Watching and Learning: Interview with Andrew Waldan, CEO of Walden Watches

I recently went one on one with Andrew Waldan, CEO of Waldan Watches..

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. ​How did you get here? ​What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth? 

Andrew: I’m a proud New Yorker and the first generation of my family born here in the United States. My mother and father both worked in watches and jewelry, so I’ve been surrounded by all things watches from a young age. The long-standing joke in the office is that my first visit to Basel was in a stroller. I also attended a French school growing up, as it is a crucial language to know when working in the Swiss watch industry. After having studied International Business at Lynn University, I returned to New York to help my father in 2014/15 when his health began to deteriorate and carried the torch for the Waldan brand when he passed in 2018. After his passing, I ultimately relaunched the family business in the United States in 2020.

Adam: What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Andrew: All of my experiences have been instrumental, that is my simple answer. The journey to growth in life is never a straight one and is riddled with learning experiences that continually and consistently carve out the path we’re currently walking, and I think every little step we take can teach us something about our past and future if we can reflect deep and sincerely enough. 

Failure itself, while sometimes painful, is a great teacher. I remember a particular series of experiences when I had first rejoined the company with my dad in 2013, where I naively tried to test the waters and bring a few retailers on board the old school “cold call” way. I had plenty of doors slammed in my face and phone calls unreturned, which was a sharp punch to the gut for an overdetermined 20-something who thought he had everything to offer. The upside of that, which I had not fully digested until much later, was that I had a valuable experience in learning to deal with rejection which drove me to keep moving forward with a resolute mindset. Being okay with rejection and failure is an essential trait to growth in my book.

Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?

Andrew: In my experience, key steps to growing and scaling your business begin with having a well thought-out and researched plan, corroborated by colleagues, friends or advisors that you trust. Once the plan is confirmed, it’s important to execute that plan as it was laid out. The kicker is that nothing actually goes exactly the way you want in the first few years of a new venture,  but at least you have a road map to stick to as you deal with the bumps along the way. 

Another piece of advice I have is to build a solid team of people you trust and can depend on to manage the needs that you have as your business grows. The key word there being “team”. In my view, when leaders just have “employees”, they have employees who are in a place to do a job. When you have a team, especially in a small business or start up, everyone, despite having somewhat separate responsibilities, is able to work collectively together towards a common goal and develop inter-communication skills within themselves, which boost efficiency. 

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader?

Andrew: First and foremost, the ability to lead instead of direct. Team members respond more to a leader who fights in the trenches with them as opposed to sitting in the command tent with dry boots. Another big one for me is the ability to take your ego out of any situation and analyze things objectively, even if you may be in the wrong. And that leads me to the next one, which is communication and conflict management. An effective leader should be an efficient communicator, and in such, use those skills in any situation that may call for them, particularly with appropriate restraint and demeanor in ones that involves conflict to find a resolution. 

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Andrew: I feel that introspection and education are critical skills for leaders. Introspection can be difficult, but I believe that through self-analysis, meditation and critical thinking, leaders can identify kinks in their own chains, opportunities for growth. Personally, I take 2-3 hours a week, generally split up in 30 minute or 1 hour periods whenever I can find the time to sit in a quiet room and reflect on things that have happened recently, or situations that were dissatisfactory to me, and what I learned from them. It sounds kind of generic and plain, but by the end of it, I’ll have reanalyzed situations and thought out what I can do better in the future should I be in a situation like that again, and this reflection allows me to self-improve.

Education is also an important skill to highlight, my dad always stressed the importance of reading. Reading and educating one’s self on new subject matter is wonderful for personal growth. My father would say that the best thing about books is their ability to offer perspective and a point of view you didn’t have before. You gain the ability to plant yourself in someone’s mind and read exactly what they’re thinking, and that experience teaches us things we may not have known before.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?

Andrew: In general, my advice to leaders and entrepreneurs is actually going to be a non-work tip-  to take care of yourself. Entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders all are routinely in strenuous positions and sometimes office culture isn’t the healthiest and can be pretty taxing on the body. Make time to exercise, stretch, eat nutritious meals and hydrate. You may think you don’t have the time, but you’ll be surprised how much better you perform mentally and physically throughout the day when you take a little time for self-care. Secondly, I’d advice leaders to plan ahead. Whether you’re an entrepreneur figuring out how you’re going to fund and launch your startup, or an executive figuring out your annual plan within your company, or a civic leader deciding on policy that will impact the now and future, think ahead. Think about how your decision impacts you and your time, as well as others, now and over the next few years. It’s never a bad idea to have a game plan for yourself because quite frankly, time passes by pretty quickly and winging it is an efficiency killer. Three carefully planned years could potentially set you six years ahead if well thought-out.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?

Andrew: In my opinion, gone are the days of large team meetings that would make you wonder by the end, “couldn’t that just have been an email?” Sure, there was free food and coffee, but was that worth the hour that could’ve been using to do something else more productive? 

I think the key to building, leading and managing is to be keep teams small, efficient and led by a seasoned team leader. Communication is key, as well as having a solid dynamic within the team where everyone understands the level of priority and their own responsibilities and are able to act independently. 

Trust is unequivocally as important, if not the most important. I cannot stress how important it is to be able to trust your team and team leaders and have them trust you. Vulnerability and honesty will get you everywhere and the combination of the above creates a stronger team dynamic and positive atmosphere in the workplace. 

Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of sales, marketing and branding?

Andrew: Stay original, organic and true to your ethos. Individuality is everything nowadays, especially in markets oversaturated with similar product. Focus on connecting with people organically instead of just marketing to them and hopefully the rest falls into place! 

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Andrew: Never be afraid to be your own person, a gem from my father.