Meet Sal and Oren, co-founders of Pave

In this series we invite you to meet and learn from thinkers, doers, and believers who find success by actively living in the grey.

This week, we’re excited to introduce you to Sal Lahoud and Oren Bass. These two friends not only live in the grey, they have made it their goal to help others do so as well.

Sal and Oren are co-founders of Pave, a platform that empowers individuals to pursue their passions with capital and support from “backers” who believe in them. Read on to learn more about how the guys behind this awesome organization #LiveGrey.

Do you have a boundary between work and life? If so, how do you define it?

Sal Lahoud: I am happiest when my work is fun enough that it can qualify as life. I am passionate about technology, engineering, film, theatre, and art. My work will always relate to those fields in some way.
Oren Bass: Work has always been a large part of my life. Rather than try to draw lines between “work and life,” I’ve taken what makes me happy - nurturing my mind, my body and my spiritual/ cultural side – and interwoven my work interested throughout them.

What made you guys decide to work together?

SL: I am friends with everyone I work with. Oren was one of my best friends before we decided to start Pave with Justin Mitchell, our third-cofounder, and he still is today.
OB: Sal and I have been very close friends and work colleagues for many years. I realized early on in our relationship that we have complimentary skills sets. I believe it’s very important to acknowledge your weaknesses and address them through the people with whom you live and work.

Who is a mentor of yours and why?

SL: My father was and always will be my biggest source of guidance and inspiration. He taught me to believe in the power of dreams and never to give up. I also learned from him the importance of creating,building and maintaining with pride.
OB: I’ve benefitted from being inspired by role models from an early age. My first headmaster at school, Basil Flashman, inspired a strong work ethic in me. Later on, as I fell in love with golf, I admired the passion, elegance and ingenuity of the Spanish professional golfer Seve Ballesteros. More recently, I’ve received great counsel from a former boss and now mentor, Malcolm Sweeting, the head of law firm Clifford Chance.

What’s the first thing you read in the morning?

SL: General news as well as articles and blog posts my friends have posted on social networks.
OR: Twitter, New York Times and [the UK paper] the Times. I also check Instagram and emails.

What are three things you make sure you do everyday?

SL: 1 - Excluding music, I try to consume at least one art work or piece of entertainment a day: a film, a few pages of a book, poetry, an art show. 2 - I meditate for a few minutes every morning. 3- I try to make sure my Nike Fuel Band reading is at my set goal.
OB: 1. Drink lots of water. 2. Exercise & 3. Achieve one big work goal.

Do you have a motto?

SL: Not one in specific. I dare to dream and I constantly try to go to the essence of things and products, which is not easy.
OB: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Do you work differently than you did one year ago?

SL: Yes. I use e-mail much less than I used to. I transfer emails to my to do list or to my trash, and as much as I can, I spend the rest of the day going through those lists.
OB: Yes, I’ve realised that I’m far more productive in the mornings and hence tend to begin my day at 6am with exercise followed by planning what I need to accomplish that day with clear goals.

How do you ensure your intentions become actions?

SL: Don’t let anyone call your ideas crazy unless they can successfully argue why. When your diverse circle of advisors have all spoken up and you still believe in the merit of your plan, project or idea - you just go for it. You will never be “ready.”
OB: On a very practical level I work backwards from goals and write these down followed by step by step plans on how to get there. Less is more when it comes to intentions and goals. I am strict with myself as to what I really want to accomplish because having too many goals is overwhelming and leads to no action. Once I have decided on something, I go for it with passion.

Join Pave and Live in the Grey in NYC on November 4th! Details here.

Meet more members of the Live in the Grey Community:
Jeff Raider, co-founder and co-CEO of Harry’s
Charlene Lite, musician and yoga Instructor
Holly Ronan, boutique proprietor of Benefit Cosmetics