Q&A: Gousto's chief executive and co-founder Timo Schmidt

What was your first job in retailing?

I interned at BMW in Spain where I sold cars to dealers, not easy.

Which retail company do you admire most and why?

Naked Wines. Founder Rowan Gormley offers a great value proposition and executes superbly well.

What is the trait you least like in yourself?

OCD, lack of patience for incompetence, micromanagement.

Who have you learnt most from in your retail career?

Graze and Amazon. Like them, Gousto is working hard at introducing predictive modelling, algorithm-based automation and a lot more.

What advice would you give someone starting out in retail?

Nothing comes for free. Be persistent, care deeply about data, and demand rigorous attention to detail.

What keeps you awake at night?

Food quality. I’m deeply concerned about what’s in our food. Britain has great local and seasonal produce from family farms, something to be really proud of. Gousto is certified organic by the Soil Association, and we’ll launch a couple of initiatives in 2014 to lobby for better food standards.

What’s the most satisfying part of your job?

I’m fortunate doing what I love for a living: building a company, selling a product I’m 100% convinced of, and doing my part to make the food chain more sustainable.

What’s your proudest achievement?

Gousto. Growing 1,000% the last quarter with a flat error rate and still having the energy to focus on margin restructuring is an incredible experience - what a great team. I love my job.

What’s your favourite shop and why?

The Oxfam online shop. Its return on investment means saving lives, and it understands that in order to maximise it, it has to adopt state-of-the art functionality, and dare to invest into measurable marketing campaigns.