maintain its steady growth and the team is optimistic about the future. The company aims to keep assisting other organizations by creating better products and experiences for them.

Read Full Magazine: The 10 Most Influential CEOs of 2020