As CEO and co-founder of Noyo, I get to work with an incredibly talented team who are dedicated to fulfilling one of the benefits industry’s biggest needs: trusted, usable benefits data. When that data is available, it dramatically improves how people experience their benefits.

It’s gratifying to know that we’ve already accomplished things that just a few years ago, smart people from our industry told me were impossible. We’ve barely scratched the surface of all Noyo can do and that’s a really exciting place to be — particularly when I reflect on the career path that led me here.

For you fellow entrepreneurs who have an idea germinating for your first business, here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned on my journey from product manager to CEO.

1. If The Product You Need Doesn’t Exist, Build It

The spark of the idea that eventually became Noyo happened while I was a product manager at Zenefits, the HR tech startup. I had joined right after the product caught fire in the market and the company was entering a period of hypergrowth. During that time, I got to work closely with the company’s incredible founding team, which provided many opportunities to observe what it takes to bring new products to life while building a company at the same time.

By the end of my tenure there, I was eager to go even earlier stage and help a startup find its footing. But as I shortlisted product ideas I’d enjoy working on – which included drones and farmtech, among other things – I kept wondering what it might be like to start something myself. I cycled through many different ideas, but couldn’t ignore a persistent need I saw in the benefits space — the industry’s lack of trusted, structured data. I had the domain expertise, the relationships, and the founding team to pursue it, and ultimately, the timing was right. So we took the plunge.

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