The eighteen months since that last cozy paycheck and health insurance coverage feels like a short time because of the many things that have happened… I can still remember loading boxes into my wife’s van in Mattel’s parking lot on that last day, February 2nd. I didn’t feel sad; it was just weird to know that I was leaving behind thirteen years of my life and moving onto a new beginning, just like that.
Well, here I am, still happy that I made that choice, but it’s too early to claim any kind of life victory. On the contrary, it seems that life has very strict rules when it comes to unplugging from the corporate matrix and making radical changes in your professional path. Like the many entrepreneurs who came before you, you definitely need to pay your dues before having a successful business. Things need to get tough before they get easy (well, easier). Savings need to be almost extinct to kick you into that primal survival mode that brings you out of bed every morning (if not, don’t worry, your wife will!). You need to get a lot of “no’s” before you learn how to get the “yes”. Experience helps you avoid some major mistakes, but regardless of how much you think you know, you will make major mistakes. Just like the path toward many goals in life, this has been an unavoidable, formidable road, but it has been exciting and satisfying.
Ok, enough on life philosophy. If you still remember me and are still interested, here is what has been going on recently on this particular road of mine. First and most important, I bought a motorcycle and stopped using my car. Well, not exactly a motorcycle--it’s a scooter, like a Vespa. I say “like” because it’s a Yamaha Vino, which looks like a Vespa, but costs 30% less, and costs even less when you buy it used, with all kinds of legal issues from a French guy who needs to get out of the country because of his Visa. (Here is a photo of my new toy). I love my new toy, but what I love even more is its toyish $2.99 gas tank, which I fill every other week. I have been going to Mexico a lot (not on the scooter, of course) for many reasons: family, business, some consulting on the side, and because I can. This summer I managed to stay there for six weeks straight, with my wife and the girls. My company rented a “virtual” or “temporary” office in LA and Mexico City (sounds kind of cool), which made working in Mexico much easier vs. working from my parents’ living room. Business is going okay. We have some very good and happy customers, like Hewlett-Packard, for whom we are developing a tool to help people and businesses select the right printer based on their personal needs (take a look at it here: english spanish) ; Honda, for whom we are developing a tool to select the right car (englishspanish) ; we are working with the biggest bakery in the world helping their risk analysis group with purchasing decisions. Our friend Simon keeps growing his community, with 35 thousand Simonites publishing thousands of decisions every month. Plus he has an active iPhone usage that draws 200-400 users every day. We were in the top 50 free applications list for 3 months.
But things are going more slowly than planned, which is why my partners and I just had one of those “Come to Jesus” strategic meetings (I wonder if Jesus has time for strategic meetings), like the ones big companies hold every six months--the only difference is that we were four people (one of whom was on Skype--that counts right?), a $800.75 meeting budget and a great working lunch at Olive Garden. The objective was to discuss our desired future (=Vision, for all of you corporate humanoids), our purpose (=Mission), and the variables or actions to take us there (=Strategic Plan). It was a great session where we were all honest and straightforward with each other, no hidden agendas, no BS (the office is too small to hide office supplies or bulls) and we came out with a refreshed mission:
We simplify choice through easy-to-use online decision systems
We also clarified and divided our roles (I’m in charge of Marketing, Sales and Finance, can you imagine that?) and I promise to delegate more to my team (a typical issue of founders) but which I’m adopting rapidly.
As the head (neck, body, and arms) of sales, I’m hiring software salespeople in the US and Mexico (if you know someone, please send them to me), who will be calling some of you to present our systems (please be nice to them, now I know how it feels). Also, if you happen to know someone who would be interested in our online decision systems, let me know. I promise we won’t call them more than twenty times!
As we closed our strategic hill (“summit” in corporate dimensions) in our virtual office, which by the way, is located just in front of Mattel (like life wants to tell me something?), once again it was clear: I made the right choice and I’m certain of a great future. I just want it to happen a little bit faster.
For your interest in this infrequently updated journal (fortunately for you), I salute you and I wish you an exciting second semester of 2010. Remember, you can always opt out of this email!
Well, here I am, still happy that I made that choice, but it’s too early to claim any kind of life victory. On the contrary, it seems that life has very strict rules when it comes to unplugging from the corporate matrix and making radical changes in your professional path. Like the many entrepreneurs who came before you, you definitely need to pay your dues before having a successful business. Things need to get tough before they get easy (well, easier). Savings need to be almost extinct to kick you into that primal survival mode that brings you out of bed every morning (if not, don’t worry, your wife will!). You need to get a lot of “no’s” before you learn how to get the “yes”. Experience helps you avoid some major mistakes, but regardless of how much you think you know, you will make major mistakes. Just like the path toward many goals in life, this has been an unavoidable, formidable road, but it has been exciting and satisfying.
Ok, enough on life philosophy. If you still remember me and are still interested, here is what has been going on recently on this particular road of mine. First and most important, I bought a motorcycle and stopped using my car. Well, not exactly a motorcycle--it’s a scooter, like a Vespa. I say “like” because it’s a Yamaha Vino, which looks like a Vespa, but costs 30% less, and costs even less when you buy it used, with all kinds of legal issues from a French guy who needs to get out of the country because of his Visa. (Here is a photo of my new toy). I love my new toy, but what I love even more is its toyish $2.99 gas tank, which I fill every other week. I have been going to Mexico a lot (not on the scooter, of course) for many reasons: family, business, some consulting on the side, and because I can. This summer I managed to stay there for six weeks straight, with my wife and the girls. My company rented a “virtual” or “temporary” office in LA and Mexico City (sounds kind of cool), which made working in Mexico much easier vs. working from my parents’ living room. Business is going okay. We have some very good and happy customers, like Hewlett-Packard, for whom we are developing a tool to help people and businesses select the right printer based on their personal needs (take a look at it here: english spanish) ; Honda, for whom we are developing a tool to select the right car (englishspanish) ; we are working with the biggest bakery in the world helping their risk analysis group with purchasing decisions. Our friend Simon keeps growing his community, with 35 thousand Simonites publishing thousands of decisions every month. Plus he has an active iPhone usage that draws 200-400 users every day. We were in the top 50 free applications list for 3 months.
But things are going more slowly than planned, which is why my partners and I just had one of those “Come to Jesus” strategic meetings (I wonder if Jesus has time for strategic meetings), like the ones big companies hold every six months--the only difference is that we were four people (one of whom was on Skype--that counts right?), a $800.75 meeting budget and a great working lunch at Olive Garden. The objective was to discuss our desired future (=Vision, for all of you corporate humanoids), our purpose (=Mission), and the variables or actions to take us there (=Strategic Plan). It was a great session where we were all honest and straightforward with each other, no hidden agendas, no BS (the office is too small to hide office supplies or bulls) and we came out with a refreshed mission:
We simplify choice through easy-to-use online decision systems
We also clarified and divided our roles (I’m in charge of Marketing, Sales and Finance, can you imagine that?) and I promise to delegate more to my team (a typical issue of founders) but which I’m adopting rapidly.
As the head (neck, body, and arms) of sales, I’m hiring software salespeople in the US and Mexico (if you know someone, please send them to me), who will be calling some of you to present our systems (please be nice to them, now I know how it feels). Also, if you happen to know someone who would be interested in our online decision systems, let me know. I promise we won’t call them more than twenty times!
As we closed our strategic hill (“summit” in corporate dimensions) in our virtual office, which by the way, is located just in front of Mattel (like life wants to tell me something?), once again it was clear: I made the right choice and I’m certain of a great future. I just want it to happen a little bit faster.
For your interest in this infrequently updated journal (fortunately for you), I salute you and I wish you an exciting second semester of 2010. Remember, you can always opt out of this email!
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