Product owner Robin has been part of the Flow team for three months, where he translates customer needs and wants to the development teams. He's a fan of the One Cent Challenge, is teaching himself handyman skills to remodel his dream home, and has his own podcast about personal finance.
Purpose millennial
"My first month at Flow I got to work from a vacation home in Portugal. I think it's really cool how much flexibility and freedom I get in my work. At the same time I also have to be flexible, because because Flow is growing fast, there isn't always a lot of structure. But I think that's cool, too, because it means there's a lot of room for personal input, and I can really seize opportunities this way. And I fully support the product, because I really believe that technology can help people move forward. I'm one of those purpose millennials, who thinks: if our product works well, people will save more, spend less, have fewer financial problems, and ultimately the world will be a better place."
Critical Questioner
"At Flow, I am responsible for the ongoing development of the product, in the broadest sense of the word. For example, I deal with marketing and communication, but mainly with: what are we going to build? To determine that, I am constantly researching what customers need, and translating that to our development teams. I find out how much time it will cost us to make a modification to the product, and what it will give us. That's how I prioritise. We can come up with a thousand things we want to improve about Flow, but which ones are the most important, and at the same time doable? As a critical questioner who relies on data, I gather evidence that something is a good idea - or not."
Peanut butter
"I'm not very good at sitting quietly and relaxing. I find my relaxation mostly through exercising, with tennis or crossfit. I love to push myself to the limit that way. That's my way of clearing my head. Because I work out a lot, I eat a lot of quark. Preferably with a good spoonful of peanut butter in it."
Podcast about Savings
"Four days a week I work for Flow, and one day I work for myself. I have a great fascination with personal finance, which is why Flow and I are such a good match. That one day a week I spend on the Spaarpodcast. In it I make personal finance accessible by explaining subjects in a simple and fun way. In this way I want to trigger people to make better financial decisions. My podcast covers a wide range of topics: from people who want to become financially independent and explaining investing to how to divide expenses in a relationship. Because I've been working on these kinds of topics for so long, I can relate well to Flow's target audience - and I'm one of them myself."
The Value of Money
"I was taught from home to be conscious of money. If I or one of my brothers and sister wanted to borrow the car, we had to pay our parents a small symbolic amount for the gas. In this way they taught us the value of money. If we went out for the day, we always brought our own sandwiches and a packet of drinks. These are small choices, but they have a big impact. Also on me, because it ensured that I saved money from an early age, and started investing at an early age. And with money from those jars, my girlfriend and I were able to pay for part of our house."
Old House
"Last year, my girlfriend and I bought a house, which we are renovating ourselves as much as possible. I'm not exactly super handy, but it's cool to learn things I can't do yet. For example, I dug out the entire garden with my own hands and painted all the rooms in the house. I am proud of the fact that I really persevere when I want to finish a job. Only hanging lamps, I keep putting that off, haha!"
Magically beautiful
"I think Flow has a really beautiful design, it's a really bold product. It makes me feel magically great to use Flow to automate all my expenses and jars. And I'm a big fan of the One Cent Challenge, where you start saving one cent on day one, and every day you save a cent more. So through a piece of technology, we can help people put money aside. I do think Flow could be a bit simpler still. Building your own flow, for example, is quite complicated. That's why I'm going to do my best to make the app even simpler."
More, more, more
"I don't have a big money dream. I'm happy in my work, learning a lot, and earning enough to have a nice life. I don't need to be financially independent or have tons of money. Of course, sometimes I think: if we had a little more money, my girlfriend and I could finish our house the way we envision it. But that dormer in the attic will come one day. It doesn't always have to be more, more, more. It's good to be satisfied with what you have."
