Podcast Episode 159 transcription

Jennifer Morrison Hosts Alberio Bathory-Frota and Robbie Butchart 
Listen to the episode here: ​rainforestalberta.podbean.com/e/e0159/

[00:00:00] Jen Morrison: All right. Welcome everybody. My name is Jen Morrison and I'm happy to host another episode of the LIBI podcast. Today I'm excited to talk to two really funny, incredible outgoing,innovative guys that are creating, an incredible company, here in Calgary and around the world. So welcome Alberio and Robbie.
[00:00:21] Alberio BathoryFrota: Thank you, Jen. Thanks for having us.
[00:00:22] Robbie Butchart: Thank Jen, that was quite an introduction. I'm excited for this one.
[00:00:26] Jen Morrison: Well, you know, you know, it's easy to speak kindly about people that are great. so for context, Alverno is the CEO and co-founder of LaunchCode and, Robbie is the CRO of LaunchCode. So they are creating the path and creating new, opportunities for the innovation ecosystem here in Calgary and Alberta, which is really exciting.
So let's dig in guys, and, you know, start with the question that's fun to ask, you know, who were you as kids? And I think that often we have, you know, personality traits and character traits that are innate with us. As children and that can continue with us throughout our lives. And hopefully it'd be part of the work that we get to do as grownups.
So let's start with Alberio, feel free to share whatever you like. you know, where you're from, background friends, family, but, yeah. Who was Alverno as a kid?
[00:01:19] Alberio BathoryFrota: Perfect, love it. Thanks Jen. And I'll try to keep this within a reasonable amount time, because I could probably talk for a few days straight.
but yeah. so I was born in Brazil. I was actually born right off of the equator in Brazil, a nice little beach town, a beautiful sunny days everyday around 30. And at the age of nine, we decided to move to a more tropical place called Edmonton now where I was bombarded with white stuff that was not white sand.
but it was a really cool experience. Right. at that time I didn't speak a single lick of English. It was, it was. I had to learn and understand, you know, on the ground running. I was put in the school there. I remember sitting in class having no idea what the teacher was talking about, what people were talking about.
[00:02:01] Alberio BathoryFrota: Right. And I think, what really helped me out during that time is, is the fact that, you know, as a kid, I'm a bit, I was a very curious person. I still am. Right. I'm very curious and very experiential. I find that I learn a lot more through experiences than I do, through reading or listening.
So. What I found at that time was that, you know, that that was kind of a really good trait for me, which was good too, because as many people will tell you, I have a pretty bad memory. So I always, I always have to relearn things by re-experiencing them. which kind of, I think has helped me in the long-term because it allows me to, you know, have a bit of a different problem solving skills than most, where I just kind of have to rely on my experience of basically relearning from scratch a lot of things, right? So that's, that's, you know who I was as a kid. Very, very curious, very experiential. I absolutely love nature. I love being out in nature. You know, I, we'd like to travel a lot. My family likes to travel a lot. I have family throughout the world.
Right? So my mom's side of the family is actually in Slovakia. I have, I have family there. My dad's side of the family's in Brazil. I have family in the United States. You know, I have how many here in Canada, so we absolutely love to travel a lot. And, and my, my perfect type of travel is that, you know, experiencing new things, right.
I'm not necessarily one that likes to go. To let's say the museums or things that are, you know, you'll find out postcards. I like to just kind of go in the place and, and be, and do what the locals do without a tremendous amount of, you know, organized or scheduled activities. You just go and you kind of experience it. Right. Absolutely love that. did that love that as a kid, as well, so that's who I am.
[00:03:35] Jen Morrison: Oh, that's amazing. Well, I can relate a lot to that curiosity piece. In fact, I have it, the word tattooed on my body, and I also can relate to the notion of taking the road less traveled, especially when traveling, you know, not going where everybody else goes.
I feel like we could share a lot of stories about that. So, but we'll park that and dig into that another time I want to. You know, let Robbie, answer that question as well. You know, who was Robbie as a kid where you from family traits that you, that you had innately and that are still part of who you are today. You want to share a little bit about that?
[00:04:11] Robbie Butchart: Yeah. Wonderful. Thank you. And the crazy thing is I'm the talker. So this is going to be a bit of a long one. Hey. The, the reality of, my mine's a lot less exciting when it comes to, you know, the fact that, you know, Alberio from Brazil and, and had to come to a different country, but, I'm born and raised Calgarian, you know, my whole family is from here. I'm still here to this day. my, a lot of the stuff I did growing up was all focused around sport, had a lot of energy. Outgoing from a young age was always kinda like to be the life of the party and, you know, have fun. That's kind of how I recharge, you know, and I figured that out at a fairly young age, that I really recharge with a lot of people around and, and, and just genuinely enjoy the presence of people.
so it got into sports to try and, you know, at a, at a young age to try and disperse some of that energy that I had a lot from my parents, I think drove him nuts a little bit. and a lot of the friendships that I kinda gathered through the years were all a derivative of that, of the different sports that I was involved with.
[00:05:05] Robbie Butchart: So a big focus for me was, was kind of, you know, that, that, that expression there, through those, those team sports, and then just found some stuff into the individual side as well. So, anything in anything, anything, and everything I can get involved with from a sporting perspective, I tried to so,
[00:05:20] Jen Morrison: Well, there you go. I know, I wish we had hours to talk about this, cause I'm sure we could, all, we could all talk for a long time, but any particular sports or, you know, activities that. That you really love to do Robbie, that you feel really launched, you know, who you were as a person as well?
[00:05:38] Robbie Butchart: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I, I think back through it all, and a lot of it was team-based and then a lot of outdoor stuff, you know, I really love being outside.
So, you know, in the winter, a lot of it was hockey related. I grew up playing it from a young age and, and stayed until the high school years. getting into different sports, you know, during the summer was golf and a lot of racket sports outside too. and then evolved as I got into, as I've gotten older and actually got into skiing at an older age with my kids and learned with them, so humbling experience, but a lot of fun, you know, try something new.
So, that was, that was really, a lot of fun. So that was, that was the focus.
[00:06:10] Jen Morrison: That's amazing. So building on what you've both shared, you know, Alberio being curious and, you know, experiential and, and Robbie really loving being around people and, you know, expressing energy and enthusiasm through sport.
You now are building and creating LaunchCode, right. Alberio's, CEO and co-founder, and then Robbie, the CRO and partner in LaunchCode. So, but you didn't end up there right away. So I'm wondering if you can both share your professional journey, of how after finishing high school, what was that period of time like between then, and the work that you're doing now, and I'll start with Robbie actually. Do you want to share a little bit about your professional journey?
[00:06:52] Robbie Butchart: Yeah, I kinda, you know, like Alberio likes to travel. I took the road less traveled when I come to my, my, my track here. So all of, out of high school, I didn't, I didn't follow the typical path that a lot of people did. you know, I think for me, I didn't want to waste time and I want to really find out what I was passionate about and, you know, kind of reflecting after those years, it was all kind of around like, what do you want to do?
And for me, I couldn't really nail that down. You know, it was something that took me some time to figure out, but it genuine, it came, kind of just organically through, some experiences that, falling into a sales professional, kind of mindset is kind of where I started and I started at a very,a slingin cell phones will go with, you know, and so out of high school and kind of early twenties and just kind of trying to figure things out and got really enjoyed it again, all about people.
Right? So you're, you're kind of getting into an experience of dealing with. A multitude of different personalities that allow for you just to kind of hone in your skills and, that evolved, did, did well there. And that evolved into actually moving in, and getting into, an organization that sells hardware and software as well.
And did that for about nine years. And the, what I've found through that is that, you know, there's a unique opportunity, through that 10,000 hours concept, right? You become. Professionally become an expert after 10,000 hours of going at something. And I got to that point and I just, I, my, my curiosity and passion for helping people just kind of continued throughout those, those kinds of, those former formidable years in my professional career.
And through that, you know, really getting into the idea. Opening my own organization. And through opening that, or having that concept of opening it,approached Alberio is as to be a client of mine. you know, and it was really a fun conversation to how we got to this point in time. You know, and, and it really opened my eyes through what he had done.
Just kind of being, being a friend on the side for a number of years on what's possible when you have people that just are super driven. So for me, you know, you get the last four and a bit years here where I've been with LaunchCode and what we've been able to accomplish through that just touches on the experiences that we've all had and the true passion to, to get us to a point that we're seeing the success that we are today, which has been a lot of fun.
[00:09:05] Jen Morrison: It's amazing how after you've had years, of, of different roles or professions or whatnot, how you can look back and recognize how each of those set you up with skills that at the time, maybe you didn't recognize. We're going to benefit you down the road in that way. so really, really interesting to hear you share that Robbie, how about you, Alberio like, what about your professional journey and your, you seem to be quite the serial entrepreneur, like, that's just what you've done the whole time. Do you want to share a little bit about your, your journey after, after high school?
[00:09:39] Alberio BathoryFrota: Ya, for sure, and I think it's a continuation right. Of the curiosity and the experiences.
I, I love experiences. I love new experiences. So for me, you know, when I was younger too,big, I was big into tech. I remember taking, you know, computers apart, my mom's computer apart taking other pieces of tech apart. And I was always really, really, you know, curious about it, and I really enjoyed tech in general.
So obviously the natural thing was to go into computing science for my undergrad. Right. And, and about three years, you know, in, into computing science, there was the bug there that, you know, I'd like to start a business. So in my, in my third year in comp sci I started a business, where I was basically reselling software and hardware to companies, I was helping them set up their networks. So I kind of stacked all my classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, all my classes and labs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then I'd work Monday, Wednesday, Fridays, which was, which is phenomenal, is a great experience, right? my, my marks were never the greatest.
They were just middle of the pack, but enough to kind of get you by. And it was really through that third and fourth year. I'm like, you know what? I really enjoy, you know, the, the business side of it so I did that and when I graduated, I actually got a job in with IT for governments. So I worked for a couple of different governments, in that, during that time too, I had another friend of mine from Edmonton that had his own business in the past is also into business. Always, you know, worked loved building things with his hands, him and I got together and said, Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we built a company that, you know, this and this. and so we, we did, we got together, we started building and through that process, you know, there's been different startups and sometimes it's just products.
We try new products, try to sell them that we've done across, you know, across our history. And it's always been so, so engaging. Right. I did have. And I guess part of that experience too, I'm always, I'm always constantly trying to learn. Right. So trying to learn through, through, you know, activities I do online, but I also went back to school where they, you know, I did my masters in computing science but never completed that.
But I did my master's, you know, my MBA completed that one. I'm actually, you know, and then I started taking courses in philosophy, to us as a philosophy. students. So in the end, I think it had been in student about five different universities or some crazy like that. But, you know, it's, it's kinda that, that model, I'm always trying to experience something new and going out there and do it.
[00:11:51] Jen Morrison: Well, and I think as well for, for the, both of you, because you are leaders in the organization, you know, that you're creating and building. Being an effective leader is not just one part. There's so many different pieces that, you know, create and build effective leaders. And I think that, you know, being curious about different facets of what that could look like is really important.
okay. So for the, both of you, I, it seems to me that you, you didn't have that typical path, which I know I can relate to. I know a lot of people listening can relate to that. Was there any particular, I guess, curve ball, or situation or circumstance that you experienced along the way, professionally that at the time might have been difficult, but actually created new opportunities that you didn't expect. Is there anything that jumps out?
lots, right, lots it's funny because
[00:12:45] Jen Morrison: well you can share more than one if you want
[00:12:47] Alberio BathoryFrota: for sure. You know, and I joke around with Robbie all the time, too. I know. Kind of what makes at least what I think makes people successful in business is your ability to just be kicked as many times.
As, as you can, and as hard as you can and still just continue on, you know, your ability to, to handle adversity and these challenges and just continue on is, is a big factor. Right. And I think in the beginning, I probably would have been affected a lot more by certain curve balls, you know, and looking back, it was, you know, maybe the first one that was like the first, the first two or three customers saying, yeah, wait, why are you selling this?
Like there's a year to have a competitor and he's way bigger than you. and he's got everybody else. Why you guys even do try and do this right. That I think was a lot more, heartbreaking, maybe, you know, it just affected me a lot more in the beginning of this journey. Now it doesn't because you have those experiences.
Right. but it was, it was just your ability to, to hear that. And then, you know, look through it a little bit and say, you know what, that's okay you know, here's a kick I got, but I'm going to continue on, I'm going to try this out. Right. I think that's, that's really a tremendous success factor. Like if you have the perseverance, right.
And not only just the perseverance, but the ability to persevere without just being super stressed, right. You kind of have to let it deflect off of you at times, if you can. That is huge. you know, another one, obviously I always say this to people who are trying to start a business, have a partner, a partner will keep you accountable and there's a lot of us.
And unless you're very, very unique and distinct, there's a lot of us that you know, when, when things are getting hard and it's a Friday night and you know, you don't want to, you don't want to do something and you're like, ah, I'll do it tomorrow. When you have a partner, that's keeping you accountable, it's you, you keep persevering and keep doing it.
Right. And then you could also kind of diverged some of those challenging times or challenging, factions between, so we've, we've had lots of curve balls, you know, some examples, like I said, being Braden off the, off the bat, things like that, competitors doing things to us where, you know, where they were, You know, questionable and on ethical point, whether you they're supposed to be doing that or not persevering through that, negative news, you know, stories about our products or the company that we've had legislation that was passed, that would stop our product in California, had to, you know, have to fight against that.
So there's a tremendous amount, but. Fighting a legislation and, and legislators in California versus a customer, one customer telling you that you shouldn't, you know, your product is, is obsolete. It's, it's the same thing. It's a challenge. It's just how you, how you deal with it. Right. it's, you know, one may seem bigger than the other, but it's not, if you, if you can add a boat the same way with persevere, then I think you'll be very, very successful.
it's it's a, it's a broad question. And, you know, I was thinking about that as he's been talking. Every day there's something that comes up. Like, there's not a day that goes by that you don't have something come at you that you need to deal with. And whether it's personally, professionally, you know, like you have a death in the family think of personal and how are you going to persevere through that when you are, again, that, that, that term that he used perseverance, it's the key to it all.
[00:15:50] Robbie Butchart: And there's a lot more graphical kicking that we talk about when it comes to just how tough it can be, you know? but you know, like you think of, you know, situations that happen with friends that you ended up going into the hospital for whatever reason, or, you know, you have a family member that's not in town that has health problems.
Like there's stuff like that, that comes into the play and you have to disconnect the emotion that you're feeling in order to fulfill your commitments to not only your business partner, but your clients, and then the people that work with you and for you like that, that's a, that's a really tall order to do so to be able to really kind of get through the day-to-day curve balls.
Cause there's not one thing I don't think that sticks out in people's minds. I'm sure there's, you know, as you go through these things, there's a accumulation of them, but really it's, it's the ability to disconnect, understand that whatever's meant to happen is going to, and you're going to be okay. You know, you almost have to deescalate the severity of the situations because there's some crazy stuff that comes up at ya and you have to just move past it. It's a learned skill.
[00:16:59] Jen Morrison: I really, I think it's great that both of you have talked about having that support system or that partner or that team around you, that can not only hold you accountable, but also provide that counterbalance in those moments. Right. You know, when things are coming up. and I also can appreciate, you know, disconnecting from the emotions of a situation can be really hard, especially when you're so invested in the work.
And clearly over time, you can get better at it. But is that, is that something that is still a challenge for the both of you, you know, especially when you're so invested in care so deeply about the company and the people and you know, the clients that you're, you're creating this for?
[00:17:36] Alberio BathoryFrota: For sure. I think what you, what you really said there is when you care real deeply.
And for me, that's, that's a big one, right? Cause you do, you put, you put a lot of time and effort, your own blood, sweat, and tears into this thing. And then sometimes, one of those challenges is one of those that, that makes, makes it seem like you don't care. You're not doing something right. And then, you know, that's when it kind of affects you a bit because you're like, you know what, I really, you know, I'm trying my best here.
We're really trying our best to make this, this organization, you know, the best he can be. So it kind of still does. Right. But at the end of the day, you have to just take it in stride. And I think, like you said that the partners is, is important for that too. I think things that affect me, probably don't affect Robbie as much, you know, it doesn't affect their other partners much, but, you know, And vice versa.
So, you know, having that, that sounding board and being able to talk among ourselves, with really it helps out, right. It makes it so that we can persevere easier.
[00:18:31] Robbie Butchart: Yeah. And I mean, just in addition to that too, you know, like having an understanding and having emotional intelligence for me, like that's, I'm an emotionally charged person.
So I think understanding what makes you tick and knowing who you are, allows you to deal with those situations differently too. Like I always have been, I have always been an emotionally driven person and. Having that awareness, as Alberio laughs, is something it's something that is for me is a struggle every day.
Right? Cause there's so much passion that goes into what we do that to disassociate and disconnect from that is, is hard, you know, because you, you, you don't want to take it personally, but sometimes it just comes that way and you have to just. Reset and find a way to disassociate and disconnect those, those intense feelings you get.
[00:19:17] Jen Morrison: Thinking about that space, you know, that space of like between the emotion and then like the strategy of the next step.
And how do you navigate the challenge? That's come up. okay. So the two of you are clearly, you've got a good relationship. You're you seem to be great friends from what I can tell. and you've worked together for a while now. I want to know how you met. So how did you meet? And then I, on, on that, you know, after that story is shared, you went into business together.
So you don't just go into business with anybody. So I'm wondering if you can identify the things in each other that you knew this was a fit like this was a, this was a partner and this is someone that I could, you know, build a business with, because it's not for the faint of heart. So tell us about how you met and then what about each other created that space to, to build the business?
[00:20:09] Robbie Butchart: Sure. So we actually met over 10 years ago now. I think, 11? I mean, I know he's got a circle on his calendar and he's thankful every day it's part of his gratitude mornings, gratitude mornings.
it actually, it actually, started with the family. So, my oldest son and his daughter, are the same age we're going to kindergarten together and the wives became friends and, we kind of. You started hanging out as acquaintances through, through the kids and the wives, and then, you know, kind of did some lots of exciting things, you know, outside of work. some stuff we can talk about, some we can't, and the reality of it is, is just, you know, had a lot of fun, in, in kind of getting to know each other and the families get along really well. And that's, that's a uniqueness in itself. So, you know, we hung out for quite a while for almost 10 years and, you know, getting into the business side of it was, that was an interesting one because when I.
[00:21:00] Robbie Butchart: I approached him and I'll let him tell his side of the story here, shortly. But like, from my perspective, you know, I was moving out of my, my, my, my position. I was in previously for about almost 10 years. And I was looking at starting my own sales consulting company. And I had, I had a fundamental challenge with my business model and I thought I figured it out.
And I was approaching people that I, you know, I respected. And then I came to Alberio. So it's one of those things that, you know, I was like, this is my, this is my concept. And this one, I'm thinking. Here's my challenge. And before I kind of got to the end of that, him and James who's, our other business partner were like, you know what we want to bring in.
We want to see what we can do with this whole other side of this business. We want to create. And with my history and understanding what was being able to be sold off the shelf, from a, from a software perspective, I saw a very significant opportunity with this, and I kinda, I did it in conjunction with, and, and you know, quite frankly, I'll let, I'll let Alberio tell his side.
you know, the trust that I was given at a very early stage was significant and, and, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't surprise me just given the character that, you know, Alberio and James have, but, still in that sense, it was. was, was, was a big step forward of faith as big leap of faith.
[00:22:09] Robbie Butchart: And I think that talks a little bit too about, what it takes to be successful in this space is you have to have faith. So, that's my version of the story. And, I'll let Alberio tell, tell his side.
[00:22:19] Alberio BathoryFrota: Sure. I remember actually I do remember the first time we met, I was at my place you came over and yes, and I think we drank between the two of us.
More than we should have. So a night like that it usually makes for good conversation and good memories. Right. so, but yeah, no, no. It's, what's interesting about Robbie is his one-on-one those guys like when you, when you go into a room. You know, let's say it's a party and you don't know anybody. And there's a, and there's one guy that kind of just has that energy.
And you're like, man, I, you know, I really want to be friends with this guy. Like that was Robbie. And I remember, you know, the first time we met and he really had that energy where, where you, you really, you felt, you know, that, that not only is he a guy with a lot of energy, a lot of movement, but he's a guy that kind of, that really cares about you.
Right? So a lot of his questions were very, you know, introspective and, and not just because trying to make chitchat or talk, but because he generally cared. And then I felt that, you know, as our relationship, when we became friends, he was a guy that really knew what was going on in my life all the time and was always caring about it, which was,you know, a phenomenal thing.
That, you know, right off the bat that I knew that's that was somebody that obviously wanted to be friends for the rest of your life. And, and so that was on the friend side, on, on the business side. Yeah. You know, myself and James, we, we started the company in. It was, if it was first, it was a product company.
That's the one we started in 2005, so many years, many, many years ago. He's the one that I mentioned that, you know, reached out and we said, Hey, do we want to start a company together? And along that path, we've tried different product lines and different businesses. And James got to know Robbie and at a certain point, some of our clients were asking us to do something different than our product, build something that was new.
so we did it a few times and, and it was working really well. Right. So we thought, okay, well I think we have a business here, this custom development work. Right. and we said, okay, well, you know, if we want to go down this path and build custom software, let's bring in, let's see if we can bring in, you know, the best guy we know in, in terms of, of, you know, network and getting to know people and, and, and not just necessarily bring them to our company, but genuinely care about what is their challenge you're trying to solve. Right? What a, you know, in this has to be a genuine person that cares. And so, you know, he does, he cares about what, what problem are you trying to solve? ensures that, that we have that phenomenal relationship with our clients, right?
that is something that you know about Robbie, that that is tremendous and I've never seen it. Anybody else. You know, we will sacrifice many things in our organization to ensure that our client is happy and at the end of the day. Like that is the number one thing important. That's important to him. So we knew right away, like this is a match made in heaven.
[00:25:03] Alberio BathoryFrota: Like, you know, he's, he's our guy that we want. And, and we brought him on board and we built the LaunchCode brand with him, you know, as a partner. So, you know, he's, he's our partner in that in, and, and the success has been phenomenal.
[00:25:16] Jen Morrison: There you go. So building on that, right? Thinking about the characteristics of each other, that you were drawn to, to not only create a friendship, but also, you know, step into business together.
so I'm going to have Robbie, I want you to answer this for Alberio and Alberio. I want you to answer this for Robbie. From your perspective guys, like what is the mindset? Because we're talking about entrepreneurship here and which is not an easy path and no entrepreneurial journey is the same. What do you see in terms of mindset in each other that you think are really foundational to success as an entrepreneur
[00:25:54] Alberio BathoryFrota: You know, Robbie really, really cares about people in general, right? He cares, the generally cares about people, and he cares to ensure that people are happy and you see that internally with, with our own team, but you see that externally with our clients and our partners. And it's a huge thing because. that mindset is one of, you know, creating value for someone else.
Not, you know, you're not creating value for yourself. and I, you know, I truly believe that's, that's a huge, huge talent to have you got to, you know, you got to build something or you gotta develop something or you got to create a solution. something that brings value to somebody else. It can't be just, you know, we want to bring customers because we want to make X amount of revenue.
It has to be to truly solve a problem. It has to do to create something that's, that's better for that client or better for the world in general. Right. And I, and that's, you know, a mindset that I see in Robbie there. It is phenomenal for us.
[00:26:48] Robbie Butchart: And I'll, you know, I mean, from my perspective, you know, like I, I was thinking that as I was talking about it and just kind of listening to the story again, it's funny when you do some retrospective thinking when you're in the, in the midst of it.
And you know, like for me, when I came in, it was, it was an unwavering belief in, in what Alberio and James had created and, you know, understanding that, specifically with what, what Alberio holds as that, that CEO is that, you know, there's a visionary state. There is trust that, you know, he exudes in people and when he gives people trust, you want to trust him immediately.
And for me coming in, it was that, that. I can get behind this guy, you know, I can get, I can get into, into the passenger seat, the driver's seat, the back seat. I don't care where it is and we can, we can push this forward because there's alignment there. And the willingness to be able to, you know, look at situations with humility and understand that there is an opportunity that we all see, and we just got to work together in alignment.
When you have that mindset and you in the room, every single time you get into a meeting, you don't have to worry about the BS. You know, like you taught, I've been a part of many different companies and there's always just politics and drama and BS that need to deal with. And that just doesn't happen with, with Alberio as a whole.
What you see is what you get, and that is. So freeing and with that environment coming in and having that, I remember they don't give me a lot here. I'm surprised he's going to walk out of the building here after I've done this, but it's true for people to understand this. So, you know, like that is something that is so key is that you can, if you can remove all the BS and you have trust and faith and humility, when you walk in the door, you've got a team that's behind you, you know, and that's every day, you know, and, and I would say the one thing that, as a whole, both of him, both he and I just kind of exude is that unwavering belief and faith. We know this is going to work. There isn't another option. That's it like we will find a way. And so when you have that, that unwavering faith and knowing that your outcome will be what, you're, what you're setting out for you, you get people that get amped up and get excited.
Cause you're building momentum and excitement through the passion that you bring into every conversation. So I would say that that's a, an add in that, you know, ties into to what you need to have from a characteristic trait.
[00:29:24] Jen Morrison: As you were both talking. Like, it just is so clear to me, how. As an entrepreneur or starting something new or coming up with an idea that, you know, pushes the boundaries or challenges people to step outside of their comfort zone, whatever that is.
I really hear two things coming from the both of you. I hear. The importance of team, the importance of surrounding yourself with people that are aligned, you don't have to be the exact same people, but like, what are those root things that you care about that you value that the, your team and those around you will value as well.
And how do you surround yourself with people that will build on that? So that's one thing that was coming to mind. And then the second is trust and that's a big one. And it's interesting because part of me thinks, you know, it takes time to build trust, but at the same time, Why not start with trust. Do you guys have any thoughts on that piece?
Cause you both mentioned that. And I also think it's, from my perspective and what you shared has been a really key part of not only your working relationship and you know, your friendship, but you know, creating the business that you have together. So. Just talk to me about trust. Cause, cause that really seems to be super foundational for both of you.
[00:30:45] Alberio BathoryFrota: Yeah. And I think there's two mindsets, around that at least that I see out there. Right. You have the one mindset that's like, you gotta, you gotta earn it. You gotta, you know, come in and earn it before I can fully trust you. And then the second mindset it's, you know, I'll just, I'll trust you. defacto trust you.
until I can't anymore, right. and one of them, you get, you may get burned every so often. the other one you don't right. but giving this, this trust defacto and just going that way, we'll move things a lot faster. right. I find that, and, and I find too that it just, you know, you get the right people as well.
people enjoy that, people, you know, Be appreciative of that and really, ensure that they, you know, keep your trust. so this is huge though. I think you cannot grow as an organization if you don't start relaying that trust out there. If you have to be involved in everything that the organization does, you become the bottleneck, right?
[00:31:42] Alberio BathoryFrota: You become the reason the organization doesn't grow. So it's going to be, you know, it's, it's extremely important that, you know, trusting others is hard, may be hard to do a lot of times, but it's important because that's going to be part of your own personal growth as well.
[00:31:58] Robbie Butchart: I completely agree. And you know, that's, that's the biggest thing is that you want people to be bought in.
And if you want people to buy in, you just gotta trust that they're there in, you know, and, and that's what we really try to focus on when we have conversations is ok I will trust you just go and do it. And I think once you actually say those words to people, there's an ownership like. Yeah. Wow. Okay sweet I'm going to go do this, you know, like it's that? And that's part of, I think the, the culture that, you know, we, we really focus on and I mean, are we perfect? No, but are we trying to be there? Yeah. You know, every day it's it's the model is everyday. Let's be better than we were yesterday and tomorrow than today.
So, you know, that's always the intention and the team behind us is phenomenal, but it's because you enable them to be that way. And, and I mean, it makes, makes our jobs a heck of a lot easier when you get that good of a team that's behind you. So I think it comes from trust really at the end of the day.
[00:32:53] Jen Morrison: It's so interesting that like, I'm just thinking about my own journey. And when I moved to Calgary in 2019, late 2019 was pivoting out of K to 12 education, looking for something different, have no idea what that was going to look like. And through a series of meeting, great people and, you know, checking out Rainforest Alberta, you know, was introduced.
by Jim Gibson to Margo and then Margo introduced me to Greg and Jill and you know, whatnot. But I remember within the first couple of weeks of my role with InceptionU back then, I had gone to Greg at some point, asked him like, you know, is it okay if I do this or can I do this? And he just looked at me and he said, I trust you, go do it.
[00:33:33] Jen Morrison: And I've never been. Like empowered like that, even though I know in previous work environments I was trusted, but the system that I was working in didn't allow for, for that, individuality or these ideas to thrive, if that makes sense. So, yeah. And I just know how impactful for me that was, To experience that.
And it took me a while to like adjust to it like, oh, and Greg talks about too. you know, a lot of the time with design and this is design in, in general, but he said a lot of the time at the root of the problem is waiting for too much permission. You know, it holds things back. So anyway, just relating a lot to what the, both of you have shared with that. Any, any thoughts?
[00:34:26] Alberio BathoryFrota: Well, it's, what's nice about it too, is in, in InceptionU, you know, if, if, when they're doing that, it's going to, it's going to come across to the ultimate client, which is a students, right? So, you know, having that trust within the organization is going to allow you guys to do better things and have better products. And, you know, the impact will be felt by your ultimate clients, the students.
[00:34:47] Jen Morrison: Thank you for saying that. And I would imagine that that's what you're hoping. For your business as well. And then the clients that you're working with and the team that you have, it does feel good though. You know, when you realize like, okay, I'm being my total authentic self, I'm doing shit that I love to do.
I'm working with great people. And like, you start to see the ripple effect of that. It's really powerful. Okay. So I, you know, Robbie, I was looking, well, stalking your Instagram earlier today. And, but I was, there was,a piece of a statement that you had on there that I thought was really interesting and it, it, it was, guiding the client through the art of what is possible.
And there's a lot within that, that I would love for the, both of you to talk about, but tell me how does LaunchCode as a, as a business, support that. And then also, how do you individually, the two of you model that in your day-to-day work? So it's sort of a twofold question. Like how does LaunchCode, you know,guide the art of what is possible, and then for you individually, how do you do that in your work?
[00:35:48] Robbie Butchart: Yeah, that's a good, it's a, it's a bit of a corny term, but it sparks good conversation and that's the whole, the whole intent behind it. But you know, the reality of it is, is I think that, you know, a lot of people, unless you're in the technical world or you have some understanding of the software space, a lot of people don't know what's possible anymore.
You know, tech is constantly evolving and. you hear a lot of times people there's gotta be a way, right? So they're wondering, what's possible. Like what is what we could we possibly create that can satisfy and solve some of these challenges and these, these, these goals and help us achieve some of these goals that we've got set out for, for our business.
So, you know, that, that's what. That, that statement is meant to kind of represent. And as far as, you know, the, the conversations that occur because of it, it's, it's very holistic, right? And you'd be talking about an organization as a whole. We talk about the way the business is looking at operating and how do we tie in technology and innovation to change client's experiences, whether it's internal or external clients.
And through that, you know, we really start to. Break down into kind of micro sessions. Sure. We'll go with that. I like micro sessions. It's the word of the day, apparently. But like with that, you know, it allows for us to break down the complexity and this really overarching high level concept into something tangible.
And with that tangibility, it allows for context to be able to now come to the forefront. And our process allows for us to really break that down. You know, we go into a four step process and, and through that, it's, it really allows again for the client to feel how simple this can be, because it's, it doesn't need to be complicated, you know, and, and with just conversation and, and understanding and doing your due diligence and asking questions and being curious.
You can get so much accomplished in so much enlightenment on what the is actually trying to do. You know, we've had clients come to us and say, oh, I've got problems with my overtime. And you know, and we're like, okay, well, let's talk about it. And you get into a conversation. You realize the core of it is not problems with the overtime it's the tech, it's the spreadsheets that they're relying on at the end of the day to run their business.
Okay. Well, what does, and so you get into this whole flow and it's very easy to get into that. And then you show them what's possible. Through our process, that is our presentation of awesomeness. And that word is what we use because it's self-explanatory with that though, you know, that brings, that brings context.
And, and we, we try and mirror that within our environment. You know, like we've got some big aspirations, again, same thing as our client conversations, sitting at the million foot view, we need to break it down into more. Granular stages and, you know, really map those out and then assign people that are accountable to deliver on them.
You know, there's a, there's a whole flow that goes into it. And that's where you have to constantly come back and measure on. So you can actually see that the deliverables are happening in that accountability thing. You know, whether you throw stuff in meetings at each other and or you have a nice pleasant conversation, whatever the fun is, you know, like, however you want to do that, to each their own.
But that's, that's a little bit of, of kind of how we break it down. Both externally and internally.
[00:38:51] Alberio BathoryFrota: Yeah. And you know, I think Robbie nailed the, the nail on the head there. one of the things that we do internally is, with our, with our we're a team, right? Every second Friday, we do special projects Friday, where, where we allow the team to build whatever it is that they want.
Right. We really. Really look for and try to bring in people who are very creative people who have their own personal projects. people were almost entrepreneurial, right? They have that kind of entrepreneurial mindset because it's, it's these types of people that, you know, that can help us really do what's what's not possible.
So we're very, very happy with the team. We have a phenomenal, phenomenal, talented, team here in this organization and the stuff that they can do is, is just amazing. Right. so we try to, we try to thrive that a little bit by giving them opportunities, you know, to do something that's completely outside of client work, which is the special projects. We try to have them work together in teams. You know, maybe it's sometimes it's on their own projects. So, internally as well, we all kind of have our own projects, you know? I myself, I still kind of program here and there it's been years since, you know, since I've been doing it.
my, our other business partner, James, he's working with his hands all the time. Right. Building things. he loves that side of the business. You know, Robbie's always learning new things, creating new things. So it's a, it's a mindset too, where we just, we want to ensure that we have that lifelong learning, right.
[00:40:18] Alberio BathoryFrota: Lifelong learning type of mindset. and that translates at the end of the day to, you know, figuring out solving problems for clients.
[00:40:25] Jen Morrison: Well, there's no one way to do everything. Right. And I think it's neat that you're, it sounds to me like within yourselves and then within the business, there's this constant evolution of how are we approaching things?
How are we thinking about things who is partnering with, who like there's this real. Agility and adaptability that I think is a really interesting, okay. We're going to start to wrap it up. I feel like, you know, the three of us could talk for four more hours. but I have just two more questions for you. I'm really curious for you individually.
What's lighting you up right now. Is there something that you're exploring or interested in that you find yourself? Really curious about, or that's, you know, provoking you to ask a lot of questions and it doesn't have to be work-related, it can be whatever the heck you want, but what is, what's lighting you up these days?
[00:41:13] Alberio BathoryFrota: I have found that that lately there in the beginning of, of this organization and, you know, and James and I first got together, there was, there was, you know, the, there was a business, we had the personal, and it, it was very melded right in that we were basically working all the time. So we kind of, you know, the personal was there as well.
Recently, and this is what I've tried to work on the lot is how do I have it so that it's, it's just one passion, right? And that's not a different passion between business or in a different passion between, you know, family and the traveling and the other things I enjoy. How do I do that as, so it's one holistic, right?
And, and it's really looking down the path of, you know, having clarity processes done of, you know, who you, who you are and where you want to go. Right. some of it gets on the spiritual side. Figuring all of that. And then, and then trying to craft a life for you that can bring this together, right? You shouldn't feel like work is, is a means so that you can have money to do your passion and your personal stuff.
what I'm, you know, trying to work on and, and trying to really create is, is that holistic, you know, experience, and not only just for myself, but how do we do that on an organizational level, right? How do we align, our people and where they want to go and what they want to be? How do we align them with.
[00:42:32] Alberio BathoryFrota: What we're doing in this organization and the how, and then how do we give them those opportunities to just be better versions of themselves? Right. so that's for me is it's that challenge, I think is a, is a forever challenge. It's something that's a continuous continuous work, on challenge, but it's, it's, what really drives me.
[00:42:49] Robbie Butchart: Wow. So deep man that was next level, you know, I joke, but we, we actually have very similar, thoughts when it comes to that, you know, there's. There's experiencing what's new, you know, for me is, is what are some of the things that we can get into to help you grow, to help you understand and learn that, you know, prior to getting into that environment, you've, you've, you've totally changed your perspective or you have a different appreciation for a different perspective.
So for me, it's, it's, it's growing in those areas and learning and exploring and exposing different things into my mind so that I can help kind of, you know, get into a different, different frame of mind, that skill set. So for me, it's, it's all around. How do I grow and how do I become more enabled and bring more tools to situations whether it's personally or professionally to help move the needle on whatever the situation is forward. you know, from, from that perspective. So, you know, understanding the, the clarity process is an interesting one, cause we've done it at as an organization and as a group and it's, it's enlightening, you know, it really brings. What it's meant to clarity around what you see moving forward.
So I think once you have that, that understanding that brings natural inspiration and motivation to keep that light as bright as it needs to be every day to come in and bring passion into every conversation and every interaction, whether it's at work or whether it's at a Starbucks drive through, or whether you're having a beer somewhere like whatever.
You're bringing passion into that and you're, you're bringing excitement. So for me, that's, that's a big thing. And, you know, part of the, from a business standpoint, you know, moving the organization forward and diversifying it with some of the different offerings we're bringing our clients is very unique.
the, the whole startup studio model that we're doing is. Beyond exciting, because that is something that, you know, is a, is a unique offering and something that, I think is going to make a big difference in a lot of people's lives. so very excited for, from that perspective. So, but bringing passion into that too, it's fun.
[00:44:49] Jen Morrison: There you go, well, I think paying attention to what lights us up is important because it's an indicator for me and I'm not sure what you guys think. I think it's an indicator that we're on the right track, you know, and paying attention to that internal guide. I'm actually, I just bought the book. I haven't started it, but it's called extended thinking.
Greg told me about it and it's thinking outside of your brain, and it really is tapping into. The awareness that is outside of our brains, which we tend, we just rely on our brains all the time. But, yeah. Anyways, so I'm excited to dig into that book. okay. Let's let's wrap this up now. This is a big question.
It's building off of what you have been talking about, the two of you, but, you know, what do you want to contribute to the world. and you can answer this from the mindset or the lens of LaunchCode if you like, you can think about it personally. but what do you want your contribution to be? And then what does that impact?
[00:45:43] Alberio BathoryFrota: Perfect sounds. Well, the funny thing is, is probably going to be a spiritual answer it's but, no, for my, my goal, what I'd love to do is I'd love to build an organization, right. That, that creates purpose, you know, and that allows people to have purpose in their life. Right. and you know, when we first started this, obviously it was always around the product and the clients.
my role, I think, has kind of, has changed into that. you know, I'd like to build an organization that we're bringing purpose and, and really creating better versions of people right now when they come in here and not just on their, on their professional life, but their whole life. Right. I'd love to be able to do that.
and I think that's why I'm so passionate with, with the startup studios. Right. And partnering up with, with startups, because I think we have a tremendous amount of, experience that we can help them with. Right. And. And there's a lot of things in the first, you know, five, six years of a startup, you know, that, I didn't know that James didn't know, you know, the two of us kind of had to navigate and try our best, that we can really bring clarity to the beginning of these other startups and, and put that sense of purpose, you know, in the beginning, because it will, it will allow them to, you know, get over those challenges. it'll allow them to get kicked many times and persevere, right? If, if you properly align a person's mindset with what they're doing on a daily basis, you know, but that is a holistic view of not just work versus life, but a combined a holistic view, we now create, an organization that's, that's bringing purpose to people and you know, that for sure is what excites me the most.
[00:47:22] Robbie Butchart: How do you follow that up? I don't even know how to follow that up, you know? So, you know, I w I I'll maybe touch on a couple of different points, but like, you know, there's a shared. And bought in, alignment there, you know, from my perspective, you know, and, and that's, what's exciting too. And I, and I would say that, you know, to add a couple of different things from the business side, you know, in, in addition to what LaunchCode the startup studio is doing the LaunchCode side is going to change the status quo.
You know, like we want people to realize there's a better and more trusting way to do business. You know, I find that the Canadian landscape as a whole is, is a little bit more. Conservative and the fact that, you know, they, there there's a misconceived or perception of there. We will say that, you know, everybody's out to screw you.
We're just going to figure out a way to how to do it. And it's like, there's a better way, but that's because of experiences. So we want to change that experience and bring a better and more trusting kind of approach to the environments in our, our engagements with our clients. and then for me on a, on a personal note, you know, for me, my focus is, is I want to leave people happier than when they started with me.
You know, like whether, you know, it's in, it's in the office and getting people laughing and having a good time, if it's in Starbucks and, you know, buying a coffee for somebody behind you or starting a conversation with some random stranger and just bringing joy and happiness to a situation and be like, wow, that was cool.
And they're walking out of that place in a different way that that's every interaction I strive to, to bring, a better perspective and a happiness when people walk away from it. So that's, that's on the personal side, my, my story.
[00:48:55] Jen Morrison: Well, I have to tell you that I feel that what you just shared, the, you know, the impact you want to have, you both had that on me today, which I think is really amazing, you know, checking in with, you know, purpose and things that light me up.
And, you know, Robbie, I definitely am feeling I'm just having a good day, but I'm having an even better day. I I've really, really appreciated this time that we've had together today. And it's always fun to get to know people on a deeper level and my hope with the podcasts that I'm hosting, you know, for LIBI that we really dig into the person, you know, the business is a ripple effect of who that person is, and we all have a story and experiences and things to share.
So I'm, I'm hoping that whoever is listening to this, that they are getting a really great sense of. Who Alberio is and who Robbie is, what is the best way for people to get in touch with you? If they're curious to connect or reach out, what would you suggest?
[00:49:50] Alberio BathoryFrota: I believe both of us are on LinkedIn. and, yeah, if you know, my personal email is just my name, Alberio at LC dot Dev. So that's L for Launch and C for Code, launchcode.dev DEV. Robbie, I believe is at Robbie at LC dot dev as well.
[00:50:04] Robbie Butchart: You bet. Both, both work, worked for me and preferred either one. So please reach out happy to have conversations and questions. And, Jen, thank you very much for having us.
This has been a fun and, and just a fun experience. We appreciate you giving us the ability to, to talk a little bit about ourselves.
[00:50:20] Jen Morrison: Well, secret side note, everyone that's listening. I did forget to record. The first 10 minutes when we started. So we had to go back and start again. So, you know, there you go. Nothing like making a fool of yourself in front to two great friends.
[00:50:34] Alberio BathoryFrota: Yeah, that was good practice. It was good practice the first 10 minutes. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Thank you as well, Jen, this is our second time we're doing the speaking engagement both times you've oh, you've made it. You made it awesome. Super comfortable and easy to talk to you. So I appreciate that thank you.
[00:50:49] Jen Morrison: Cool. Well, I hope that whoever is listening, has taken some inspiration or, you know, had some moments of pause for everything that Alberio and Robbie have shared with us today. Really appreciate you joining us. and I encourage all of you as I always do to really think about the impact that you want to have. Have a good day.