Boris Ehm

Why this persona fits the audience

He founded a 14-person HR tech startup in Berlin and personally oversees review requests on G2 and Google after onboarding. He uses a simple spreadsheet, canned emails, and a few free tracking tools, and has not paid for a review platform before.

• Age: 38
• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Occupation: Founder and CEO
• Income: €95k
• Education: MSc in computer science
• Company size: 14
• Years in role: 5

“Every piece of feedback, every review, is a data point. We need to understand it, learn from it, and use it to build something truly valuable.”

Boris Ehm's journey into entrepreneurship began not with a grand vision, but with a persistent problem he encountered during his early career in software development. He saw firsthand how crucial customer trust and validation were for product success, yet how fragmented and manual the process of gathering authentic reviews often was. Armed with an MSc in Computer Science from a reputable German university and a keen analytical mind, he decided to build a solution. Five years ago, he founded his HR tech startup in Berlin, initially working from his small apartment. He bootstrapped the company aggressively, prioritizing lean operations and reinvesting every possible euro back into product development. This frugality is deeply ingrained; he still manages the company's review generation process himself using a meticulously organized spreadsheet, a set of carefully crafted canned email templates, and a few free online tracking tools. He believes in understanding the customer journey intimately, which is why he personally oversees the post-onboarding review requests, seeing it as a vital feedback loop rather than just a marketing task. His income of €95k reflects his role as CEO and founder, but a significant portion is reinvested into the company. He lives in a shared apartment in Kreuzberg, a conscious choice to maintain financial flexibility and focus resources on his startup's growth. Boris is driven by a desire for founder independence and a belief in the power of focused, experimental approaches to problem-solving. He is not afraid of hard work, often putting in long hours, but he is also increasingly aware of the need to build sustainable systems that don't rely solely on his personal bandwidth. His recent decision to explore more automated ways to manage review collection stems from a desire to scale this critical function without compromising its authenticity or incurring significant upfront costs, reflecting his core value of frugal experimentation.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Boris's typical weekday starts at 6:30 AM with a quick check of overnight metrics and emails. After a brief breakfast with his family, he heads to his home office by 8:00 AM. His morning is usually packed with team stand-ups, product development discussions, and reviewing marketing campaign performance. He personally handles customer outreach for reviews after onboarding, sending out personalized (though templated) emails and tracking responses in a spreadsheet. Lunch is a quick affair, often at his desk while reading industry news. Afternoons involve strategic planning, investor updates (if applicable), and problem-solving with his engineering or marketing leads. He aims to wrap up by 6:30 PM to have dinner with his family, though late-night work sessions are not uncommon when deadlines loom.

Lifestyle

Boris leads a structured but busy life. His mornings begin early with a quick coffee and scanning industry news before his daughter wakes. Weekends are dedicated to family time, often involving trips to parks or museums in Berlin, and occasional visits to his parents in Potsdam. He's not one for extravagant spending, preferring to save for future investments or company growth. He enjoys cooking simple, healthy meals and occasionally unwinds by reading non-fiction books related to business or technology. Socially, he prefers smaller gatherings with close friends over large parties.

Work life

Boris is deeply immersed in the day-to-day operations of his HR tech startup. He spends a significant portion of his time analyzing user data, refining product features, and strategizing marketing efforts. He directly manages his small team, fostering a culture of focused execution. The pressure to grow the company while maintaining lean operations is constant. He's particularly hands-on with customer acquisition and retention, which is why he personally handles the follow-up for reviews on platforms like G2 and Google. His current focus is on optimizing the onboarding process to encourage more organic feedback.

Relationships

Boris is married to Lena, who provides a creative counterpoint to his analytical nature. They are a strong partnership, supporting each other's professional endeavors. His daughter, Clara, is his primary motivation outside of work. He maintains a small circle of close friends, mostly fellow entrepreneurs he met during his studies or early startup days, with whom he shares challenges and insights.

How they decide

Boris is a highly analytical and research-driven decision-maker. He prefers to gather data, weigh pros and cons systematically, and often consults with his core team before committing to a course of action. He is not impulsive and values evidence over intuition, especially when it comes to business strategy and resource allocation. He is willing to experiment but only after careful consideration and with clear metrics for success.

How they sound

Boris speaks with a clear, measured tone, often pausing to formulate his thoughts precisely. His German accent is noticeable but not strong. He avoids slang and overly casual language in professional settings, preferring direct and factual communication. He tends to use technical terms accurately and can be quite detailed when explaining complex processes. He rarely expresses strong emotions openly, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.