What is new at UpSteam?

Meet the Team: Martin Kristerson, CEO and Founder

7/12/2020

Have you met Martin, the heart and soul of UpSteam? You probably have. He is the CEO, founder and ultimate idea generator. Fun fact - did you know that when he first started the company in 2015, it was called SteamWash. We asked him to explain his job to a 4-year-old and this is what he came up with. “Everybody play’s their instrument - guitarist plays the guitar, pianist plays the piano, drummer plays the drums, etc. My job is to help my team play those instruments together into one good piece of music." Many of you already know him but there are more of you that don't. This is your chance to know him little bit better through this 5 Question Interview

Who did you want to become when you were little?
- It’s a funny (but true) story. I was about 4-5 years old when the president of Estonia, Lennart Meri, was giving an interview in front of ETV cameras. Together with my mom and uncle, we were standing about 10 metres away from him in the crowd. I had a toy gun in my hand and I went to see who that interesting man was. When I approached Lennart, he picked me up, walked into his Mercedes and started driving around the court with me. My uncle thought that our president was kidnaping me but he was just giving me a fun ride. When he dropped me off he said: “Martin, you might become the next president of Estonia.”.
Because of that story my mom told me, and also because I was a quite a chatty kid, I thought wanted to become a politician or a lawyer.
When I graduated High school and finished the Estonian military, I applied for studying Law in Tartu University. I was the first one in the end of the line to not get accepted and my 2nd choice was studying business. To this day I am thankful that I didn’t get accepted to law school, because very quickly I realised that I’ve always enjoyed building new things, working with people and having an unlimited potential for providing value for many people.

Do you like karaoke? What kind of song would you choose (even, if you don’t like it)?
- I tend to sing a lot. I do it in the office, in the shower or wherever I get the mood for it. So, karaoke is obviously a thing I like. I love all kinds of music, but I like to sing along to good classical American country songs (e.g Chris Janson - "Buy Me A Boat").

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
- “Be unfu*kwithable”

Which of your achievements are you most proud of?
- My biggest physical achievement is when I did 66 minutes of planking in a row (I was in top shape in the military). Other than that I am super-proud that I picked up the courage to start a company.

Tell us a joke that you like
- Why did the golfer change his shirt? Because he had a hole-in-one (big fan of dad jokes).

What is this?

5 Question Interview is a post series in which we share unknown facts about our team members. UpSteam is growing fast and so is our team - we try to introduce each of our new hires like that as soon as possible. Many of our fans and followers have said that they would like to know what happens behind the scenes and who are the people making it happen - we hope this delivers. If you like this type of content then we will keep bringing you these posts while prioritizing the fresh faces.

Ps. We take recommendations for new and interesting questions. Share your ideas in the comments!

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5 Question Interview: Valjo Kütt, Chief Operating Officer (COO) & Co-founder

26/11/2020

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Meet the team: Valjo Kütt, Chief Operating Officer (COO) & Co-founder. He's one of the three founding fathers of your favorite car care innovation. Similarly to other founders, he was also a top level performer in Southwestern book selling program and joined UpSteam in late 2016 when Martin pitched him the future of Car wash! Age old question: what does a COO do? To put it to simple terms that even a 4 yo would understand: If something is broken, then he fixes it and makes sure everybody knows how to use it. But he also takes care of expansion, finances, and overall leadership. Not gonna blab on for much longer as you probably already know him (everyone knows him, literally!) but here's an insight into what makes Valjo have that million dollar smile day in and day out.

What are three of your favourite things in this world?
- Spending time with my fiance,
- Building UpSteam, achieving milestones and having fun with our team,
- Working on my hobbies: golf and investing.

Who did you want to become when you were little?
- As much as I remember, I wanted to become a footballer. I started playing football when I was 7 years old, became a captain of my youth team and played 13 games in Estonian National Youth Football teams, against Germany and Belgium etc. But blessing in disguise - I got injured in highschool and from then on, I knew I wanted to become an entrepreneur.

What makes you happy?
- Seeing people around me happy. And if I get to spend my time doing the 3 favourite things I mentioned in question nr 1.

What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
- I downloaded the Sleep Cycle app recently and tried out the premium feature that records you while you sleep. It turns out that I talk in my sleep and make funny noises!

If you were to receive 400 million euros today, how would you live the rest of your life?
- Most of my daily life would remain the same. But I would start giving back to the community a lot more. I grew up in a not-very-wealthy neighbourhood and I believe there’s a lot to do with the education in our middle and high schools, especially within financial literacy. Secondly, I have always dreamt of creating small startup-hubs - houses-apartments where startups can live together and have offices in the same building also (like in the TV show Silicon Valley). I want to give the resources and freedom to young entrepreneurs, who can build products-services that change the world and create jobs within the communities.

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5 Question Interview: Lisann Mikson, Customer Support (CS)

6/11/2020

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Meet the Team: Lisann Mikson, Customer Support (CS). Her cute voice is what you hear on the other side of the phone when you end up calling us in Estonia. She joined our team in the end of summer this year and instantly felt like a great cultural fit. "If someone wants UpSteam to wash their car, I’m the one to make it happen." - quotes by Lisann when talking to bunch of 4-years olds. It really shows how everyone in our team takes full ownership for their role and understand how valuable they are. In case you were wondering who you are talking to on the phone, here's a glimpse through the interview.

What is your unusual habit that not many people do?
- Rearranging furniture monthly. I just need that occasional change.

Are you a cat or dog person? Why?
- My whole life I thought I was a dog person, but that changed as I opened my home up to the most graceful and good-hearted kitty-cat. Cats are a bit more introverted and I realised that I might just vibe more with them.

Do you plan or swing it? Why?
- Balance is everything. I enjoy planning to automate some tasks and create routines, but I never keep a close eye on the plan. I just do it to know the direction so that I can swing it along the way and maintain the element of surprise and stay creative.

What’s your spirit animal? Why?
- Bisons. I’ve been mesmerised by them since I was a kid. They’re big and strong and messy and wild and they just don’t seem to give a damn.
(editors comment: might as well include the link she shared)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxDlsfpBKqA

Tell us a joke that you like
- A knock-knock joke where you tell the other person to start.

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5 Question Interview: Siim Pukk, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

1/10/2020

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Meet the Team: Siim Pukk, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). He’s the guy behind the camera when Martin is talking unrealistically fast and who makes all the grammar errors in those emails. Siim joined us in spring of 2019 to help launch new markets and products. His background comes from sales and business - before UpSteam, he had a boutique branding agency with what he consulted companies on brand marketing and was part of two early stage startups in different industries. He would explain his job to a 4-years old as showing car owners how to clean their car without going to a car wash and investing it toward family time instead. If you were wondering who's (literally) behind the scene and writes these posts then here's a brief insight into his life.

What are the ways you keep your mind and body active?
- I work out 5 times a week and have a killer morning routine:
5:20 - wake up
5:25 - 5:55 - drink coffee and read a book
6:00 - 7:30 - Work out in a gym
7:40 - 8:10 - Take bus to work, listen to podcast/audiobook during

I also invest a lot of time in learning the ins and outs of Marketing, Business, Mental health, and much more.

Name a book that was once in a lifetime for you
- “Hard things about the hard things” by Ben Horowitz. True business handbook that I would recommend to any business owner or anyone in a management position in fact. It’s a book you can always come back to and re-read..

What is your unusual habit that not many people do?
- I keep a voice diary. It basically means that I record myself talking to... well, myself. I take notes during the week of things that bother me and talk them through once a week. It’s kind of like a therapy session with myself.

If you knew you were going to die by the end of the week, how would you live your last days?
- I would take time to be with my family and make all the bold decisions that make me happy at that moment without thinking about any consequences.

Have you ever cried because of a movie? What movie was it?
- Yes. Last one was "The art of racing in the rain". If you seen the movie, you know the scene.

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5 Question Interview: Ann-Mariin 'Minni' Husu, Head of Customer Support (HoCS)

1/10/2020

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Meet the Team: Ann-Mariin “Minni” Husu, the Head of Customer Support of UpSteam! We were really excited that Ann-Mariin decided to join us at this phase because of her immense startup background and she has already proven to be another really impactful hire. She joined us from Scoro and was at Transferwise for nearly 5 years before that. She would describe her job to a 4-year old as making sure it’s very easy for people to get their car washed and they wouldn’t have to worry about it. We are sure you want to know more about the UpSteamer whom you probably have talked with on the phone already and that’s why we had a 5 Question Interview with her

What’s something that really puzzles you?
- The human brain - why it works the way it does and how come we still haven’t figured it out completely.

Who did you want to become when you were little?
- A librarian. I loved reading books so much I had trouble carrying all of them home and back so I thought it would be the best thing ever to be around books all the time.

Do you plan or wing it? Why?
- Oh boy, I’m a sucker for plans so as much as possible, I like to plan ahead - just gives me the peace of mind that I’m in control of things, even if it’s just my imagination.

If you were to receive a Nobel prize, what would you want it to be for?
- Improving the lives of people who currently live in poverty and lack resources to fill their basic needs.

What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
- A seagull tried to rob me.

What is this?

5 Question Interview is a post series in which we share unknown facts about our team members. UpSteam is growing fast and so is our team - we try to introduce each of our new hires like that as soon as possible. Many of our fans and followers have said that they would like to know what happens behind the scenes and who are the people making it happen - we hope this delivers. If you like this type of content then we will keep bringing you these posts while prioritizing the fresh faces.

Ps. We take recommendations for new and interesting questions. Share your ideas in the comments!

Comments