Jenny Konkin
Whole Way House · Vancouver
Jenny’s work through Whole Way House shows me what it means to give your life to serving others. Her perseverance and care go beyond a roof, restoring dignity and belonging for vulnerable seniors and people at risk of homelessness. Her example challenges me to serve with the same resolve: keep showing up, even when the work is hard.
C. S. Lewis
Writer and Christian thinker
In The Screwtape Letters, Lewis exposes how concern for distant people can coexist with unkindness towards our immediate neighbours. His writing brings attention back to character and everyday conduct. I want to start with my own conduct, serve the people around me and help make my community a better place for my family.
Elon Musk
First-principles thinking
I’m interested in first-principles reasoning and the willingness to question problems an industry has accepted as fixed. New technology can make a simpler approach possible, but it still needs a clear understanding of the problem. I return to the question: what must actually be true, and what are we simply assuming?
Taiichi Ohno
Flow and the Toyota Production System
I return to the idea of studying the work itself before trying to improve it. In commercial work, I look at handoffs, process, and the buyer experience to see where friction appears.
Steve Jobs
Technology shaped around people
I admire the focus on bringing technology together around a simpler human experience. As I explore AI, I ask whether a tool makes a real task clearer or easier for the person doing it.
Fred Voccola
A mission customers can believe in
I’m drawn to Fred’s ability to cut through noise and give a market a clear purpose. The idea of tradespeople as second responders resonates with my own trades background: they keep essential services working. It reminds me to build positioning around the importance of the customer’s work, then show how the product helps them do it.
Timothy Keller
Christian faith and thoughtful questions
Timothy Keller’s teaching connects Christian faith with the questions people bring to everyday life. His writing explores belief, doubt and the place of faith in work and community.
John Mark Comer
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
John Mark Comer challenges me to put faith into daily practice. The habits I choose shape who I become, and I want that person to reflect the patience, love and self-giving example of Jesus.
My dad
Work, family and community
My dad spent his working life in blue-collar work and built a tool and machinery rental business across multiple locations. What stays with me is the lasting local jobs and the care for his community. His example shapes how I think about responsibility: a strong business should create stability and opportunity beyond its owner.
Books I return to
The Challenger Sale
Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
Bring something useful to the conversation. A good commercial discussion helps someone see their problem more clearly before asking for a commitment.
A thread through my sales and messaging work.
Product-Led Growth
Wes Bush
Let the product remove friction where it can. Use skilled people where context, risk and change still require a conversation.
Part of my thinking about StandardFusion’s growth motion.
Renegade Marketing
Drew Neisser
A clear point of view helps cut through noise. Remove what does not support it so the customer does not inherit the company’s complexity.
A useful lens for positioning and the move upmarket.
Never Split the Difference
Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
My all-time favourite. Listen carefully and understand someone’s world well enough to discuss the real problem. Empathy is practical work.
It comes back to listening first.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
John Mark Comer
A slower, more intentional approach to life. Comer explores how stepping away from constant hurry can make room for relationships, attention and spiritual health.
Mere Christianity
C. S. Lewis
Lewis explores the shared foundations of Christian belief, connecting questions of faith with character, moral choices and everyday life.