Founder Spotlight: Evan Shy (hiitide)

Company name: hiitide

Company blurb: Virtual learning platform that helps authors and readers form more meaningful connections.

Company website: https://hiitide.com/

Company headquarters: Chicago, IL

CEO’s hometown: Chicago, IL

CEO fun fact: I’m a voracious reader. I’m usually reading or listening to three books at a time, each for specific times of the day.

Why did you decide to start a company? I’ve been a lifelong entrepreneur but it actually started when I was a Ph.D. candidate. I wrote a book to make the jump from academic publishing to the general population, I learned a lot of lessons in that process and didn’t sell many books. I ended up launching a mobile application to turn the pages of my book into daily programming for people that were actionable and accessible. The value for would-be readers and myself as an author and business owner was transformational.

What is one thing that you want people to know about your company? The incredible humans that work for hiitide wake up every morning completely committed to changing the world by turning knowledge into action for good.

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? I wanted to be a professional athlete like my Father and uncles. But a string of injuries ended that journey early and my journey as an entrepreneur started soon after. Entrepreneurship fulfills me and humbles me on a daily basis. Helping a group of people collaborate to self-actualize their own potential in pursuit of a shared mission is one of the most challenging and rewarding responsibilities I could imagine. In one way or another, that will describe the rest of my life, whether I’m writing, researching, or leading a company — anything I do will be about trying to help others and myself make the world better, together.

What is one piece of advice you’d like to pass on to new founders? Focus on the 1% improvements you can make today. Core to hiitide’s operating principles is the ability to prioritize and execute against a million priorities fighting for the same budget of time; it can be overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be paralyzing. We focus on the 1% improvements you can make today that add up to meaningful shifts over time. A 1% improvement daily is exponential growth.