Trust is Earned
Trust is not a gift. It is earned in deeds done, and wars won. – Anonymous Trust between two professionals is a hard-won accomplishment. There isn’t a sin I haven’t committed when it comes to trust. When the company grew, I found myself doing annoying and downright rude habits with my colleagues. I micro-managed, I second-guess people’s […]
Professional development is embedded in our culture
We doubled in size last year. So 2x the people; 2x the costs; 2x the gross revenue; 2x the complexity of problems. In order to maintain the growth, we recognize that professional development is now part of our culture. One thing we did poorly last year was not structure professional development for people who want […]
New York stunts your life
I’m a child compared to my friends. I am 31 years old, never owned a car and never owned a home, and don’t have children. I live in the cheapest apartment I’ve ever lived in my life, with my wife and cat. Logistically-speaking, my life is exactly the same as it was when I was […]
5 Things I’m Thankful For in 2013
There’s plenty to be grateful, but I’ll just hit the top 10 #5 – Married to someone who works out. I seriously would be an horrible shape were it not for Julie. My wife works out 4-5x a week, and is an inspiration to keep in good health and shape. If it weren’t for her, […]
We got some work to do…
Heard a great quote today. Bill Withers “I’m doing the best I can, to improve my lineage and my species. So I got some responsibilities…” That’s a 75 year old blue legend, saying he still owes the world and himself more, after a lifetime of greatness. If you don’t know Bill Withers, please feel free […]
The Heart and Soul of a Company
I recently came back from an all too infrequent trip to the West Coast. Folks, if you’re in America, and you’re in Tech, and you live anywhere other than the West Coast, go to the West Coast more often. I don’t buy into a lot of the hype of Silicon Valley/Redwood/LA, but I do think […]
Know when you’re ready to manage…
KNOWING WHEN YOU ARE READY TO MANAGE. I find this is a deep problem in the start-up community. But before we talk about management of employees, let’s talk about the operations of a business. It’s my belief that that #1 operational goal of a company is to create stability and reliability in its processes and […]
Got Married!
I got married April 27, 2013, to my beloved wife Julianna. Whew – what an experience. It’s subtle, being married. I feel a sense of calmness, patience, and internal peace. Sanguine. I feel sanguine. Even though nothing in the business has really changed, my outlook definitely changed. I can tell I’m sleeping better, eating better, […]
My 1st vacation in 3 years…
I’ve been on vacation for two weeks for the first time starting the company with Dominic, back in 2010. Here’s what I’ve learned. 1.) Being on vacation is BUSY Look, my life was this “get up, work 12-15 hours, and go to bed. Repeat.” The list of “Things I’m going to do when I get […]
Be Better, Do Better – and what that really means.
Dom and I have a company that grew 100% last year. This year, we’re looking at it growing around 50%, on the conservative side. This rapid growth is happening in ALL directions – costs, revenue, personnel, space, and presence. It’s tremendous. It’s what any business owner would want to happen. Dom and I are unbelievably […]