Dina Elhaddad, co-founder and CPO of Efreshli: Each week, My Morning Routine looks at how a successful member of the community starts their day — and then throws in a couple of random business questions just for fun. Speaking to us this week is co-founder and chief product officer of Efreshli, Dina Elhaddad (LinkedIn). Edited excerpts from our conversation:

My name is Dina Elhaddad. I’m the co-founder of Efreshli, a platform that makes interior design accessible and affordable. I'm also a mom, wife, daughter, and sister. I’m a mother to two young boys, Ahmed, who is six years old, and Aziz, who is three and a half, and we recently moved back to Egypt after spending more than a decade in the United States, living in California for 9 years. Before joining Efreshli, I spent about eight years at Google, where I worked on projects like Google Assistant and Google Shopping. I started my career in management consulting and co-founded a blue-collar recruiting platform in Egypt called Forasna.

Efreshli was born from a desire to make interior design accessible to everyone. We offer a range of online design services, where users can choose packages to help design individual rooms or entire homes. Everything is done virtually, from mood boards and 3D renders to furniture layout, and clients can purchase everything online. This blend of convenience and affordability is at the core of what we do.

AI is revolutionizing the interior design and furniture industries. We’re seeing a lot of movement into personalized design experiences — companies are now offering visual recommendations, as well as customized design services integrated with e-commerce platforms. Personalization is no longer a bonus, it’s expected by customers. This is something we prioritize at Efreshli, aiming to curate a personalized experience with designers for each client. AI will continue to evolve design tools, visualizations, and recommendations, and while we’re not seeing a lot of this in our region yet, it’s an exciting frontier I hope Efreshli can help lead.

Being a working mom of two, I usually wake up around 6:30am, which I’m taking as a win since I used to wake up at 5:30am when we were in the US. I’m the first one up in the house, and I start the day by walking our dog. Then, I get ready and try to have everything in order for the kids — packing up their things, getting breakfast ready — before they’re awake. Once they’re up, it’s time to get them ready for the day, and then I drop them off at school. Afterward, I fit in a workout, which is a priority for me. Working out grounds me, and if I skip it I feel off. Once my workout is done, I head to the office. On my commute, I catch up on the news, read EnterpriseAM, or listen to podcasts or audiobooks. If work is especially busy, I might use that time to catch up on emails or pre-read ahead of meetings.

At Efreshli, things change every day, especially since we’re a startup. Meetings are a big part of my day, especially in the office. Some are team meetings, where we check in on our progress and talk through upcoming plans. I also have one-on-one meetings with my team, to discuss their goals, how they’re feeling about work, and any career development questions. Then, I try to schedule focused work time, usually on my work-from-home days. I’m a data person at heart, so I like to spend time digging into our data and using it to inform my strategic thinking and planning. Outside of internal work, I also make time to talk with customers and industry contacts — about once a week, ideally. These conversations give me a different perspective and help keep me connected to our users and the industry.

The one constant in my day is my kids. No matter what’s happening at work, I make sure to spend quality time with them in the evening. I block off the time from 5-8 pm for family time. Later in the evening, once they’re in bed, I usually go back to my laptop to wrap up the day’s work.

Organization is one of my strengths, and I’m very methodical with time management. At Google, I even worked on productivity tools, so it’s a big interest of mine. I have task lists for everything, from work projects to personal plans. Each week, I set my top three priorities, and I do the same each morning for my daily goals. Meetings and tasks pop up throughout the day, but those three goals keep me grounded. I also use my calendar heavily, clustering days around different types of work. For example, some days are more focused on meetings, while others are set aside for solo focus time. It’s all about keeping a balance.

Right now, I’m at a point of transition both personally and professionally. Moving back to Egypt after so many years abroad has been a major shift, and I’m working on getting our family fully settled into life here, setting up a new rhythm close to family. On the professional side, I’m excited about growing Efreshli to the next level and exploring new horizons with the company. It’s an exciting time. For Efreshli, the goal is to expand our reach and leverage AI tools to make design even more accessible and personalized for our customers.

Work-life balance is tricky, especially for women. I don’t see work-life balance as something you achieve every day, it’s more about the big picture. Some days, work takes precedence, and some days family does.

My go-to podcasts are How I Built This with Guy Raz and Lenny’s Podcast. How I Built This interviews entrepreneurs, which I find so inspiring — it’s fascinating to hear both their successes and struggles. Lenny’s Podcast is more focused on product management, which is my field, so I love listening to insights from product leaders. I haven’t been able to watch as much TV since the move, but the last thing I enjoyed was Monsters. It’s dark but compelling.

I don’t have a specific quote, but something I’ve learned through my career and from observing others, including my husband who wrote a book on recruitment, is that you can be brilliant at what you do, but without a strong team, you won’t achieve much. I spend a lot of time hiring, developing careers, and being there for my team. You can’t scale or succeed without investing in your people. This belief has shaped my leadership approach and guided me throughout my career.

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