I'm the CEO of Klaviyo. I run on a 'creator-type' schedule and love Diet Coke and country music.

Andrew Bialecki.

Courtesy of Klaviyo

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andrew Bialecki, the 40-year-old CEO of Klaviyo, based in Boston. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I got a BA in physics, astronomy, and astrophysics from Harvard. While in college, I interned at a small division of Microsoft that managed the MSN.com website.

After graduating in 2007, I worked at several startups. I reached the point where I realized I had great ideas and wanted to build something of my own.