Winning Words: Vitasave.ca co-founder and COO Adam Assadkhan

BCBusiness will announce the 2017 30 Under 30 winners on April 13. In the meantime, here’s what a 2016 winner had to say last year

To help us choose last year’s 30 Under 30, we sent each candidate a series of questions to see what made them tick. Here’s how Adam Assadkhan, who co-founded Vitasave.ca in 2009, responded.

What motivational quote gets you going?
“‘Without action, the best intentions in the world are nothing more than that: intentions.’ — Jordan Belfort. And ‘Be unreasonable’ —My dad.”

Beyond family and friends, who inspires you to succeed?
“Anyone who is great in their field inspires me. The inspiration comes from what such hard work can bring; we watch greats like LeBron James, Tom Brady, Steph Curry and Leonardo DiCaprio perform their craft in front of us with such ease. What we don’t see is the hours of work put in to turn greatness into a habit. The grace of being great is worth the discipline, and that’s what is so inspiring.” 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“The best advice I’ve received was a quote by the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on his decision to start Amazon. He refers to it as ‘regret minimization framework.’ He says to look back on your life from your 80-year-old perspective and think to yourself if you would regret doing or not doing something. This eliminates all the in-the-moment fear of the decision and allows you to make a intellectual decision. Any time I find myself trying to make a tough decision, I use this technique.”

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?
“The worst advice given to me was to not work so hard and have balance. While this may be true for other people, I believe our perception on life creates our life. If I’m able to perceive 16-hour workdays as enjoyment, then I will enjoy it. If someone convinces my mind that working hard is a negative feeling, then I’ll begin to believe that.”

What’s your biggest fear?
“My biggest fear is failing in business and letting my dad down.”

What’s your biggest regret?
“My biggest regret is not doing more. I wish I did more things like learn a musical instrument or another language. More specifically, I regret not being more involved in competitive sports when I was younger.” 

What’s your favourite TV show right now?
“My favourite TV show has been Shark Tank for years. I love watching and learning about other businesses. I also enjoy pretending I’m one of the sharks.”

Favourite magazine?
“BCBusiness of course! I love reading about local success stories.”

What song is on repeat on your device right now?
“Right now nothing while I wait for some new music to come out. Most recently would be Justin Bieber—sorry.”

 A little-known fact about me is…
“I used to be a competitive gamer. From age 15-17 I played Halo competitively, travelling to tournaments in New York and Charlotte. I became obsessed with the competitiveness of the game. I loved the fact that it was against real people with the same capabilities and being able to outsmart opponents. It was one of my favourite experiences. I learned concepts that I now use in business.”

Meet the 2017 winners at the 30 Under 30 celebration.