TULSA, Okla. — Inside the 36 Degrees North shared workspace for entrepreneurs on the 5th floor of Tulsa City Hall, BillionMinds co-founders Paul Slater and Ryan Tubbs launched their behavioral software.
Slater was in Seattle, Tubbs was in Raleigh, and the two of them developed their software at the height COVID-19.
Atento Capital in Tulsa was the capital funding arm for the George Kaiser Family Foundation. It invited the two of them to come and visit while they searched for investors.
Slater explained that suddenly, we discovered the opportunity to be colocated in one spot. A place we can afford to live, a great location to raise our children and a place that is matched with the overall BillionMinds value. We’ve noticed that Tulsa is home to people who care about their jobs. They care about being productive, but they also care about their larger lives. This seems like the right place for BillionMinds.
Tubbs and Slater were previously employees of Microsoft. While they say they had great jobs they didn’t feel fulfilled and were subject to burnout just like many other people.
Slater stated that we were at a point where it was very difficult to get into the work day with excitement, as you had never left it the day before.
Ryan discovered they weren’t the only ones.
We began asking people from all walks of life. Everyone from CEOs to stay at-home dads, we asked them how they feel about their day. Tubbs stated that everyone feels overwhelmed, almost like they’re losing it.
They interviewed over a thousand people to find out who was most effective. They discovered what books they were reading and what technology they used which led to the creation of. BillionMinds. It is a software platform that helps people to develop skills that will make them more productive on a daily basis.
Tubbs explained that this has been reduced to four elements of effectiveness. These four elements are actions and outcomes, spaces, changes, and spaces. These ingredients are the key to empowering anyone, no mater what job they hold, no matter their profession, and no matter what stage of life they may be in.
FOX23 was shown how the spaces look on the computer screen. You can use the boxes to organize and prioritize your day.
Slater states, “The way we allow people zoom in and out theyve now got these different aspects of their lives.” These actions are connected to the outcomes you want to drive.
According to Slater: Everyone is adding to the to-do list in his head.
This is what causes the stress we are referring to. Cognitive tax is the term that we came up with. Slater stated that cognitive tax is simply the tax you pay in order to manage your crazy life.
Tubb’s former job was so stressful that he experienced migraines every day.
Companies are exposed to stress from work that can lead to billions in annual health care costs, absences, poor performance, and other costs.
120,000 Americans die each year from work-related stress.
Renee Curtis, a client of BillionMinds, describes how the software has helped her.
Curtis stated that instead of focusing on what’s next, hows next, and all the other 8,000 things you have to do, your mind can be free to write them down or use the app to organize them.
Curtis works in Seattle for Pfizer but must manage meetings across different time zones. She also manages her husband’s time, her dog, as well as her ice hockey team. She’s currently going through the BillionMinds 90 day experience with personal coaching. She says it’s more than an organizer.
It is different because it boils down to why I am doing it. If you don’t have a reason, then maybe you should just give up on the task. Curtis suggested that maybe I am not the one who has to do this. He said that he could delegate it to someone and have them do it. Maybe I have more time or money, so I might pay someone to do this. Then you realize how valuable your time is and how you don’t have the time to do it all.
Slater said that BillionMinds was founded to help people, from trying to survive every day to thriving each day.
Tubbs said that Tubbs noticed it making people feel better when they first started to notice.
It is almost like productivity treatment. Tubbs stated that it is cheaper than therapy.
Their goal is to have their software reach a billion people worldwide. They are excited to begin in Tulsa.
Slater hopes that people will be able to say, Hey, those Tulsans got it figured out. They have this work, life thing down pat.
BillionMinds focuses on helping companies retrain selected work groups.
They also launch individual programs.
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