"Success comes from persistence and systematically tackling each obstacle."
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Heehong Moon, a visionary leader who has redefined the business landscape through his innovation, tenacity, and unwavering leadership.
Hailing from South Korea, Moon’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of entrepreneurship and the art of turning challenges into opportunities.
As the driving force behind BoxHero, a groundbreaking inventory management application, Heehong Moon has reimagined the way businesses operate across the globe.
In this candid conversation, he shares insights into his remarkable path, unveiling the experiences that have molded his approach to leadership. From triumphs that have propelled his venture’s growth to challenges that have forged his resilience, Moon’s journey is a masterclass in navigating the complex terrain of entrepreneurship.
Join us as we unravel the story of Heehong Moon—a story of innovation, determination, and leadership that continues to inspire entrepreneurs worldwide.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Heehong Moon: I am Heehong Moon, a committed technologist and entrepreneur hailing from South Korea. Presently, I hold the positions of CEO and CTO at BoxHero, an inventory management application designed to streamline the lives of business owners.
With a track record of creating successful games and business applications, I achieved a profitable exit with Dabang, the Korean equivalent of Zillow, in 2015. Currently, I am driving innovation within the realm of inventory management through BoxHero – an application that boasts a user base exceeding 200,000 spanning across 100 nations.
By enhancing inventory tracking and organization, BoxHero is unlocking the global potential of businesses, ushering in new levels of efficiency and effectiveness.
BoxHero is an easy, simple inventory management app compatible with PC & mobile. Companies use BoxHero to manage their inventory in real-time. The app is intuitive that any first-timer can start the inventorying process with minimal effort: without a lengthy onboarding process.
A lot of legacy inventory management systems include complex features that business owners don’t even use. With BoxHero, we guarantee that the inventory management for the business would be a breeze.
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
Heehong Moon: Great question. I spoke to American Express about this recently. There are numerous factors that affect a company’s business. This is especially critical for startups.
For BoxHero, we had a co-founded exit which trigged a legal change for the company and led us to experience temporary but volatile financial loss early on. Fortunately our team quickly addresses how to stabilize the company but it created some discomforting turbulence. At the time this took we place, we were an early startup with limited budget.
We didn’t ask for expert help with reviewing our legal documentation, which in the end caused a bigger financial loss and an operational halt.
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
Heehong Moon: Absolutely. Our success today is a result and byproduct of our challenges along the way, like the one above, but it’s important to get ahead of them as quickly and early as possible.
Achieving rapid growth within a limited timeframe can be challenging in the B2B SaaS sector. Even though progress may appear slow, I believe that success comes from persistence and systematically tackling each obstacle.
Our team consistently evaluates whether the surging customer demands align with our vision and makes daily efforts to advance accordingly and stay in sync with the market.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
Heehong Moon: Throughout the years of managing our business, I’ve faced various challenging moments, and in each instance, I’ve been fortunate to have teams that have provided unwavering support to both me and the business.
When assembling my team, I actively seek out individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit who can proactively identify and manage their tasks, even with minimal supervision. Equally important is the candidate’s commitment to pursuing excellence, a quality that becomes particularly crucial during times of crisis.
Such individuals are inclined to confront challenges head-on, rather than give up easily, enabling us to navigate these critical moments collectively and emerge stronger as a team.
At the core of our approach is a shared passion and belief in the potential success and value of the products we collectively work on. This solid foundation drives us forward. Conversely, candidates who lack these qualities often find themselves disengaged during challenging periods and may choose to part ways with the company.
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
Heehong Moon: I recommend traveling alone to a new country when you feel mentally exhausted. Exploring unfamiliar territory offers a temporary escape from existing worries and allows for acclimation to a new environment, resulting in a relief from concerns.
During the trip, you are compelled to take a step back and gain the opportunity to reorganize complex issues and approach them from a different perspective. Ideally, the travel duration should be a minimum of 1-2 weeks.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
Heehong Moon: When it’s a crisis that can be promptly resolved, I make sure to address the issue at hand. However, there are times when situations require a longer duration for resolution. During such instances, it’s possible to experience stress from unresolved issues, which might hinder progress on other tasks.
Though it’s not an easy process, I make an effort to put aside these issues. I take the opportunity to initiate small projects that I had previously wanted to do but couldn’t due to time constraints.
Engaging in the creation of something new is always an enjoyable endeavor, allowing me to immerse myself and momentarily break free from stress.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
Heehong Moon: When dealing with particularly sensitive matters that offer no benefit or could potentially be detrimental to the team as a group, I limit sharing to a select few individuals.
Other than those special cases, I make a concerted effort to maintain transparency in my communication with the team, regardless of challenging circumstances.
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
Heehong Moon: During my experience developing a global SaaS business, I encountered significant inefficiencies resulting from manual processes in various aspects, including app and website translation, banking operations, and data collection for business insights.
These inefficiencies often hinder business owners from dedicating their time to core activities. Moving forward, my goal is to optimize business efficiency by leveraging technology to address inefficiencies across multiple domains, enabling business owners to concentrate on their core operations.
I would recommend other CEO’s do the same but in a way that meets the needs of their businesses.
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
Heehong Moon: When embarking on new projects, our team consistently opt for a small-scale, agile kickoff approach. Rather than investing 100% effort right from the outset, our strategy revolves around quickly building up to that level.
We understand that our initial hypotheses could be off target, therefore, we diligently progress in stages to mitigate risks.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
Heehong Moon: One thing I learned about leadership while overcoming challenging moments is that I should stand strong and maintain the steadfastness as a leader of my company.
When the leader wavers during a crisis, it causes a ripple effect of uncertainty among the company, impacting the overall atmosphere. To manage personal stress, I go on a solo trip or initiate small yet enjoyable projects to revitalize the mood.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Heehong Moon for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Heehong Moon or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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