Comment · Thu, October 21, 2021 · ND Owner
Reddit AMA | In-House Lab Edition
Original post in this thread
NootropicsDepotGuru · 77 points
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We are very excited to announce that Nootropics Depot will be conducting its first-ever Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), which is a semi-live Q&A session, about our In-House Analytical Laboratory and we would love for you to join us! See below for full details and get your question(s) ready. We hope to see you there!
WHEN
STARTS: October 20th | 9am AZ MST
ENDS: October 22nd | 9am AZ M…
What they were answering
xnxxnxxxxn · 1 points
Thank you for taking the time to do an AMA with us.
I have questions.
- on topic: what is your dream lab spec / equipment - say you truly had money no object? And why those machines / processes and what would you use them for?
- what are your favorite current machines?
Now some off topic questions whilst I have your attention:
- how do you run such a large company yet incentivize the "lower" tier people such as the people in the background we likely never hear from yet the company wouldn't work without them? Do you have a silicon valley style culture with ping pong tables and everything a staff member could ever need to incentivize them to stay at work for longer?
- do you have a mental health set up for your employees? Obviously knowing how important mental health and exercise is for brain development and health, I'm interested in, other than the nootropics you sell, what people do to stay optimised? Some workplaces "force" their employees to do 20 mins of meditation every 4 hours, for example.
- What would you be producing and why, if you were not bound by FDA rules?
Might think of more later... thank you
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
on topic: what is your dream lab spec / equipment - say you truly had money no object? And why those machines / processes and what would you use them for?
I would probably agree with my lab director. I guess that makes sense, since we talk so much and I rely on him for his expertise in the field. I'd say my dream lab equipment would be a triple quad UPLC MS/MS from Waters. We've already priced and planned it out, but those machines are half a million dollars. We'll get there someday soon. I would also agree that a 1,00MHz NMR would be the second choice. However, those are MASSIVE machines that need tons of liquid nitrogen to cool and use tons of power. It's probably not feasible for us in the near future to have that; especially when we have a partner with one that already gives us good pricing per sample. That being said, as we grow I am going to be buying as much as I can for the lab just because I think it is cool. I just need to ensure I can justify it financially to, at the very least, a break even point. I don't need to make money on everything in the lab, but I don't want to drain funds from the company that could be used for more important things first. I do see us having some really cool stuff in the next 5 years, though. Everyone's support here helps me to keep expanding our lab.
what are your favorite current machines?
I really like our UPLC-MS systems from Waters. They are really nice systems.
how do you run such a large company yet incentivize the "lower" tier people such as the people in the background we likely never hear from yet the company wouldn't work without them? Do you have a silicon valley style culture with ping pong tables and everything a staff member could ever need to incentivize them to stay at work for longer?
I certainly never would say someone is a "lower tier." We have all sorts of roles in the company, and everyone is needed to keep the ship moving forward. This includes everyone from executive management and the lab scientists to the warehouse and sanitation workers. Everyone plays a role in making this company successful and advancing. The biggest thing for me is that they believe in what I am trying to accomplish. They have to be onboard with our mission, because you can only ensure things are done right every single day if you truly care about the end result. Now I am not saying everyone on my team cares the same as I do. We do have people that work for us that just want a steady job that they are treated fairly at, and that's okay. However, caring to a higher level is a necessity for specific roles, and I make sure anyone that fills those roles is thinking that way. My lab director is one of those roles. He has to care about product quality as much as I do, or it just wouldn't work. The same goes for my marketing director, production manager, or director of operations. They are fully onboard with my mission and what I am trying to accomplish, so they work hard every day to ensure we stay on the right path. As for the everyday people that might not care as much as I do about our ultimate mission, we just make sure we treat everyone right. We give them a steady place to work that doesn't take advantage of them, and gives them the opportunity to grow. We offer medical, dental, and vision benefits, along with paid time off, sick days, and flexibility. Even amongst all the craziness of the past 1.5 years with the pandemic, we put 401Ks with company matching in place to ensure everyone working for us knows we value them and their future. We also treat everyone with respect, and give them the environment to prove they can be self-sufficient and not be micromanaged. Moreover, I give people the tools they need to succeed. If they need new equipment, people, or processes to accomplish their goal, I ensure they have them. That's actually pretty rare in a lot of companies.
do you have a mental health set up for your employees? Obviously knowing how important mental health and exercise is for brain development and health, I'm interested in, other than the nootropics you sell, what people do to stay optimised? Some workplaces "force" their employees to do 20 mins of meditation every 4 hours, for example.
I don't like forcing people to do anything. What works best for people varies greatly. Some people just want to get their work done quickly and go home to their family. Some like to work late to accomplish a goal they set for themself. Some like to work from home and balance their daily tasks as they see fit. As long as everyone is productively accomplishing their goals and fulfilling their roles, I think they should be free to determine which strategy fulfills them most. I have always been reasonable in my expectations, and never overly hard when someone screws up. I think that ethos has made our work environment pretty stress-free compared to companies where office politics and bad managers make everyone's lives harder than they need to be. We are certainly not perfect, but I think we do a pretty good job of keeping people happy and their lives balanced.
What would you be producing and why, if you were not bound by FDA rules?
I think starting a pharmaceutical research company would be really fun. I've already developed my own molecules, and even taken them myself in trials. However, the cost and politics of getting a drug developed, through trials, approved, and then to market is insane these days. It would take a lot more connections and capital than I have to do, which is why I mostly keep our R&D private these days. We do mess around and create some cool things. Maybe one day some of them will see the light of day.