Tag: StashWall

January 4, 2014

Fresh Start

I hate New Year’s Eve but I love the start of a new year. There’s something powerful about endings and beginnings. You can cast away the past and look ahead. I don’t make resolutions. They never last. I try to prioritize. But also to give myself a break when I make mistakes.

2013 was a year of transition. I moved (and got rid of ½ my stuff). I got new toys to make my life simpler. I regrouped. I started a speaking career on the side. And I got closer to my goal of building StashWall into a world-class company.

I try to spend new year’s at the beach. I drive up to my favorite spot in Malibu and walk barefoot on the sand with the water lapping at my feet. This year, while watching the waves, several schools of dolphins and a whale swam by. There’s something about the ocean that always balances me. It helps set the reset button.

I can’t wait to take on this new year. I’ll try to share more of my journey along the way (but that’s not a resolution…)

November 24, 2013

Eye on the Prize

I’ve been very focused on staying focused. Work. Work. Work. Keep your eye on the prize. Raise money to get to the next milestone.

I’ve limited my lunches and dinners to include only work related meetings (boring I know) but necessary for now.

An old friend who I rarely hear from started contacting me on LinkedIn. She launched a new company and wanted to get together and catch up. I put her off. After all we hadn’t talked for 3 years. And I was “busy.”

But she persisted and I relented. I agreed to meet her for lunch near my office.
It was great to see her and made me realize that being too focused isn’t always best. I loved the idea behind her new company. And when I told her about StashWall, her eyes lit up. She loved everything about it. So much so that she offered to invest.

Why yes, I’ll have a slice of humble pie with that.

August 25, 2013

Slow and Steady

I’ve been living inside my own head a lot this year. Thinking and plotting. Trying to figure out how to turn an idea into a company. Sure, I built a product and have the people in place to go forward but I want to do it right. Now, I’m aware that speed is important in startups as is being first. But I also know from experience that you want to get it right. It’s true that you only get one chance to make a great impression. This whole build it, see what happens and if it doesn’t work, pivot (my least favorite word), may work if you’re a young, first time entrepreneur but it doesn’t work for me.

When I build something, I want it to work. To grow. To succeed. And to do that, especially if it’s something new. An idea that goes against conventional thinking, well, you need to take time to figure out the how.

How will you break through the noise? How will you not only get attention but also create habits? How will you make money? How will you attract smart folks to your team? And how will you do all of that without giving up control because you’re constantly giving away pieces of your company to investors?

And so, I started looking at doing things differently. The idea is exactly the same. It just takes a different journey. Instead of going straight to consumers (expensive given escalating user acquisition costs), I’m creating corporate and strategic partnerships. A win-win.

Sometimes, slowing down can get you there. Just not at the same speed. But then again, this is a marathon. And what matters is getting to the finish line.