We spoke with Steve Kirkpatrick, CFO and Head of Biz Dev at Focal Upright Furniture—one of the first companies to hire a Fellow—to hear more about how the Providence-based company is revolutionizing the work day by creating ergonomic furniture.
Designed by Martin Keen, founder of Keen Footwear, Focal’s standing desks and leaning seats are radically different from traditional office furniture. Working with Steve to further the Upright revolution are four current Fellows and one 2013 alum. Speaking from experience—we have two of Focal’s Locus Workstations at HQ, and a brand new Confluence conference table, complete with a whiteboard top—Focal Upright Furniture is changing office life for the better.
To learn more about Steve and Focal Upright Furniture, visit their website.
On Startup Life & Building a Successful Company
Where does the Focal Upright story begin?
Our Founder, Martin Keen, designs unattractive products.
At least that’s what he’s been told.
As an industrial designer, Martin is relentlessly driven to create products that are, above all, functional. For him, form must follow function. This simple philosophy has led Martin to create products that radically challenge convention.
It’s hard to remember now, but back in 2002, before Martin launched KEEN Footwear, the idea of a sandal with a protective toe covering was inconceivable. Then, open-toed sandals with nylon strapping were everywhere. When KEEN Footwear debuted, the sandals were hailed as the ugliest shoes ever. Yet, even in a world where fashion reigns supreme, they became an instant hit. KEEN was named the 2003 Launch of the Year by the footwear industry and is now a $300+ million lifestyle brand.
While KEEN Footwear was taking off, Martin was already busy with his next big idea. A perpetual fidgeter, Martin found that he did his best thinking while standing up, but he could only stand comfortably for an hour or two at a time. So, Martin set out to design himself a new kind of chair: one that kept him both physically engaged and comfortable. His fix was a leaning seat that put him in a position halfway between sitting and standing. This seat hardly looked like a chair to anyone but Martin. One friend said it looked like a medieval torture device, and his own wife rolled her eyes at the design. But Martin remained undeterred.
In 2012, Martin took his leaning seat to the premier design show in NYC, where it quickly won people over with its healthier working posture. Focal Upright was born, and this new company is busy defining a whole new category of active ergonomic seats. Since its inception Focal has introduced several new products, won ergonomic and design awards, and grown to over 20 employees, including 4 VFA Fellows and one VFA Alum.
What’s one unexpected perk and one unexpected challenge of life as a startup executive?
One unexpected perk is getting to be a part of a team that is fundamentally trying to change the way the world works.
Everyone at Focal Upright is driven to create products that bring play back to the workplace.
Let’s face it, very few people consider their work play. Why? Because they aren’t engaged with their work or their workspace. Focal Upright’s designs shake up the normal workplace order. They empower you to move and think freely, so you can be fully in the flow.
Like most startups we have had our shortcomings and setbacks, but the team seems to derive resilience from the fact that we buy into our mission and enjoy working together towards a higher goal. That is a big psychological perk.
One unexpected challenge is the multi-disciplinary nature of being a C-level executive in a resource-constrained company. Every day I have to pivot between sales, marketing, finance, accounting, manufacturing, logistics, legal, information technology and human resources. It’s difficult to switch from one thing to the next and maintain effectiveness. As we grow, figuring out how to separate roles and responsibilities and hire or promote people to own these disciplines seems critical to success.
What do you believe are the three most important ingredients of a successful company?
1. People.
In the end, it all comes down to the employees, management, and the board, who collectively are responsible for serving customers profitably. If you have great people with strong mission alignment you’ve got a far better than average chance of doing this well.
2. Business Model.
Starting with a business model that is structurally sound (favorable economics, high barriers to entry, high switching costs, short sales cycle, low capital spending, etc.) is a good way to stack the deck in your favor. Adding operating complexity, long cash conversion cycles, or the need for deep upfront capital investments with uncertain payoffs seems to increase the likelihood of wipeout.
3. Access to Capital.
Entrepreneurship is defined as “the pursuit of opportunity without regard to the resources currently controlled.” This implies that a successful entrepreneur will quickly figure out how to get the requisite resources. I think having access to sufficient resources is critical so as not to spend valuable company building time looking for capital. Too much capital early on can lead to waste, but it is important to scale the resources against the opportunity as it, and the company’s potential, are validated.
Who’s the first person that comes to mind when you hear the word success and why?
My maternal grandmother who immigrated to the US from Germany in the early 1930’s.
She and her husband arrived in the US with no English language skills and very little money. Before too long they started a restaurant Queens, right next door to a factory where there were no good breakfast or lunch options for the workers.
They identified the market opportunity, delivered a quality product, and became economically productive in a very short period of time. Sadly her husband died a few years into running the business, leaving her to run the restaurant while also raising two kids.
She managed to raise the kids, run the business, and get remarried to a man she remained happily married to for over 45 years. After retiring from the business they moved to a house they built on what had been a two-acre potato farm in Huntington, NY they bought while running the restaurant. She grew copious quantities of fresh vegetables and berries, and hosted big family reunions well into her late 70’s – for which she did the lion’s share of the cooking!
Tips, Trick, and Advice
What’s an app or platform that you can’t live without?
This may sound a little old school, but I can’t live without The Economist Podcast—which is basically, word-for-word the articles from The Economist. I’ve got about a 40 minute commute each way to work and listening to The Economist Podcast helps me feel like I’m in touch with business, finance, politics, international relations, science and technology, and other stuff that is both interesting and potentially relevant professionally.
One book or website every aspiring entrepreneur needs to read?
The Entrepreneurial Venture, Harvard Business School Press. Again, pretty old school, but while the widgets change the fundamentals usually don’t.
There’s a lot of career advice out there on how to choose a life path. Some like Joseph Campbell advocate for following your bliss; others like Georgetown professor and best-selling author, Cal Newport, say master a “rare and valuable skill”; and our very own Mike Tarullo says “follow the headroom.” Do you have a helpful motto or maxim for those just beginning or at a crossroads in their career?
Do what comes naturally and what you enjoy. Don’t work with people you don’t like or worse, don’t trust. Make time for the really important things in life like family, friends, exercise and fun—there is always more work to do, so don’t waste your life being totally one-dimensional.
On talent & building a strong team
What do you look for above all else in a new team member? Any advice for other companies who are hiring a new team member?
I like to hire people who have a history of success in competition. Whether it is sports, debate, or performing arts, every successful person has to have the desire and ability to succeed, combined with the resilience to go back to practice the day after a tough loss. Getting back up after defeat, reframing, and moving forward is exactly analogous to a challenging and rewarding professional career. I want to work with people who are prepared to do this every day.
My advice to other companies looking to hire is to wait for Focal Upright to pick our favorite VFA Fellows… and then hire anyone else in the VFA program.
In the world of startups, shorter employment terms for young professionals can be common. What’s your philosophy on creating a culture and experience that retains top talent?
We try to give our young professionals plenty of opportunity. They learn quickly, partly out of necessity and partly because they know that on any given day we may ask them to run this part of our business. This unbounded opportunity seems to be both inspiring and at times overwhelming—probably a lot like what they are used to as students from top colleges and universities.
What advice do you have for recent college grads joining a startup?
Joining a startup is a great opportunity to get a global perspective on how business works. In a startup you can begin to understand all the parts of the business and how they interrelate. I’m not sure if the same can be said for a recent graduate plugged into a line management role in a large organization. Startups have their downsides, so be certain that the experience is worth the risks you’ll bear as a part of one.
More about Focal Upright Furniture
Why is Focal Upright a game changer? Is it really worth it to switch to standing desks?
Focal Upright is a game changer.
Before Focal Upright, people either worked standing up or sitting down. There was no healthy in-between.
Focal Upright allows people to get all the benefits of standing (more movement and physical engagement) and all of the comfort of sitting.
Our leaning seats and perching stools encourage you to twist, spin, bounce, move, and groove. Our adjustable standing desk seats, standing desks, and standing-height conference tables keeps your body moving so you can keep your work flowing.
Recently we’ve shifted our marketing tagline to Make.Work.Play. By making work more play-like, users will be able to be tap into their humanity at the office, and become healthier, happier and more productive by doing so.
Where is the ergonomic furniture space headed in the next 5-10 years and how is Focal well-positioned for the change?
We think furniture generally is going to become more human-centered and body-conscious over the next 5-10 years. Research is focusing more and more on what types of environments we need to be healthy and productive and this will play out in all types of products from furniture, to lighting to collaboration space layouts.
Focal is trying to be a leader in challenging the status quo by offering solutions that people want to use because they are more fun, engaging and comfortable than the alternatives. By being an early leader in seating for use with standing desks, we hope to become the de facto seating standard as workplaces around the world embrace the upright revolution.
Where can people go to learn more about you and what you’re building at Focal Upright?
Our website is a great resource and we always welcome visitors to our world HQ in North Kingstown, RI.