So, let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.
My name is Daria Leshchenko; I am the CEO and Managing Partner at SupportYourApp — a Support-as-a-Service company that provides technical and customer support to global startups and businesses. I am also a co-founder of our two spinoff companies — Label Your Data — which deals with data labeling for AI and ML, and Outstaff Your Team, which takes care of the outstaffing services for global tech businesses.
In whatever time I can spare, I love doing sports (squash, for example, is my latest activity of choice), studying (management, coaching, latest technologies — whatever it is, I’m in), and traveling. For example, I have just returned from Lisbon, where I attended this year’s Web Summit.
Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?
The latest one that made it to the HackerNoon TOP list was “Founders, Do You Have a Plan for the End of the World?”. My team and I kept on working and developing through COVID-19, lockdowns, and every other crisis global businesses faced over the last decade. In the article, I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences on withstanding even the biggest shakes and turmoils. I think it is especially important now when the world around us is so unstable and uncertain.
Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?
I usually write about the challenges that I have as a founder, mistakes I have made earlier in my career, advice I would love to share with others, and so on. Something that is near and dear to my heart. I believe this is the best approach for any writer.
Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)
As soon as I narrow the topic down, I just start writing and perfecting the text to make sure it is as engaging as it can be. I also make it as short as I can because I like to be on point and precise. Why waste time writing 10 words, when a thought can be expressed in 5? This is my golden rule of writing.
Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?
I would say time is my biggest constraint. Writing helps me structure my thoughts and experiences. Almost relive it. And I hope every piece I write helps someone make the correct decision or find the right solutions. As every top-tier and C-suite manager knows, our schedules can get quite hectic, so time is a crucial factor in our ability to share our knowledge with our peers and teams.
What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?
The next step for SupportYourApp and me (because, in my mind, we are inseparable) is implementing more AI solutions into our support services. We also keep on adding more value to our core services and offering complex solutions. The progress we are seeing now is not going to slow down, so it is important for businesses and leaders to not follow it, but actually get ahead of it.
I would love to concentrate my attention on creating an ecosystem that will unite people and technology. That is something we have already been doing, but as time and progress go by, I think we need to dive deeper and deeper into the process.
The business world sees a slowdown, so I would like to keep the pace up even despite the economic crisis the world is facing right now. I want us to keep on growing despite it all.
Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?
Interesting question. Now that I think about it, if something brings me pleasure, I do not feel guilty about it. It is as simple as that. So, I guess I can say I don’t have one.
Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?
Sports and reading. These are something my team and I share — a lot of us love running, doing yoga, and generally taking care of ourselves. Only in 2023, we took part in two races in our hometown of Kyiv and our Colombian team took part in the Intercontinental Cali 10K De La Luz run. I run and play squash. It keeps my head clear and relaxes me.
As for reading — my team and I are on our 11th book of the year right now. In 2023, we tackled books like The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (which is my favorite this year) and Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update by Donella H. Meadows, Jorgen Randers, and Dennis Meadows.
What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?
It will depend on the challenges we will be facing at that particular moment and the evolution of my interests.
What’s your opinion on HackerNoon as a platform for writers?
It gives us the possibility to open up about things that worry us, as well as find people who share our interests and can discuss these topics with us. It helps us create and grow a community of peers. HackerNoon is also a good resource for those who are seeking knowledge and want to learn more about complicated matters, but in simple words.
Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?
Stay curious and follow the flow, everybody.