Smallpdf CEO Dennis Just's leadership lesson: 'Do not make any rash decisions and accept help'

26.10.2020 08:35, Isabelle Mitchell

Dennis Just is the CEO of Smallpdf, an easy-to-use platform to convert and edit PDF files and one of the 500 most visited internet sites on the internet. As a serial entrepreneur (his founder resume includes Knip and Numbrs) he knows the ins and outs of the startup world and is the perfect candidate for our new series about Switzerland’s most inspiring entrepreneurs and founders.

Switzerland boasts countless world-class startups, and our new series puts the spotlight on some of the best and most inspiring entrepreneurs and founders to find out what motivates them, what they have learned, and what they do when they are not transforming the world with their innovations. To get this behind-the-scenes perspective, we ask each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose ten questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life. Dennis Just—the CEO of Smallpdf, which was the winner of the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award Public Voting 2018— kicks off the interview series. 


Manuel Stofer, Co-Founder Smallpdf, winner of the TOP 100 Public Voting at TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award 2018

Name: Dennis Just
Location: Zurich (work) and Berlin (family)
Born: 1988 in Berlin
Graduated from: Technische Universität Berlin, BSc Engineering and Economics
Job title: CEO of Smallpdf
Number of employees: 50 
Money raised: I personally raised approx. CHF 35 million across all past companies, but Smallpdf is bootstrapped
First touchpoint with Venturelab: 2013, participated in Venture Leaders program with former company Knip

“At Smallpdf, we enable people and organizations to go paperless.”

What is your morning routine?
On workdays, I get up at 5:30 a.m. and check my Slack messages, emails, and so on, so I am up to speed. Then, I exercise for a good hour, meaning I usually arrive at the office between 8 and 9 a.m.

What TV show(s) are you currently watching and why?
I do not own a TV, but I sometimes stream shows on Netflix, Disney, or Amazon Prime. I like to watch shows to relax, so most of what I watch is not all that deep. At the moment, I am on season 7 of The Blacklist, a crime thriller series about a high-profile criminal turned FBI informant.

What podcast are you currently listening to?
I am currently listening to the German podcasts FinanceFWD, OMR Podcast, and Kassenzone. As a CEO, it is crucial that I know what is going on in the market, and these shows help me to stay up to date with fintech, digital marketing, and e-commerce trends, respectively.

How much time do you spend on social media and on what platforms?
I do not spend all that much time on social media, and I do not have any favorite accounts that I follow, either. However, I am fairly active on LinkedIn as the platform is ideal for connecting with other professionals. The only other platform I use on a regular basis is WhatsApp but only for staying in touch with friends and family.

What are you most proud of?
I am proud that my hectic schedule does not stop me from maintaining a healthy work-life balance. My wife, my daughter, and I are a very happy little family, and we spend a lot of time together as well as with the grandparents and other relatives.

What is your favorite productivity hack and why?
As a CEO, my favorite—and perhaps somewhat obvious—productivity hack is to delegate tasks effectively. It is especially important not to overload employees with too many low-priority tasks. I also recommend using Miro, a tool that lets you collaboratively structure thoughts and even strategies.

Where and when are you most productive?
Generally, I am most productive early in the morning, when the office is usually completely empty, except for me. I have also gone on a couple of alpine coworking retreats, which were very helpful in my experience. I can recommend them to anyone looking to get in some solid hours of highly focused work.

What are your three favorite apps and why?
My top three are Slack, Smallpdf (okay, maybe I am the teensiest bit biased!), and Kraken. I like Slack and Smallpdf because they help me to boost my productivity without getting bogged down with emails, paper documents, and so on. And I like Kraken because of the high-risk, digital trading fun!

What are the most challenging and the most rewarding aspects of being a founder?
It is challenging to have to adapt to ever-changing situations. Additionally, you are responsible for making difficult decisions look easy, for example, communicating failures to stakeholders or letting employees go when they are not performing as you had hoped. On the flip side, it is highly rewarding to have the freedom to choose what you think is best for your business and to see the impact your decisions are having.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
The most important lesson I have learned as a founder is that business is business. It is a big and wonderful part of your life—but it is certainly not everything. I would also like to add two things I learned the hard way: Firstly, do not make any rash decisions, for example, selling your business too early or settling for the first VC who comes along. Secondly, accept help. You cannot be an expert at everything, and you should definitely get a coach or mentor. Also, it is best to hire professionals rather than to try and fix everything on your own.

Last but not least, could you show us your workspace?