SWISH GOSWAMI: SURFING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL WAVE
Swish Goswami is currently the CEO of an organization called Surf in Toronto, Ontario. Surf (formerly known as Trufan) is a proud Canadian company that has grown to almost fifty employees. They have been very successful in gaining support from various venture funds, NBA players, and media executives. In addition to running his own company, Swish speaks under a bureau called Speakers Spotlight. He has already given four TEDx talks and continues to speak on stages worldwide about mental health, entrepreneurship, personal branding, and networking. He has also recently released his first book entitled, The Young Entrepreneur. This informative book had been in the works for the last few years, and it encompasses everything an entrepreneur needs to know about building a business from scratch. In The Young Entrepreneur, Swish also includes chapters on the importance of mental health and well-being in the workplace. Webber Academy is thrilled for Swish and all that he has accomplished with his entrepreneurial spirit!
How did the pandemic affect your professional life?
The pandemic had an effect on my professional life in the sense that I used to love going into an office where I could manage people more effectively because I saw them everyday in person. With the pandemic and having to work from home, I have had to find ways to stay motivated and manage a fast-growing team virtually. I learned a lot about how to manage people via email and messaging, and how to be sensitive to their constantly changing lives. I also learned how to lead with empathy, which is a lot tougher to do online. The pandemic accelerated our business because our product directly helps brands understand digital audiences, and it was an opportunity for brands to learn about what key audience segments were doing online. During the pandemic, we were growing rapidly and made our second acquisition: a company called PLAYR.gg out of Kelowna, British Columbia.
What was one blessing you got from the pandemic?
Focus. I think pre-pandemic I found myself travelling a lot for work and speaking. When you’re travelling, it’s hard to sit down in front of a laptop, think about priorities week over week, and get work done. With the pandemic, along with working long hours, I learned how to work smarter.
Now that you have been away from Webber Academy for a while, what sticks out to you as something you remember well, or cherish from your time here?
First off, the wide variety of clubs and activities out of the classroom, whether it was Student Council, Model UN, Debate, Reach for the Top, Volleyball, Basketball, etc; these activities helped me shape my hobbies and understand what things I wanted to continue doing. Secondly, I really cherish the people I met at Webber. I am not as close with many people from Webber, but we all stay connected online. It’s inspiring to see the incredible things the Class of 2015 is doing, and I’m truly proud to be a part of that graduating class.
What advice do you have for current Webber Academy students?
Try as much as possible while you’re at Webber to just get involved in as many things as you can. There are so many incredible opportunities and so many amazing teachers to learn from. For example, if you feel like you’ll be terrible at art—try it! Whatever you can do to get outside of your comfort zone might end up being very beneficial. Remain curious. There is no shortage of problems in today’s world. If you are interested in starting a business, I’d look at organizations like Junior Achievement, League of Innovators, etc. These organizations have programs for high school students to begin starting a business. Remember that small local issues exist, and when you start a business, you don’t need to be addressing a global problem like world hunger. Break global issues down into local issues—look around at the problems you, your friends or your family members are facing and figure out a solution to those problems. The process of building a solution from scratch naturally gives you a lot of great skills that will stick with you forever. Last piece of advice is—there are times where I found Webber to be tough and felt overwhelmed with the course load. At the time it’s hard to appreciate, but you can learn a lot of great skills around prioritization and time management at Webber. Ask yourself when you work your best, what do you have to prioritize, and what spaces do you work best in. Trust me, these are answers I wish I had before going to college or starting a full-time job.
Where do you hope to be in 10 years?
It’s hard to pinpoint, but there are definitely a few things that come to mind. I hope to still be an entrepreneur. I still have a lot of ideas I wish to explore, and the world is certainly not running out of problems any time soon. I also hope to continue speaking, along with potentially writing another book, posting content on social media about my interests—basketball, Formula One—and continuing to support other entrepreneurs as an investor or advisor. In the long run, I see myself tapping into the entertainment industry. I’ve always wanted to explore music production, dance, or even film direction and production.
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“Kammy” by Fred Again (you might have to look that one up)
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Surf just launched in London, England. I’m excited to get out there to promote it, and film Season 1 of my Formula One podcast!
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“Don’t eat the marshmallow.” This was a quote from my brother that basically means stay focused and disciplined. There are a lot of distractions that will pop up in life, and it’s important to not let them get to you and push you off your desired path. Even now, there are times when I could go out with my friends, but I know I probably shouldn’t, and recognizing and acting on those moments for the sake of your focus and discipline is very important if you’re trying to do big things.
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I am not reading that much right now. After I finished writing my book, I candidly didn’t want to look at words on a page for a while!
In terms of listening, I’ve been listening to a really interesting podcast called All In. It’s hosted by entrepreneurs that I look up to: Chamath Palihapitiya and Jason Calacanis.
Side note: I just finished binge-watching Downton Abbey. I need more content like it. Please help.
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Blessed, grateful, exciting, stressful, adventurous
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Honestly, so much. My health, my family and friends, the broader support network I have, the incredible team we have at Surf that enables me to do what I do everyday.