Lover of trading, tacos, 3D/AR/VR, cryptos, and most things Japanese

Great news! After a long series of interviews and meetings and over a month’s time, I have been offered and accepted an executive position with a local startup company. I’ll make a more formal announcement as things like contracts get figured out, but the gist of it is that I’m on a three-month, “trial contract” so that I can evaluate the company and they me. After that, we renegotiate salary and equity structures going forward.

I will be heading up their technology division, managing designers and developers, implementing best practices, running servers and cloud-based computing solutions, budgeting and forecasting, as well as rolling up my sleeves and writing code. The CEO and I are meeting with the CMO later today to discuss Marketing plans and Social Media strategies.

It feels like I’m home again, back doing what I love to do: Build companies. There are several interesting layers to this one, and its Big Idea is one that could have a profound effect on the interwebs in the the coming years. Love me a Big Idea. We’re well positioned to capitalize on a huge shift that is beginning to take place online. I’m energized and excited to be a part of it – so much so that I’m writing this post at 2am because I have too many things running around my head at the moment to fall asleep. (Writing always helps flush enough of them out that I settle down and can get back to bed after doing so.)

Yesterday was a great day! Not only did I get the position, but I was also able to quickly diagnose and resolve – with the help of our Android developer – one of the key bugs that had been plaguing the system for some time. It’s always nice to be able to make an immediate impact when in that initial proving ground stage.

More details as they become available! 🙂

Good news! I’m now officially under contract to provide web services for a local startup company. I’ll be developing their web site, integrating community-based features, facilitating their social media presence, and developing systems for them. This is just a small contract, part-time work, but it will lead to bigger and better things. And I’m getting paid, which has it’s advantages too.

Progress is still being made with my other ventures. I’m still in the interview process with another firm for something that will be closer to full time work once it commences. I’m reviewing their code, looking for fixes to some of their bugs, and should be speaking with both their mobile developer and marketing head next week. This opportunity is an exciting one, with lots of big data potential, and could revolutionize the way many, many, people interact with their online presences. I can’t go into details yet, but rest assured I will be spreading the word about this company should we come to terms and move forward together.

Unfortunately, my school work is falling by the wayside a bit. I haven’t had the time lately to keep up on my lectures and quizzes because I’ve been head down and working away. This isn’t a super big deal, as I’m not taking the courses for grades, but both do provide useful information that I can use in my business going forward, so they are still a priority to keep up on. Say hello to late night study sessions again! 🙂

In my “copious free time”, I’m also considering starting a consulting business for several reasons, and am just waiting for a few more things to fall into place before I commit to it. You’ll be hearing about that one too, when the time is right. I’ve already developed a substantial Twitter following for it, so it looks like there’s a lot of interest in that arena thus far. Good stuff.

That’s all I have time for right now, stay tuned for future updates – and thanks for visiting. 🙂

For a guy who’s currently unemployed, I sure have a full schedule these days. I’m pursuing several different employment opportunities, all in various advanced stages (read: multiple interviews), including both full-time and contract work. I’m taking two classes – Foundations of Business Strategy from Darden School of Business at UVA and Game Theory from Stanford University – and I’m doing some volunteer work for the Kids International Foundation, a foundation I have sponsored for over a decade that provides help and aid to children living in orphanages.

These days my schedule hasn’t allowed much time to work out though. In order for me to train consistently, I need to do it at the same time every day – make it something I _have_ to do every day – and I’ve been lacking in that regard. This is why I prefer to train first thing in the day – get up, get it done, get on with the day. Unfortunately, my schedule just won’t allow that at this time.

My diet is still good, I’m not gaining or losing weight, but I’m falling behind in the competition with Greg about who can get sub-200 first. I’ve been stuck at 216 for weeks, while he’s at the fringe, trying to break through that 200 barrier. I’ve been forced to make other activities a priority these days, but I have not been a total slacker. I’m still getting a workout in about three times a week, which is just about the bare minimum for maintenance mode.

I’m also working on starting a new business. I already have the name, the web site, and the Twitter accounts set up. At this point, I’m going to start it as an LLC to channel my contractual work through and provide a layer of protection for me. Plus, I like being a business owner and, given my extensive startup experience, it seems like a good idea to have my own again. Sure, there are additional hurdles that come into play running a business vs. being a sole proprietor, but there are also tax advantages and it can look good on the ol’ resume too. Given that my expertise is best utilized by small- to medium-sized businesses, it can make things a lot simpler to do B2B transactions than B2Contractor. Stay tuned for updates, you can be sure to hear about it when it becomes official. 🙂

I spent a good chunk of the weekend with family and friends. I met up with D for the USC vs. CU game at the Colorado USC Alumni get-together for the game at Blake Street Tavern and we had a fun time. It was great to see D – we hadn’t gotten together in months – and, despite USC crushing CU 56-28 🙂 , he had a good time too. I also got to witness history as Peyton Manning threw his record-breaking touchdown pass with my son and my dad. Oh, and Tom’s team won their game too. A great football weekend.