We chat to the founder and ceo of myTab Inc.
The challenge for the industry is… Consumers frustratingly search average 7 websites over 9 hours trying to find a deal. When they booked it, they (and the industry) have no idea if they got the best bang for their buck. The industry is solely focused on price wars yet have failed to address the absymal, time & cost inefficiency for the consumer experience.
With myTab, consumers save & fundraise money for travels, spending 15 minutes from search-to-book as they’re cash rich, so price isn’t an ordeal.
The things I like about my job… I clearly see future of travel and ecommerce with our Match myCash feature (brokering supplier deals based on consumer volume & funds). Every day, we’re getting closer to this powerful feature being introduced. That, alongside seeing ecstatic customers funding wish list trips, is what I love about my job and company.
And the frustrations are … I see more travel start ups creating the same ‘price war’ deals websites and have failed in developing something new for the industry.
I find this really frustrating as it kills the definition of innovation yet just creates yet more sites & apps for consumers to be scouring through. It’s not a good representation of the industry evolving and shows a ‘same ole’ stagnant, lazy attitude.
If I didn’t work in travel I would be… An air hostess. I once applied for a job at Monarch Airlines yet was told I had more ability to disrupt the passengers than extreme turbulence.
Favourite airline? My preferences change depending on the duration of the flight yet two nearest likes are Virgin and United Airlines. Purely as they’re more technologically advanced for a consumer in-flight experience.
My proudest moment was… Being told I was eccentric during a myTab presentation in 2012. I had to Google the definition afterwards as I felt I’d been ridiculed. Once I dug deeper, I realised that I met most of the criteria so I was proud that this individual had publicly commended me.
The naughtiest thing I ever did was… Switch the hair spray and deodrant labels during a teenage trip to Israel with friends. I also then threw a rucksack into the Kibbutz pool, thinking it empty yet discovered it held the passports for all 35 members of the travelling group. It wasn’t my proudest moment.
I try to relax by… Meditating and walking my dog in San Francisco. My unusual relaxation is taking Krav Maga (level 4) where I de-stress and wind down by accelerating my brain and body through punching. If I don’t focus on the class and keep being distracted by myTab thoughts, I’ll certainly get a black eye.
The last time I feared for my life was… Never. I’m excessively confident person so maybe I’ve never encountered a threat since attackers know not to cross my path. I was held up at gun point once when I lived in Los Angeles. Even thought it obviously scared me, I didn’t fear for my life.
If I can, I always try to avoid… Being around overly exciteable people and coffee. I’m hyperactive so others try to compete with me, primarily to show off. I’m self competitive so won’t cut anyone down to empower myself. I can’t drink coffee as it makes my adrenaline run into overload and I’m like a spinning top.
I really wish I had… The chance to go back and now knowing what I’ve learned through mistakes, crunch this down into producing fewer errors. Now knowing what I know, I don’t believe anyone who says ‘they’ll never change the past’ to be true. Now you know, why would you repeat the same mistakes? It doesn’t make sense to me at all. It’s illogical on multiple levels.
The best advice I’ve ever received was… From my sister, Debra, who told me ‘You don’t know what rock bottom is or how much you can endure until you go lower down or higher up. So keep going, because you believe so strongly in what you’re doing.’ My parents greatest advice is ‘Keep knocking on doors, you never know what’s behind them.’
I don’t understand why people… Spit on the ground. This is common in San Francisco and I have to keep looking down so my dog doesn’t step in it. I also don’t know why people still continue the trend of wearing one trouser leg pulled up to the knee. It looks like they only partially got dressed and were too bored to finish the job.
My greatest weakness is… Presuming everyone is passionate about their job and that they will follow my requirements. For many people, it’s just a job. For me, even when I’ve worked for other companies in the past, I treat my role like I owned the company.
And my greatest strength is… Tenacity, the ability to excite people about any topic I’m talking about and (as an Aries, Aries rising) the sheer relentless approach I have with myTab. If I’m in a dispute and know my facts, I can absolutely wear people down to rubble. Then I’ll spend the next 30 minutes building them back up again. It’s a unique trait.
If I won a $1 million lottery (aside from travelling), I would… Work with animal organisations to eliminate puppy mills through government lobbying. Pets are holistic and incredible creatures. They make our lives better and they deserve the respect of having a good, happy life.
If I was prime minister I would… Work heavily with innovators to find an alternative for oil. Without the need for oil, this would be a strong step towards eliminating the unhealthy political partnerships with countries who use oil cash to fund terrorism groups. I’d also throw a huge LGBTQ party as everyone is equal and hate towards them is absolutely, categorically unacceptable.
If I could be someone else for one day I would be a… My dog, Muppet. I’d love to know how it feels to roll in the grass, lick peanut butter tooth paste and eat with my head in the bowl, without anyone telling me I have poor table manners.
I’ve always wanted to travel to… Mt Sinai and see the Pyramids. I’m also creating my wish list trip on myTab for a visit to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef and befriend anyone called Nemo.
My favourite holiday was… In France on a family holiday when I was a kid. We drove around the country and kept winding back at Nice because we kept following another car, who also didn’t know which way up a map should read. My parents suggested we either stay in a hotel or sleep on the beach. We all voted for the latter and ate sausages. It was just a magical trip.
