Gene Kwon

Starting a business requires confidence in an idea. Growing one requires something different: knowing when to question the assumptions that made the idea promising in the first place. Markets change, customer expectations evolve, and decisions that once made sense can become obstacles if leaders aren’t willing to reconsider them.

For Salt Lake City entrepreneur Gene Kwon, navigating those decisions has been a recurring part of his career. As a Partner and Co-Founder of Move Method and a Co-Founder of eHub, he has helped build businesses across different markets, including shipping and logistics. His experience extends beyond launching companies to the less visible work of developing partnerships, managing competing priorities, and deciding where to focus resources.

Outside of business, Kwon has maintained a longstanding interest in sports, particularly tennis. He grew up playing competitively in Oregon and Utah before joining the University of Washington men’s tennis team. Today, he continues to enjoy tennis, skiing, and golf alongside his professional commitments. His perspective on entrepreneurship is grounded in a straightforward definition of success: staying adaptable, building meaningful professional relationships, and remaining diligent in his work.

You’ve been involved in founding businesses across different industries. What has that taught you about the role of a co-founder?

One thing I’ve learned is that the responsibilities change as the business develops. In the beginning, you’re focused on identifying an opportunity and determining whether there’s a practical way to pursue it. Later, the questions become more operational. Can the business deliver consistently? Are the right people involved? Are you spending time on the problems that matter most? My experience with Move Method and eHub has reinforced the importance of adjusting your attention as a company grows.

How do you decide which responsibilities should stay within a company and which are better handled through outside partnerships?

I start by looking at what the company needs to control directly. Some responsibilities are central to the customer experience and require close oversight. Others can benefit from outside expertise. I don’t think there’s one model that works for every business. The decision depends on the resources available, the importance of the function, and whether an outside relationship genuinely improves how the company operates.

When entering a competitive market, how do you determine what will make a business different?

I look at where customers are experiencing unnecessary complications. Businesses sometimes spend too much time thinking about how they’re different and not enough time understanding what customers actually need. A useful solution doesn’t always have to be completely new. It might make an existing process easier, more dependable, or less time-consuming. The important part is being able to deliver that improvement consistently.

Your career has included shipping and logistics as well as other business ventures. How has working across industries influenced your thinking?

It’s taught me not to assume that success in one market automatically translates to another. With eHub, shipping and logistics involve specific operational challenges and changing customer demands. Other businesses operate under different conditions. You can carry certain principles between industries, particularly around communication and accountability, but you still need to understand the market you’re entering.

What do you consider the most important problems for businesses to solve today?

I think many companies are trying to manage increasing complexity without creating additional work for their teams. In shipping and logistics, that can mean finding more efficient ways to manage processes and make information accessible. More broadly, businesses need solutions that make everyday operations easier. I tend to pay attention to problems that appear repeatedly because they often indicate an opportunity for a more practical approach.

You define success in part by being nimble. How do you put that into practice when making business decisions?

For me, being nimble means staying open to information that challenges your original plan. You can spend months developing an approach, but if the market tells you something different, you have to pay attention. That doesn’t mean changing direction whenever something becomes difficult. It means understanding the difference between a temporary obstacle and evidence that your assumptions need to change.

How do you stay informed about industry developments without relying entirely on reports and historical data?

I place a lot of value on speaking with people who are directly involved in an industry. I’m a member and board member of the Package Shippers Association, which gives me opportunities to engage with people who understand the shipping sector. Reports and data are useful, but conversations can help explain what’s happening behind the numbers. Maintaining those relationships is an important part of staying informed.

How important are repeat customers and long-term relationships when evaluating a business’s performance?

They’re important because they can tell you something that a single transaction can’t. A customer might try a service once because it looks promising, but continuing to use it suggests they’re finding value. I don’t have a specific retention percentage to share. My focus is on whether a business is delivering something customers can depend on and whether those relationships remain productive over time.

What do you look at when trying to understand whether customers are genuinely satisfied?

You have to look beyond positive feedback. Are customers encountering the same problems repeatedly? Is communication clear when something goes wrong? Are expectations being met consistently? Those questions are often more useful than relying on one measure of satisfaction. I also believe leaders need to hear about problems early, before they become larger operational issues.

How should a business approach customer relationships after the initial project or service has been delivered?

I think continued communication matters, particularly when the service is connected to an ongoing business need. Customer requirements can change, and the original solution may need to evolve. It’s important to be clear about what support is available and who is responsible for handling questions. A long-term relationship works better when both sides understand what they can expect.

How do you think about pricing when you’re developing or evaluating a business model?

Pricing has to make sense for both the customer and the company providing the service. I look at the resources required, the problem being solved, and whether the arrangement can work over time. A business can’t build a sustainable model around pricing that doesn’t support its operations. At the same time, customers need a clear reason to believe the service is worth what they’re paying.

Having worked with different businesses, how do you evaluate value when services and project costs vary considerably?

I don’t think one price range can represent every business or opportunity I’ve been involved with. The more useful question is what the customer receives in return. Something that appears inexpensive initially can become costly if it creates additional work or fails to address the underlying issue. I prefer evaluating cost alongside reliability, operational impact, and the long-term usefulness of the solution.

Have you learned to be more selective about the opportunities you pursue?

Yes. Early enthusiasm can make almost any opportunity look attractive, but I’ve learned to pay closer attention to whether the expectations and available resources align. Budget is one consideration, but timing, scope, and the people involved also matter. I don’t use one universal minimum project size. The important thing is whether the opportunity makes sense and whether the business can deliver on its commitments.

What has been one of the more difficult aspects of leading businesses through changing conditions?

Maintaining focus while responding to new demands is a constant challenge. There’s always another opportunity, technology, or potential improvement to consider. You can’t pursue everything without stretching your resources. I’ve learned that prioritization is just as important as flexibility. Sometimes the right decision is to improve what you’re already doing rather than add something new.

How do you encourage innovation without allowing new ideas to distract from day-to-day operations?

I think innovation should have a clear purpose. If someone identifies a recurring problem, that’s worth examining. But a new idea also needs to be evaluated against the company’s existing responsibilities. What will it require? Who will manage it? Will it make the customer experience better? Asking those questions helps separate useful improvements from changes that simply create more complexity.

What kind of working culture do you believe helps a business operate effectively?

I value accountability and direct communication. People should understand their responsibilities and feel comfortable raising concerns before problems become difficult to manage. I also think trust is important. You can’t expect people to make good decisions if they don’t have the information or authority they need. A productive culture is reflected in how people work together, not just what a company says about itself.

When you look five or ten years ahead, what matters most in deciding where to take a business?

I think about whether the company will remain relevant to the people it serves. It’s difficult to predict exactly how an industry will look that far ahead, particularly with technology changing so quickly. I would rather build businesses that can adapt than become too attached to a specific growth plan. Strong partnerships, sound operations, and a willingness to reconsider priorities are all important to that process.

Which developments in technology and business operations are you paying the most attention to?

I’m interested in technologies that make complex operations easier to manage. In shipping and logistics, automation, better access to information, and improved connections between systems can help businesses work more efficiently. But I don’t believe every new technology deserves immediate adoption. I want to understand what problem it solves, how difficult it will be to implement, and whether the improvement justifies the investment.

You were a competitive tennis player before becoming an entrepreneur. Has your approach to leadership changed as you’ve gained more business experience?

I think I’ve become more patient about certain decisions and more willing to listen to different perspectives. Tennis taught me to prepare, compete, and make adjustments when something wasn’t working. Business has reinforced those lessons, but it has also taught me that you rarely have complete information. You need to make decisions while remaining open to learning something that changes your perspective.

What advice would you give someone preparing to start or lead their first business?

I would encourage them to focus on three things: being nimble, building a network, and remaining diligent. Those are the qualities I associate most closely with success. Relationships can expose you to opportunities and perspectives you wouldn’t encounter on your own. Diligence matters because building a company involves a great deal of ordinary, repetitive work. And flexibility is essential because even a carefully developed plan will encounter circumstances you didn’t anticipate. You need all three, but you also need to know when to apply each one.

Key Learnings

• A co-founder’s job changes as the company grows, from finding the opportunity to making sure the business delivers consistently.
• Keep the functions closest to the customer experience in-house, and use outside partners where they genuinely improve operations.
• Differentiation often comes from removing friction customers already feel, not from inventing something entirely new.
• Being nimble means telling a temporary obstacle apart from real evidence that your assumptions are wrong.
• Industry conversations explain what reports and data alone cannot.
• Repeat customers are a stronger signal of value than any single transaction.
• Prioritization matters as much as flexibility; sometimes the best move is improving what you already do.
• Nimbleness, a strong network and diligence work best together.