Upon request form my PR folks I recently sat down to write ‘my story’ so they can use it in the company’s collateral. In writing it I realised the irony in the story, of how a journey of ten years brings me back to serving a purpose for others much the same as that which drove me to go down this path. Life, it seems, is not without a sense of humour.
Here’s the full recount:
“In 2003 – a fresh graduate from university, and refusing to follow the paths of my colleagues into Banking and management consulting, I got what i thought was a ‘real job’ in a big Engineering firm to do one of those 18-month management trainee programmes.continue reading »
Everyone is asking if we are in a tech bubble. I think we are not. But I also think that there is a bigger problem at play. In the race to be the next big thing we forgot that companies exist to fulfill a need. We got too consumed with our own numbers, our growth and hockey stick curves and who’s writing about us. ‘Oh they’re hot they got into Techcrunch’. We forgot to ask ourselves one key question: what is our purpose? Why do we exist as a business. If we disappeared tomorrow would it really matter?continue reading »
I just finished reading Howard Schultz’s book ‘Onward’ in which he tells the story of how he returned to the CEO position at Starbucks around a decade after stepping down to save it from its downward spiral.
It’s an exhilarating read… and a story of how – once again – a great leader returns to save the company he created, and does it with courage and brevity and a commitment to a higher cause than just saving a failing company. Much like the story of Steve Job’s return to Apple, it’s a story of how passion for the purpose the company once served dies after a great leader departs, and how that’s restored through a series of controversial very non-text-book type moves. That’s what makes it a great read!
I won’t spoil the read for you by giving it all away…I’ll just share some of those moves that really stood out for me as signs of courage and great leadership. At least how I read them.continue reading »
On Friday we put out probably the biggest announcement in PeoplePerHour’s history, introducing ahead of time some big changes to the product coming up. We were expecting to get axed; grilled, crucified and hammered with negativity. We prepared for the worst. Not because we dont believe in what we are doing or but because people normally react negatively to change. They are daunted and confused by it.
Yet the reaction so far has been one of euphoria; relief and inspiration. The blog crashed momentarily from the huge traffic influx, we got some 10,000 hits in a very short space of time. People posted comments like the below saying how they got inspired by the journey we went through and how they cant wait for the changes to go live. This leaves me more inspired than i ever was, knowing that what we are doing is in itself giving people excitement, hope and inspiration. I feel blessed that we have such an entrepreneurial community. Thank you folks – you rock!continue reading »
I just spent two weeks in New York. It was supposed to be a very non-descript trip, without a concrete purpose. I went there to attend a few tech conferences, meet a few people I had connected to via email and wanted to meet, and get a local vibe of the new hot tech scene that everyone is talking about – now the 2nd largest in the world after silicon valley.
I write this on the plane on the way back to London. And already I have my return flight booked for next week, I have a real estate agent looking to get me a flat (or ‘apartment’ i should say :-)) and I already signed up new office space there. And got close to making my first hire. And I feel I moved slow even. 🙂 That’s the pace this city moves in.continue reading »
I write this from a snowy and beautiful Zermatt, Switzerland on (appropriately) the last day of the year. The snowfall is too heavy for skiing and alas a perfect opportunity for me to compose the thoughts and reflections on 2011 that have been circling my mind for weeks now and finally crystallized in the crisp air of the mountains.
And I start with this: wow, what a year! Naturally as an entrepreneur the dominant story of my last 12 months is my company that consumes so much of it. What am I saying – hell – PeoplePerHour IS my life.continue reading »