This is one of a series of posts about our honeymoon to Thailand in December 2012, which consisted of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai, Phuket, and a long layover in Tokyo. Scroll down to the bottom to see pictures, and click on any of them to see an enlarged version. This was tapped out on my iPad, so forgive any typos or sentence fragments. 12/14. Packed up the house, 845 flight to Chicago. 3 hour...
It sounds circuitous, but one of the most valuable pieces of advice I’ve received as a founder is on taking advice. When I first sat down with someone who would later become one of my lead investors, he asked me if I had read any books chronicling submarine warfare in World War II. He jumped up to the whiteboard, and starting telling me an anecdote, which has stuck with me to this day. In...
Do one thing every day that scares you. Eleanor Roosevelt Every day, I think about quitting. Some days more than others. And every day, statistically you should probably quit. And I have quit a bunch of times. I know that, as I continue this journey, my biggest competitor is the risk-averse human psyche, always wanting to retreat to a safe zone. But now, every time I question my faith in my...
We’ve gotten really, really, really good at pitching Contactually, in every potential situation. It’s been an amazing ride watching the meteoric rise of the DC Tech Meetup. As one of the founding organizers it’s uplifting to see so many people come out to see the latest startups pitch their wares, and hopefully get a chance to present their own. We’ve had the chance to...
The question is not how far. The question is, do you possess the constitution, the depth of faith, to go as far as is needed? – Boondock Saints As I think about the primary success factors in the first year of Contactually, and how it differs from previous ventures I’ve undertaken, been a part of, or witnessed as a third party, staying motivated is one of the most crucial factors...
I was given the chance to speak at TechCocktail about relationships last week, along with Rohit and Scott. It was a great night talking about how relationships are so crucial for an entrepreneur. I stumbled across a few mentions of “luck surface area”, and it instantly resonated with me. Go read it now. As I think about Contactually and my role as CEO, one of my biggest directives is...
As an undergrad, I was a textbook example of an over programmed person spread too thin. I was involved in so many different organizations and activities that I was never able to adequately perform or commit to any of them. Up until recently I was running a freelance firm with a dozen or so concurrent clients, leading multiple community efforts, helping a couple friends with their startups...
The passing of another birthday doesn’t hold much significance for me – rather, I am very conscious around college graduation. For me, that marks the point at which the training wheels came off, and I was on my own to fend for myself and search for my true calling. ’06: Graduated ’07: Working at a major consulting firm ’08: CTO at a nascent design agency ’09:...
It’s been a little over a year since we held the first DC Tech Meetup, and a little over a year and a half since we launched ProudlyMadeInDC, which can be considered a catalyst for the Meetup. One can confidently say that everything has been up and to the right with all aspects of the greater DC startup ecosystem; more startups, thriving startups, investments, acquisitions, M+A, etc. For...
On May 15th, 2011 was the day I first wrote down in Evernote (where I collect all my product ideas) an idea for a Proactive CRM The failure in CRMs is that YOU have to actively decide to put a contact into the system. Lame. Google Apps hook-in It monitors your email, then when you reply to an email from someone, or send someone an email, it then knows that it’s someone who should be added...