Under the Hood with Carmoola Co-Founder... Aidan

Well hello there, and welcome to the first in our series of "Under the Hood". In this series, we're going to chat with the team behind Carmoola, and share with you what we find. And, no, it's not going to be one of those boring interviews with bog standard questions. We're getting deep, up close, and personal. And if there's a burning question you'd love to ask, drop us a message in the comments and we'll get it sorted for you 🙌 So let's crack on with the first in our series... the lovely Aidan Rushby, CEO and Co-Founder at Carmoola!

So you're the first one to get quizzed in our series of "Under the Hood". How are you feeling about it? 😁

Yes, super excited!!

Amazing! So we're going to ask some pretty personal questions 😉 are you ready for that?

Hmmmm I think so, what are you going to ask me?

Ha! You'll have to wait and see... So a good place to start, is to learn a bit more about you. Let's pretend we're on a first date 💖 and I say "so tell me a bit about yourself, Aidan".

(He sighs at my question and cringes!)  So I'm Aidan, 35 years old, obsessed with business, interested in the science of habits, love playing tennis, running and sailing. 

We'd love to know, what values do you live your life by?

I think learning is so important, learning everyday. I prioritise Experiences over material things, and am always telling myself and the team to "enjoy the journey"... because getting to the end results is never the exciting bit!

What does a typical day look like for you? 

So I'm a morning person, and it's not unusual for me to be up thinking (about Carmoola!!) from about 5am. I do try and chill out but sometimes it's just best to get up and crack on with some work. I always walk down to get a coffee around 7am, take the dogs with me, and then come back to read the FT. After that I do my morning meditation, and watch a motivational video on Youtube. I love the one from Denzel Washington, such a great speech. Usually my work day is filled with quite a few calls, either with the team, investors or other contacts of mine. I'm a people person so I love connecting with people, bouncing ideas, it helps inspire and motivate me. Around lunchtime I go for a 5k run. We stop for dinner around 6pm, I like an early dinner as I'm usually pretty hungry, and then there are often bits of work to finish off afterwards. I also make time to read for an hour everyday. Because I'm a morning person, I go to bed pretty early, and fall asleep listening to the Ricky Gervais Show.

Everyone has good days and bad days. What makes it a "great day" for you?

I love face to face meetings with interesting, curious people. If I could throw a tennis lesson in there too, that would be perfect! 🎾

What is the most difficult decision you've ever had to make?

Has to be leaving my last business. I spent 8 years building it, and knew that leaving would cause a lot of pain for a lot of people, but deep down I knew it was the right thing to do.

Which book have you read 📚 that you think should be added into mainstream education, and why?

I'd have to add two in there. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, I think it's important for people to understand about financial freedom, and the value of money. It's about mindset, and reaching your goals.

And Atomic Habits by James Clear, which is all about how to build positive habits into your life to enable you to achieve great things.

And what's the best TV series 📺 you've ever watched?

Ooh that's a tough one. I'm not a big TV watcher but there have been some amazing series we've watched over the past few years. I have to say Line of Duty. But also Homeland is pretty amazing. Love Island is my guilty pleasure!

What is the most important thing you've learnt in your life, so far? 

Never ever give up! I think grit and determination is really one of the things that sets successful people apart from others. Also, the brain is so powerful, and complex! 

What is something you think is fundamentally wrong?

It has to be the state of the planet. It's scary how fast things are changing and I'm sad that people struggle so much to think about what happens in the future.

What is the most common misconception others have about you, and why might they think that?

Often, people who don't know me well mistake me as selfish, but I am actually quite generous! I like to get on with stuff, be productive, and I guess that can come across as a bit single-minded.

What's the naughtiest thing you've ever done? 😈

It's got to be getting suspended from school for tripping up a teacher! I was pretty "naughty" at school, to be fair. I would always ask "why?" and once convinced the whole class not to talk to a teacher for the whole lesson.

Imagine yourself as an old man 👴🏻 looking back at your achievements. What do you see?

I'd like to look back and see that I've left a lasting impression on the world - for good! 

What are some cool things on your bucket list? 🪣

I'd love to do the Dakar Rally, and do the round the world Clipper Race. 

And your favourite place in the world?

Tough one to choose, I've probably got two. I love Thailand and Bangkok in particular (not the touristy bits). I find the chaos just fascinating, and the Thai people are so lovely. But I also love Majorca. Palma in particular. The food is incredible, weather is spot on, and I love the Tennis club!

Can you cook? If so, what would you cook to impress your friends at a dinner party? 👨🏻‍🍳

Oh yes! I'm always the one who actually cooks at dinner parties, whereas a lot of my friends just order a fancy Deliveroo for everyone - you know who you are!! I do a good Tapas spread, with some Pil-pil prawns, teriyaki steak, padron peppers, tuna tartar etc. Or maybe on a colder day I would do a really nice BBQ beef rib. 

What's your guilty-pleasure hangover cure food?

Got to be a cheeky nandos! I order a double chicken wrap, peri-peri chips and macho peas!

We know you read, a LOT. What are your top books that you think others will love?

• Shoe Dog, Phil Knight
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey
• The Ride of a Lifetime, Robert Iger
• Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela
• Limitless, Jim Kwik
• Stealing Fire, Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal
• Tiny Habits, BJ Fogg
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz
• AlphaBrain, Stephen Duneier
• Bad Blood, John Carreyrou
• Team Spirit, Brendan Hall

Tell us 2 truths and 1 lie 😜

1. When I was 17 I had my one and only car crash while trying to show a friend how fast I can drive into a supermarket car park! Everyone heard me and I was so embarrassed
2. In my first job, I left my bosses hand brake off her car and it rolled all the way down the hill onto the road causing a huge traffic jam! And it blocked the main road the city!
3. I once opened my car door on a bollard, and the door fell off!
   
   

Let us know which you think is the lie, in the comments 👇

When Carmoola launches, which car do you want to buy?

BMW M140i, in gunmetal grey. I was actually planning to buy this car, and the process of paying for it was so painful, that I got the idea for Carmoola! 

Lastly, tell us your thoughts about Carmoola!

I think people are going to love it! I can't wait to see people using it to buy their dream car 😄

Do you have more questions for Aidan? If you do, please SHARE them with us in the comments below! We will update the blog with your questions, aaaaaaand answer them live on Instagram next week 🥰