10 Things You Didn’t Know about Brian Leonard
You might already know that Brian Leonard is the CEO of Grouparoo and the technical advisor and Chief Architect at TaskRabbit. However, that might be where your knowledge of this individual ends. Truth be told, it’s hard to get to this level in one’s professional life without having some specific qualities that help along the way. If you’re interested in knowing what some of his qualities are, you can read 10 things about him below that might interest you.
1. Even as a child, he fancied the idea of being an entrepreneur
Some people are just made to go out in the world and do things differently and it would seem that Brian Leonard is one such individual. Even when he was a child, he couldn’t stand the thought of having a routine desk job. Instead, he wanted to strike out on his own and become an entrepreneur. For him, it was all about the challenge of doing something that other people weren’t doing and enjoying the freedom that came with deciding how he was going to spend his time.
2. He started his own business while he was still in junior high school
It’s hard to get most people to study when they are 12 or 13 years old, much less think about having a career. When he was that age, he decided to strike out and start his own business. He was completely undeterred by how young he was. As such, he started mowing lawns and babysitting for people around the neighborhood, gradually turning it into a truly lucrative business, not something he just did for pocket money.
3. He was also designing apps at a young age
As soon as the App Store became a thing, he started designing apps despite the fact that he was still exceptionally young. Most people never understand how to design and market their own app, yet he was doing it at an age when a number of individuals are still trying to figure out what it is they want to do with their lives. It serves as proof of his dedication, ingenuity and determination to do something different.
4. He loves the gig economy
Some people aren’t exactly crazy about the gig economy, but he absolutely loves it. He struggles to understand how any true entrepreneur can’t love it, because it gives every person who has that entrepreneurial spirit a decent shot of finding something that works for them. Thanks to the gig economy, people are no longer forced to figure everything out for themselves. They can start doing various gigs, make some money and then figure out how to turn something into a money-making endeavor that they’re in complete control of along the way.
5. He used to work at IBM
One of his first jobs involved working at IBM. This is where he honed his computer coding skills and the like. It’s also where he felt a certain amount of freedom to strike out and do things his way, despite the fact that he was a new hire with little experience. He wanted to be an entrepreneur and wasn’t terribly excited about the idea of having a 9-to-5 job, but he did love the freedom he was given there and he ran with it.
6. He owns a lot of T-shirts
He says that he has absolutely no need to buy a T-shirt, probably for the rest of his life. Why? He literally has more than 100 of them in his closet, all of them from start-ups he’s been associated with in one way or another. That doesn’t mean he’s been directly responsible for every one of those start-ups, but maybe someone he knows has. At any rate, he’s not lacking for T-shirts and he won’t be any time soon.
7. He feels a deep need to help people
He doesn’t care in the least if it sounds cliche, he feels that one of the most important things any person can do is help someone else. As such, he has always gone the extra mile to make sure that he does his part. For him, it’s all about the way he was brought up and his desire to prevent others from suffering needlessly if at all possible.
8. He thinks it’s okay to cut yourself a break now and then
He also believes that it’s impossible to be on the mark, all the time. He believes in allowing yourself downtime and even cutting yourself some slack from time to time, as it isn’t realistic to expect someone to perform at their highest level 24/7. Thankfully, he realizes that human beings are just that- human. They have good days and bad days. Putting pressure on them to be “perfect” doesn’t do anything but cause problems.
9. He definitely has a knack for computer coding
As a matter of fact, it was his ability to code that allowed him to accomplish what he has at TaskRabbit. For him, it’s almost like second nature. It’s something he’s been doing since his early days at IBM and it is clearly something that he has a gift for.
10. He understands better than most that life gets hard for everyone sometimes
He has always wondered why some bosses put unreasonable demands on their employees. Part of being human is going through the ups and downs that life brings. Everyone has those moments where they feel like they are on top of the world. By the same token, everyone also has those moments where it’s hard just to get out of bed. As far as he’s concerned, CEOs and people in other positions of authority would do well for themselves to understand that the best way to keep loyal employees is to be supportive and understand that there are times when everyone struggles with something.