Going to work today

[StrangeGator]

Sounds pretty mundane. Most people go to work every day, but I've been a private contractor in my field since getting laid off in 2000. I've worked on site for ad agencies for weeks or months at a time, but never long enough to put up pictures of my family or have anything feel like it was my office. I've spent a lot of time at home working on projects I got from smaller firms or directly from clients. I've spend just about as much time sitting at home or Starbucks sending emails and making phone calls trying to find projects. It got old. Income was inconsistent, no benefits, no financial stability and the worst part for me, there was no interaction with a group of people I worked with day in and day out. Always loved that, especially at the better firms I worked for.

Been working with a web based health and wellness startup since last June. It was just a few hours a week at first, but it built up towards the end of the year. Did the work with the understanding that this thing could be big and successful one day. They finally put together an employee contract which includes equity. Most of my first quarter salary is deferred until the second quarter since we haven't received the seed capital to pay operating expenses, but on-site work starts today for almost the entire team. There are 10 or 11 of us, three of whom live in other parts of the country and one in Canada. Most of them are flying in to spend several weeks here. Until now it's been conference calls and Skype sessions from our space at the 1871 tech incubator on the 12th floor of the Merchandise Mart. Very cool place. We'll probably go back there after this big push is over. Check it out.

http://www.1871.com/

Today we begin working in our temporary world wide headquarters, our CEO's basement in Palatine, IL, going all the way through the weekend. We've got three weeks to get our entire biz play together along with an extensive array of presentation materials for a Venture Capital summit we'll be attending in Silicon Valley. Our beta site has been up for several weeks and we've been gathering data for "proof of concept." Our database is designed and built out, but doesn't yet extend to the cloud. Health informatics are in place. We appear to be HIPPA compliant. Once we get the money, and depending how much, we'll race to alpha stage and start testing the possible revenue streams.

Wish I could explain what it is and what it does, but I barely understand it. My primary job is to explain it to consumers and they don't have to know the technical stuff. My title is Director of Brand Management, but I'd be just as happy with a title like Warehouse Manager or Head Cashier. I'm just glad to be going to work, even if this thing doesn't make it.

[Go2gtr]

Good luck.

[LeafUF]

Congrats, hope it all works out.

[ACCecil]

Post of the day.

God bless you old man. Or young man. Or lady. I haven't a clue. Either way may God's light shine the way. This is how America gets back to work, just like this, out of some guy's world headquarters in a basement or garage, Apple was started in a garage.

Best wishes, it isn't easy starting up a company. I studied business in college and I knew I wasn't cut out for entreprenuership but I have all the respect in the world for those that do cut their own way and take a few hearty sould with them.

Reminds me of the scene in Jerry MacQuire when he leaves and asks who else wants to go with him and no oen says a word so he takes the goldfish and then at the last second the girl quits her job to take a chance on him.

So damned romantic.

Like Mexican strippers brings a tear to my eye.

[manigordo]

Good luck Strange. You express yourself so well. I am pulling for you.
How odd the world is and we who are in it.
I am grateful every day that I don't go to work!

[StrangeGator]

Originally Posted by ACCecil

Post of the day.

God bless you old man. Or young man. Or lady. I haven't a clue. Either way may God's light shine the way. This is how America gets back to work, just like this, out of some guy's world headquarters in a basement or garage, Apple was started in a garage.

Best wishes, it isn't easy starting up a company. I studied business in college and I knew I wasn't cut out for entreprenuership but I have all the respect in the world for those that do cut their own way and take a few hearty sould with them.

Reminds me of the scene in Jerry MacQuire when he leaves and asks who else wants to go with him and no oen says a word so he takes the goldfish and then at the last second the girl quits her job to take a chance on him.

So damned romantic.

Like Mexican strippers brings a tear to my eye.

You guessed on the first one. I'll be 55 next week. Didn't even study business. I've been working for ad agencies my whole career. Absolutely not the entrepreneur type. I was just in the right place and friends with the right people at the right time. They needed someone with my skill set to get through the first stage. I will need to develop some new skills and learn an awful lot about this offering.

My boss is the Jerry McGuire in this thing. I'm more like the Renee Zellweger character. She's one of the most amazing people I've ever met in my life. More than anything, she makes me believe in myself. She is the American Dream, an African American woman raised by working class parents in Cleveland. They weren't educated, but they knew the value of it and pushed her hard. She graduated from Northwestern University at the age of 19, spent three or four years in successful roles in a big corporation, then returned to Evanston to get her MBA from Kellogg. She and one of our other partners led IBM's "Smarter Planet" initiative, and led a huge system migration for AT&T that included India's entire telecom infrastructure.

This venture is her attempt to make a difference. She believes that we can make significant impact on health in this country, especially with individuals with chronic health conditions. (Whatever she believes, I believe.) Our beta test is made up entirely of diabetics. The data we're getting back indicates a very high level of engagement.

Everyone of us on the team has dealt with chronic health issues, either themselves or a close family member. This is a very personal mission for each of us.

[StrangeGator]

Thanks for all the encouragement. I didn't even post this on facebook or told more than a few of my personal friends. My real friends are here.

[toon66]

Sounds great and best of luck to you. I am part of a startup that is now 13 yrs old. There were 10 employees when we cranked up. Now, there are over 100 and I am one of two originals that remain not counting the owner. It is a ton of work and requires a great deal of flexibility as well as nerves. Many, many sleepless nights. However, very few get to experience something like this and, if successful, is an amazing thing to witness and experience.

Knock 'em dead!

[swampbabe]

Good luck, Strange. Fulfilling work is the best. I wish that everyone could experience it.

[northgagator]

Originally Posted by ACCecil

Post of the day.


Like Mexican strippers brings a tear to my eye.

They bring tears to my eyes too!

Good post ACC! From start to end.

[Al E Gator]

To the OP:

Wait, according to my screen, you posted this at 9:53 am today? Most people have already been at work for hours by that time! Wish I could roll in to "work" past 10 am!

j/k. Good luck in your new gig.

[northgagator]

12th floor?

Sounds more like the Ground Floor
I hope it takes you to the penthouse.

By the way your work location must be a short commute for you.

Good luck!

[gatorjjh]

so how is it going?

[Gator515151]

Originally Posted by toon66

Sounds great and best of luck to you. I am part of a startup that is now 13 yrs old. There were 10 employees when we cranked up. Now, there are over 100 and I am one of two originals that remain not counting the owner. It is a ton of work and requires a great deal of flexibility as well as nerves. Many, many sleepless nights. However, very few get to experience something like this and, if successful, is an amazing thing to witness and experience.

Knock 'em dead!

You are in a good position, I would never expect this to happen but I have seen it 4 or 5 times in my lifetime. I have had friends and relatives that were part of a startup company and helped build a multi million dollar operation. Then when the owner/founder died or retired he left the company to his most loyal long time employees. My uncle got a 1/5 share of a very large corporation that way. My dad was given a lot of stock in the company he helped start, it happens.

[StrangeGator]

Originally Posted by Al E Gator

To the OP:

Wait, according to my screen, you posted this at 9:53 am today? Most people have already been at work for hours by that time! Wish I could roll in to "work" past 10 am!

j/k. Good luck in your new gig.

The CEO was in Silicon Valley the day before and came back on the red eye. We were told not to show up until 10 or 11. We didn't finish until seven last night. I'm back there today and will be back tomorrow, even though this is my twins' last weekend before they return to college. We'll be working 60-80 hours a week from now until the venture capital summit.

[toon66]

Originally Posted by Gator515151

You are in a good position, I would never expect this to happen but I have seen it 4 or 5 times in my lifetime. I have had friends and relatives that were part of a startup company and helped build a multi million dollar operation. Then when the owner/founder died or retired he left the company to his most loyal long time employees. My uncle got a 1/5 share of a very large corporation that way. My dad was given a lot of stock in the company he helped start, it happens.

I hope so but it sounds like Strange may be as well.

[toon66]

Originally Posted by StrangeGator

The CEO was in Silicon Valley the day before and came back on the red eye. We were told not to show up until 10 or 11. We didn't finish until seven last night. I'm back there today and will be back tomorrow, even though this is my twins' last weekend before they return to college. We'll be working 60-80 hours a week from now until the venture capital summit.

There you have it. Eat well and take the time to exercise. I didn't do those things at the onset and I paid for it as a result.

[StrangeGator]

Originally Posted by Gator515151

You are in a good position, I would never expect this to happen but I have seen it 4 or 5 times in my lifetime. I have had friends and relatives that were part of a startup company and helped build a multi million dollar operation. Then when the owner/founder died or retired he left the company to his most loyal long time employees. My uncle got a 1/5 share of a very large corporation that way. My dad was given a lot of stock in the company he helped start, it happens.

I already have a little bit of equity. Will be interesting to see what it's worth in five years. We either make it big in that time frame, or we're gone because somebody else did what we're doing and got to market faster.

[Juggernautz]

nm.

[azipper]

I wish you all the best in your new place. Like you, I just got started in a new venture and it is an exciting and stressful time.