15 years ago I cofounded my first startup. Now, with seven startups under my belt, some big successes, some small successes, and some, ahem, "less than successes," it's amazing to think about how pivotal that decision to try the entrepreneurial path was.
It was my junior year in college and I had been working part time and summers for UUNET, the world's largest and fastest growing Internet Access Provider, during the peak of the Internet boom. UUNET was amazing when I started there but had grown so bloated and inefficient that I was interested in exploring other options for my last summer before graduation.
Many tech companies - large and small - recruited Rice computer science and electrical engineering majors so I went to career fairs, had interviews, and received several job offers. The best offers came from tech startups. They flew me out to lavish recruiting weekends, paid high salaries, and offered the chance to work on bleeding-edge technologies. Those weren't the aspects that really appealed to me, though; what really interested me was the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the success or failure of the business.
While I was mulling over the offers, I reconnected with two Rice CS seniors whom I had met during a programming language theory class. They had both accepted job offers from big companies but they wouldn't be starting those jobs until the Fall. They had a [software-based] business idea and intended to spend the entire summer launching a startup around it. If they weren't successful, no worries, they would just start their jobs. If they were successful, though . . .
Long story short: they invited me to join them in starting the venture, something which had never occurred to me before. Now I had a much more complex decision to make: go with one of the "safe bet" options or help start something from scratch.
Of course I decided to cofound the startup. The way I saw it, this was the perfect time in my life to take a big risk; I didn't have kids to feed or a mortgage to pay. Plus I just felt 100x more inspired about the idea of helping to build something from scratch than I did about being a cog in someone else's wheel.
This is, I think, the essence of why I have always (In hindsight, the warning signs have been present since at least elementary school!) been drawn to entrepreneurship: self-efficacy. When the game is on the line, I want the ball - and entrepreneurship is the career equivalent of exactly that. I don't want my destiny anywhere but in my own hands.
The other aspect of entrepreneurship that I really appreciate is its ability to effect great change with no upper limit. Having grown up in the shadow of the space industry, I have always been inspired by the ad astra mentality of solving huge problems. In a capitalist world, entrepreneurship is the most efficient platform for solving such problems today and scaling those solutions up tomorrow.
That first startup was such a bumpy ride. Funded on credit cards . . . Multiple business model changes without a customer in sight . . . and one of our cofounders got scared and dropped out. But it was a grand adventure - and one with a happy ending. Suffice to say, the self-efficacy and scalability were addicting and I've been [ad]venturing ever since!
2016-03-15
2016-03-04
Entrepreneurial Leadership
Last week I was invited to give a talk on a topic of my choice to the team of a high-growth startup in Durham. Because leadership challenges often cause friction during times of high growth, I chose to address the topic of entrepreneurial leadership. Check out my video below and let me know what you think!
2016-03-01
Leadership Journey
12 years ago today - 1/3 of my life ago - I accepted my first chief executive role. While I had been elected to and selected for leadership roles during my scholastic and athletic careers, this was the first time a Board of Directors actually hired me for it.
That first chief exec role was tumultuous, challenging, exciting, and rewarding. During my tenure I developed lifelong friendships and grew substantially as a leader. I made many mistakes - but I learned a great deal as well.
Ultimately I learned that leadership could be a great power for good and I shipped off to IMD to expand my horizons and capabilities. Every day since then has been a deliberate step in an ongoing leadership journey.
The journey continues but today I pause to reflect on the big milestone of 12 years ago and how significantly it has impacted my path.
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
― Bilbo Baggins, J.R.R. Tolkien's, The Lord of the Rings
That first chief exec role was tumultuous, challenging, exciting, and rewarding. During my tenure I developed lifelong friendships and grew substantially as a leader. I made many mistakes - but I learned a great deal as well.
Ultimately I learned that leadership could be a great power for good and I shipped off to IMD to expand my horizons and capabilities. Every day since then has been a deliberate step in an ongoing leadership journey.
The journey continues but today I pause to reflect on the big milestone of 12 years ago and how significantly it has impacted my path.
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
― Bilbo Baggins, J.R.R. Tolkien's, The Lord of the Rings
2016-02-10
My presentation from the 2016 Distributech Conference
This week I was in Orlando for Distributech, the annual Smart Grid Conference. I made some great connections, did lots of demos, and enjoyed making a brief presentation about one of Smart Office Energy Solutions's client case studies:
2016-01-10
Redskins Playoff Magic
Early in the morning of January 4th, 1992 I was roused from my slumber by the sound of the phone ringing. It was a Saturday and school hadn't started back up yet so I yawned, rolled over, and attempted to squeeze in some more sleep. It was not to be, however, as my mom poked her head into my room and let me know that the phone call was for . . . me.
This was pretty unusual - but not unheard of - so I sleepily made my way to the phone. At the other end of the line was one of my mom's dear friends, Sam, and what he had to say brought me to full awake status in nanoseconds.
His neighbors, longtime Washington Redskins season tickets holders, couldn't make it to that day's playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons. They had given Sam their two tickets and he was inviting me to come along.
This opportunity came at a key time in my development. I was 12 years old and had just finished my second season of youth football. We had been living in the Washington DC area for a couple of years and I was already becoming bought into the local football team. It was cold and raining relentlessly that day . . . but there was no way I was going to miss such an opportunity!
Sam picked me up and we made our way into the District. As we entered historic RFK Stadium, they were kindly giving out yellow seat cushions to protect fans from the cold, wet bleachers.
The game began inauspiciously. The Falcons had talked a lot of talk. Deion Sanders was a particularly vocal player and there were rumors that M.C. Hammer was on their sideline to boot. The Falcons sang "To Hell With the Redskins" (a mockery of the Washington fight song, "Hail to the Redskins") and sent out 47 players to the opening coin toss.
The Redskins let their play do the talking. Rookie Ricky Ervins led a dominant running game that opened up Mark Rypien's passing game to "The Posse," (hat tip to the front five "Hogskins" for effective run blocking and solid pass protection) especially my favorite, Art Monk. Fullback Gerald Riggs accounted for two touchdowns, which was fire in the belly for this wide-eyed aspiring fullback.
On defense too, Darrell Green led a stifling performance. By the fourth quarter the Skins were sitting on a solid lead and it was becoming evident that we would be headed to the NFC Championship. When Riggs made it 24-7, effectively ruling out any potential Falcons comeback, the crowd went wild.
Someone threw one of those yellow seat cushions down onto the field. I remember it as if time slowed down for those few seconds as we all watched that cushion fall several stories to the ground. Then, suddenly, time resumed and everybody threw a seat cushion in. It was raining yellow confetti. The ref was blowing his whistle. It was pouring. It was cold. But we were going to the championship!
A quarter century later I remember that moment as if it were yesterday. That time-standing-still experience was truly magical for this young football player. I had thrown my cushion in along with everyone else but Sam held onto his and let me keep it. I still have it to this day. It's a reminder not just of that special moment, and of that Superbowl-winning season, but also of how much magic it is possible to create in the lives of children.
Thank you, Sam, for that lesson, and good luck to the Redskins today in their playoff game against the Packers!
This was pretty unusual - but not unheard of - so I sleepily made my way to the phone. At the other end of the line was one of my mom's dear friends, Sam, and what he had to say brought me to full awake status in nanoseconds.
His neighbors, longtime Washington Redskins season tickets holders, couldn't make it to that day's playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons. They had given Sam their two tickets and he was inviting me to come along.
This opportunity came at a key time in my development. I was 12 years old and had just finished my second season of youth football. We had been living in the Washington DC area for a couple of years and I was already becoming bought into the local football team. It was cold and raining relentlessly that day . . . but there was no way I was going to miss such an opportunity!
Sam picked me up and we made our way into the District. As we entered historic RFK Stadium, they were kindly giving out yellow seat cushions to protect fans from the cold, wet bleachers.
The game began inauspiciously. The Falcons had talked a lot of talk. Deion Sanders was a particularly vocal player and there were rumors that M.C. Hammer was on their sideline to boot. The Falcons sang "To Hell With the Redskins" (a mockery of the Washington fight song, "Hail to the Redskins") and sent out 47 players to the opening coin toss.
The Redskins let their play do the talking. Rookie Ricky Ervins led a dominant running game that opened up Mark Rypien's passing game to "The Posse," (hat tip to the front five "Hogskins" for effective run blocking and solid pass protection) especially my favorite, Art Monk. Fullback Gerald Riggs accounted for two touchdowns, which was fire in the belly for this wide-eyed aspiring fullback.
On defense too, Darrell Green led a stifling performance. By the fourth quarter the Skins were sitting on a solid lead and it was becoming evident that we would be headed to the NFC Championship. When Riggs made it 24-7, effectively ruling out any potential Falcons comeback, the crowd went wild.
Someone threw one of those yellow seat cushions down onto the field. I remember it as if time slowed down for those few seconds as we all watched that cushion fall several stories to the ground. Then, suddenly, time resumed and everybody threw a seat cushion in. It was raining yellow confetti. The ref was blowing his whistle. It was pouring. It was cold. But we were going to the championship!
A quarter century later I remember that moment as if it were yesterday. That time-standing-still experience was truly magical for this young football player. I had thrown my cushion in along with everyone else but Sam held onto his and let me keep it. I still have it to this day. It's a reminder not just of that special moment, and of that Superbowl-winning season, but also of how much magic it is possible to create in the lives of children.
Thank you, Sam, for that lesson, and good luck to the Redskins today in their playoff game against the Packers!
2015-12-22
The Force Awakens: the Good, the Bad, and the Amazing
Per my previous post, I thought Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was very, very good but definitely not perfect. Below are my thoughts on the good, the bad, and the truly amazing aspects of this film.
WARNING: THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Good:
- The original cast actors bring their A game. I was worried that Harrison Ford would mail it in. On the contrary, he, Leia, etc. are in top form.
- The writing was good too. Han is straight up funny and we get a lot more depth out of Chewbacca than we've ever had before. Even C3PO isn't annoying.
- This movie was clearly made by fans for fans as there is such care taken to do right by the characters, things, and themes that we all know and love from the original trilogy. The fan service is well done and not nearly as cheesy or over the top as in the prequel trilogy. My favorite example of this is when Leia feels Han die, she clutches her heart and has to sit down - almost exactly like Yoda in Episode III when he feels the other jedi dying. It's a really subtle tie-in but I think it was intentional and it was very well done.
- As this is something of a "passing the torch" movie, there are many new characters introduced and, by and large, they are compelling, interesting, well written, well acted, and well developed (within the time constraints of a Hollywood blockbuster). I would have liked more from General Hux and Captain Phasma, but hopefully they'll be better in Episode VIII.
- The movie is visually stunning. I've seen it twice in 3D and once in IMAX 3D (recommended) but I haven't yet seen it in any of the allegedly optimal formats. Still, the focus on practical effects when possible and cinematography result in some breathtaking scenes and riveting action sequences.
- Kylo Ren is an interesting, complex villain. His conflict between light and dark, his still-to-be-revealed back story, his Solo tie-in, and his inability to contain his passionate emotions (reflected even in his lightsaber, which needs exhaust ports to vent excess heat) are all really interesting. Frankly this is what I was hoping for out of Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy.
- This movie answers some 30 year old questions about what has happened after the events of Episode VI . . . but at the same time introduces many more questions. The result is something that both satisfies and leaves you hungering for more - well done.
- The music, my goodness the music. There isn't much new territory covered here, no major new them, but the existing themes we already know and love are masterfully woven into the film. Just thinking of Rey lighting the lightsaber as the theme swells, reflecting her growing confidence and determination gives me chills. Well done!
The Force Awakens is far from perfect, though, so here's
The Bad:
- The plot is largely recycled from Episode IV and VI. From starting with a droid hiding some secret on a desert planet to ending with a ground strike team taking down shields so that x-wings can make a trench run to blow up a death star and including the defenseless older mentor character being struck down by the Vader-like character . . . it all feels more than a little familiar. I get that they were trying to pay homage to the original trilogy but I would have liked a little more original plot.
- Even at 2.5 hours, it felt rushed in several places. There were some major events that didn't linger long enough for them to sink in. For example, when the Starkiller base is used to destroy an entire planetary system (and the New Republic fleet), it just moves on immediately to, "OK, how are we going to respond," depriving the scene of the gravitas it might have otherwise had. Similarly Finn just up and decides he's not buying what the New Order is selling and starts shooting storm troopers - the guys he has grown up with his entire life - without a second thought. I would expect some more conflict in him, which would give his character more depth. Finn also develops strong bonds with both Poe and Rey really quickly, with very little relationship development. I suspect that many of these omissions are the hallmarks of cuts that were made to keep the movie under Hollywood's pre-defined blockbuster time limit so I'm hopeful for an extended edition to be released that will fill in some of the gaps.
- There are also some disbelief-suspending plot holes. R2D2 randomly comes back on and takes a long time to do so because . . . convenience. Poe's sole mission is to recover BB8 and yet he leaves Jakku without him for some reason to head back to the Resistance, hops in an x-wing, and doesn't go immediately back to Jakku because . . . convenience.
Fortunately there really isn't any ugly in The Force Awakens, so here's
The Amazing:
- I love, love, love how gender is treated in this movie. There are strong female roles; Leia is now a "general," not a "princess" and the stormtrooper Captain Phasma is a woman. The men are conflicted, emotional, and not infallible. It's a much more even playing field than I'm used to seeing in action movies - and especially Star Wars movies.
- One female protagonist really stands out to me, though: Rey. She is strong, capable, unsure of herself, vulnerable, driven, and - at the end of the day - totally badass. It's the first time I can recall ever being totally inspired by a female hero. Every time I watch the movie I get starry eyed "OMG I wanna be like that!" feelings in ways that have traditionally been reserved for very "masculine" heroes. I wonder what the implications are when an entire generation of boys grows up having had not just male idols but females as well. Workplace equality? Men more capable of doing things that have typically been considered "feminine" in the workplace (things which research shows are incredibly valuable for leadership and teamwork)? Women able to be leaders in organizations without adopting "masculine" traits and being derogatorily labeled for it? I don't know but I have a hunch that, if popular media continue to level the playing field between male and female heroes, it could be tranformative to our collective psychology.
- Rey's character wouldn't be nearly so compelling without fantastic acting and Daisy Ridley absolutely crushes it (Writing and direction must get credit too.). She's not the only one, though. In the best scene of the movie (Maybe one of the best scenes of all time?), she and Adam Driver deliver absolutely virtuosic performances. During the interrogation scene, let's be clear that he is straight-up raping her. It may be rape of the mind rather than the body but, if anything, that feels even more heinous to me. "You know I can take whatever I want." He is exerting total domination and power over her as she lies helplessly restrained. And then she resists. You can see the determination written all over her face. You can then see her confidence grow - and his shake - as she fights and ultimately overpowers him.There is almost no dialog, special effects, or even blocking - it is an entire journey of psychological epiphany and empowerment told exclusively through the faces of two actors locked in an epic performance. It's glorious and I can't remember the last time I was able to say that about a scene in a movie blockbuster.
So there you have it, my take on Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It wasn't perfect but it was very, very good and some of it was straight up amazing. What did you think? Please preface your comments with SPOILER tags if they contain them.
2015-12-20
The Force Awakens . . . and It Is Strong
After much waiting and anticipation, I saw Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (three times!) this weekend. TL;DR: it is very good.
Spoiler-free zone:
It's no secret that I love Star Wars. I was too young to have seen the original trilogy in the theaters but I grew up with it on home video and I loved it. The consummate contemporary mythology of the epic struggle of good vs. evil, it called to me long before I could even understand much of what was happening on screen.
When I was in high school, the original trilogy was re-released in the theater, which was an amazing opportunity to see the movies in a way that I never had before. Funny story: my girlfriend at the time had never seen Star Wars so I took her to see it in the theater. She didn't like it. We broke up. (Not because of the Star Wars directly, but it was a clear litmus test that we weren't a fit!)
The prequel trilogy came out while I was in college. I wanted to love it and for some time I convinced myself that I did, but eventually I came to realize that I did not - much as I did not love the additions in the "Special Edition" of the original trilogy. No matter, I still loved the greater Star Wars universe - so much so that I even gave a TEDx talk about it!
With all that in mind, you can imagine the mixed emotions I had leading up to Episode VII. I really, really, really wanted it to be good, but I had been burned by that before with the prequels. Accordingly, I tried to set my expectations low but, as much hype as there was leading up to the movie's release, that proved impossible.
Opening day I took the day off from work and attended a Star Wars marathon at the theater: 24 hours of episodes I-VI. I actually skipped episodes I-III and got some sleep instead! :-) It was fantastic to see episodes IV-VI in the theater, though - for only the second time in my life. They were the Special Editions but I just turned away during the objectionable parts. :-)
Finally Thursday evening the big moment arrived. My primary hope was that Episode VII simply wouldn't suck. If I dared to dream, though, I hoped it would be amazing. Long story short: it most definitely did not suck! It was very good, maybe even amazing - but I'm not sure about that yet, still processing.
The new characters were well developed, the acting and direction was excellent, the old characters provided good fan service, and the cinematography/action/special effects were all breathtaking. I have some beefs with the plot but overall I was very satisfied. I'll post a separate spoilery review but the take away is that I thought it was so good that I saw it again Friday night . . . and then again Saturday night. It became better each time.
The Force is strong with this sequel.
Spoiler-free zone:
It's no secret that I love Star Wars. I was too young to have seen the original trilogy in the theaters but I grew up with it on home video and I loved it. The consummate contemporary mythology of the epic struggle of good vs. evil, it called to me long before I could even understand much of what was happening on screen.
When I was in high school, the original trilogy was re-released in the theater, which was an amazing opportunity to see the movies in a way that I never had before. Funny story: my girlfriend at the time had never seen Star Wars so I took her to see it in the theater. She didn't like it. We broke up. (Not because of the Star Wars directly, but it was a clear litmus test that we weren't a fit!)
The prequel trilogy came out while I was in college. I wanted to love it and for some time I convinced myself that I did, but eventually I came to realize that I did not - much as I did not love the additions in the "Special Edition" of the original trilogy. No matter, I still loved the greater Star Wars universe - so much so that I even gave a TEDx talk about it!
With all that in mind, you can imagine the mixed emotions I had leading up to Episode VII. I really, really, really wanted it to be good, but I had been burned by that before with the prequels. Accordingly, I tried to set my expectations low but, as much hype as there was leading up to the movie's release, that proved impossible.
Opening day I took the day off from work and attended a Star Wars marathon at the theater: 24 hours of episodes I-VI. I actually skipped episodes I-III and got some sleep instead! :-) It was fantastic to see episodes IV-VI in the theater, though - for only the second time in my life. They were the Special Editions but I just turned away during the objectionable parts. :-)
Finally Thursday evening the big moment arrived. My primary hope was that Episode VII simply wouldn't suck. If I dared to dream, though, I hoped it would be amazing. Long story short: it most definitely did not suck! It was very good, maybe even amazing - but I'm not sure about that yet, still processing.
The new characters were well developed, the acting and direction was excellent, the old characters provided good fan service, and the cinematography/action/special effects were all breathtaking. I have some beefs with the plot but overall I was very satisfied. I'll post a separate spoilery review but the take away is that I thought it was so good that I saw it again Friday night . . . and then again Saturday night. It became better each time.
The Force is strong with this sequel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
