Paulius Jokšas, as the Chief Operating Officer of PayRay, is responsible for the company's most important operations. He is a graduate in Finance and Economics with previous experience working in one of the country's major commercial banks. For more than 15 years, Jokšas has held positions in the field of factoring. In his spare time, he goes on study trips with his family, runs and devotes time to movies by his favourite movie directors. Now, you can get to know Mr Jokšas over a cup of coffee.
What are your main responsibilities at PayRay?
I am responsible for the smooth running of key business operations. When a customer purchases a factoring service, the work of my team begins – it includes preparing contracts, paying and collecting money, as well as monitoring payments. Together with my colleagues, we work hard to reduce and prevent fraud. After all, we are paying our bills without any additional pledge or security, so it's important to protect ourselves from potential losses.
How does your work day start?
In the morning, I always devote myself to planning my work and getting things going. I check what tasks will require the most of my attention, what new contracts or payments have appeared, and I review the status of the tasks assigned to my team, then I move on.
Why do you love your job?
I have no doubts that the product we offer is important and is appreciated by small and medium-sized businesses. Using a factoring service is easy enough for the customer, but it also solves the big challenges that can affect their business. I like to say that the working capital is like the blood of a company, and that factoring helps to ensure good circulation of it.
In your opinion, what is the greatest achievement of PayRay so far?
I think the biggest achievement has been the successful start of the company. Since its inception in June last year, we have achieved very high results. I work mostly with day-to-day operations and our customers, so I can clearly see how fast our business has been able to grow.
What piece of advice do you share with your clients or colleagues the most often?
It seems to me that the most important thing is to pass on the ‘fishing rod’ on to your colleagues – in other words, to share your knowledge. Then, they will be able to smoothly achieve results – or to ‘catch the fish’. In terms of my approach to work, I believe that my team is able to overcome any obstacle. There is always a solution, so my expectations and advice for my colleagues is usually to persevere in pursuing any goal.
How do you spend your free time?
I have three young children, so they both charge and discharge my battery in my spare time. Of course, I try to go for a run a couple of times a week, for at least half an hour. And most of all, I enjoy going on intense sightseeing trips. Sunbathing for half a day is long enough, as it is much more fun to explore new places with my family.
What is your motto?
Never give up. Even if there is a tremendous amount of work, or if your personal relationships aren’t working out, there is always another day when everything will be more settled and things will start to move forward.
Could you name an interesting fact about yourself that is still unknown to your colleagues?
I may look like a very calm person to my colleagues, so they would probably be surprised to learn that I was a very naughty kid in elementary school. But truth be told, that is when I decided that I would rather spend my time on studies than on pranks.
What book/movie/activity/travel direction would you recommend?
I enjoy cinema with some elements of black humor the most – like the works of the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino. I would also recommend the movie Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. When it comes to traveling, I would like to go on an African Safari again, as that was an unforgettable experience. In addition, I am interested in visiting South America, Australia, and New Zealand, which are interesting, unknown lands to me.
Espresso or cappuccino?
Espresso. I discovered the taste and benefits of this coffee very recently – and it is probably not surprising that an Italian manager, Renato, also contributed to this new habit.