Carry Yourself with Conviction: Interview with Paul O’Reilly-Hyland, founder and CEO of Zeamo

I recently went one on one with Paul O’Reilly-Hyland, founder and CEO of Zeamo.

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? 

Paul: I’ve always had a passion for fitness and because of my personal passion for fitness, I made it my professional mission to make it easy and affordable for companies to provide choice and flexibility in fitness to all employees no matter where they work.

Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas? 

Paul: I traveled a lot for work but needed to continue training for my upcoming triathlons while I was on the road. The company I worked for at the time provided us with a local gym membership, but that was of no use to me when I traveled. Meanwhile, when I wasn’t on the road, I enjoyed the luxury of working out close to home. I knew there were other employees like me, but companies didn’t have the solution to cater to our fitness needs -  so I created Zeamo! Zeamo was the solution I wanted my employers to provide. The platform makes it easy for employers to provide gym access to all employees, regardless of their geographic location, while also allowing companies to encourage and reward employees to be active and fit. My advice is that a great idea is rarely easy and quick to succeed. Be prepared for the long haul. It’s a marathon not a sprint, unless you get lucky.

Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea? 

Paul: Before I pursued my idea, I interviewed many friends and former colleagues from the fitness industry to see if they thought the idea was worth wild. My former colleague, a CEO of one of the largest gym chains in the US, assured me it was a strong business idea when he invested in the company and joined me for the journey. If at all possible, building a simple prototype and getting it in front of a sample audience is a great way to make sure there is demand and there are no major hurdles in your immediate future.

Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level? 

Paul: I built a two-sided platform. On one side, we require partnerships with gyms, and on the other side, are corporations looking to supply their employees with a solution like ours. I grew our supply from the get-go and started working with some great corporations to get our product out there. Getting enough capital and adding team members who are experienced in executing was our next key step. Taking your business to the next level requires having the right people and capital at your fingertips. 

Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips? 

Paul: Your sales team has to truly believe in your product or offering. As a start up, your employees should not just see it as a sales job but it should be their obsession. Creating brand ambassadors out of your sales and marketing team is the easiest way to achieve success. 

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Paul: Being on the front line and encouraging transparent communication from the top down is key to foster trust with your team. Prior to COVID, we all worked together in the same office so communication was constant and easy. Although we’re in a hybrid workspace, communication is still a top priority. To make sure we’re always in sync, we hold daily stand-up meetings and use communication tools like Slack to communicate on a frequent basis.

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

Paul: Give your employees the necessary tools to succeed and empower them to make their own decisions and chase results without constant oversight. We do this by setting achievable and realistic KPIs to ensure we’re aligned with our expectations but also allowing employees the creative liberty for how they want to cross the finish line. 

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

Paul: Carry yourself with conviction, be dedicated to your mission and allow flexibility when it comes to ideating and iterating products to meet market demands.    

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

Paul: To listen, learn and not be deterred so long as you have conviction. 

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Paul: Always expect the unexpected! Some of the most beautiful and memorable experiences of my career and launching my business have come from moments we didn’t plan, but we wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for them. 


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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