Founder Urban Connect | Corporate Mobility Expert | EY Entrepreneur of the Year | Bilanz Digital Shaper | Speaker
It took me 10 years to say thank you.🥹 Back when we started Urban Connect, I reached out to hundreds of companies in the hope that one of them agrees that shared bikes for employees is a smart idea. We either got rejections or no answers at all. Only one company - Google - invited us for a meeting. At the end of the presentation, the Googler asked "How do you know Urs?" Young and naive as I was, I had no clue who he was referring to, but back home I checked who I had mistakenly assumed to be the "CSR manager" of Google Switzerland and therefore reached out to by mail. It turned out to be Urs Hölzle, Google #8 employee and SVP Engineering. All he did was forwarding my email, but it made all the difference and definitely counts as a "butterfly effect" moment in our company history. Without Google as a first and for a long time only client - initiated though this email - we would not have been able to sustain. By chance I met Urs last week at the swisscleantech event and finally got my chance to thank him in person. It was a touching and big moment for me and served as such a good reminder that our success is often built on the support and kindness of others. But also a reminder that if you are in a position of influence, remember that supporting someone else’s journey does not always mean a big time or money invest. Sometimes a simple act (like forwarding an email) can transform someone's trajectory. So let’s all pay it forward when we can❤️
Thanks also to Lucas Stolwijk and the wonderful David Nasseri for all your support and helpful impulses to get better over the years! ❤️🤸🏽♂️🚀🔧🚲👯♀️⚽️⚽️⚽️🔥🔥
Judith Häberli, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story. We are so proud of the work you are doing with Urban Connect. Leaders like you and Urs Hölzle inspire us all. #Amswiss
Good story!
It’s amazing how micro events can shape individuals and companies futures. Do create opportunities for others especially when they are starting out, it can have wonderful results.
beautiful story with an important message, thank you Judith. I am very pleased that swisscleantech was able to serve as a platform for the meeting 😀
What a wonderful story - pay it forward! (cc: Yong Liang Mun )
Keep shining! 🥰
So so true! Thanks for sharing. And Urs is always thoughtful and kind and authentic, even otherwise.
What an inspiring story! In his book 'How Google Works,' Eric Schmidt wrote, 'The purpose of leadership is to optimize the flow of information throughout the company, all the time, every day.' This feels like a great example of that.
MarCom | PR | Creative | Producer Talks about #GlobalSuccess, founder of #TogetherLetsGrow and #5MinutesBeKind
2wThanks for sharing Urban Connect's story, Judith, which proves that kindness and business truly go hand in hand. It's a powerful reminder that success often stems from the support and generosity of others. This resonates deeply with my initiative 5minutesbekind, promoting small acts of kindness that create big impacts. 💛 Wishing you continued success for your company.