This week we feature Gaya Kessler, Founder of Formable. Formablelets you create forms you can embed on any website.

In this interview, you can read more about his work at Formable, favorite marketing tools, productivity tips as well as his advice for budding marketers.

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Your location: Deurne, The Netherlands.

Your favorite gadget: My recently rediscovered SNES. Great for when I need some down time.

You start your day with: A good breakfast. Nothing like going over the day in your head while waking up. Also get to hang out with my cats a little (if they’re also awake).

Your favorite time-saving trick: Organize your life.

Your top 3 blogs you read daily: I mostly read what comes up in my Twitter feed. Rarely do I follow a blog.

Describe an average day at Formable?

As Formable is just a one man operation, my day consists mostly of what is on my todo list. I plan everything in small segments so I can manage all different aspects of running a business. I let new ideas grow and eventually find time to develop them into being.

Most days start off by tackling the hardest tasks of the day and answering emails I missed during the weekend or the evening before. Around lunch I take a break to step out of the office and get some fresh air. It’s a great time to reflect on what I am doing or think a problem I might have run into through.

My afternoons are for an loose tasks I have and time to try some new stuff. I try not to do too much heavy thinking during this time as most of my thinking is done in the mornings.

As a Founder/Marketer what are some of your favorite productivity hacks?

My favourite “hack” is keeping a minimal todo-list. Chop every task into smaller tasks so you can have an overview of what is to come and what needs to be done. You’ll find that even large tedious assignments will get a lot easier when you have a good grasp on what you’re doing.

No matter which project management tool you use in your team, having a clear set of tasks will help everybody get work done. You can see what needs to be done and help each other reach the goal!

As a person who is well-versed with online marketing/ inbound, I’m sure you rely on a few marketing tools to automate your efforts. What are the top 3–5 tools you use?

For newsletters I like to use Mailchimp. Social media is managed by hand, time to move to a single platform I guess! All my forms on the different websites are managed in Formable of course.

Your company has a growing community of users. How do you use this treasure trove of customer insight to power your marketing efforts?

I reach out to users and answer all questions myself. This way I can get a good view into what the customer wants and likes. I try to meet up with some users from time to time to get to know their case and see what I can do for them.

Talking and listening to your users will make them feel heard, and they will appreciate it.

What is your strategy for getting people to your site and then converting them to a customer?

Getting mentioned on the right websites is what gets the most traffic. Converting them by offering the right product.

Make visitors excited to go and use your product. Solve a problem they have and let them know you’re the best fit!

Is there any advice you’d like to give to budding marketers to help them work smart and stay productive?

Don’t overdo yourself. You can only work for a specific amount of time a day. Manage your time well and pick your battles. Doing too much will make your work less good.

How do you make use of your downtime? Any hobbies, out of work interests that rejuvenate you?

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I love doing a lot of different things in my spare time. Working out is what keeps my body fit, but also energizes and keeps my mind clean. To really clear out my mind I go for runs. I also practise Jiu Jitsu which gives me a mandatory breather.

Apart from that I love listening to music and going to concerts. Love drinking (single malt) whisky, tasting beer, and sipping red wine. Also have a small obsession with cats

A big thanks to Gaya for taking the time out to answer these questions! If you haven’t already, we highly recommend that you check out Formable.

Managing marketing projects shouldn’t be chaotic — Try Brightpod for free and start focusing on what matters.