After 10 years: I still can't stop the rain

So it was on May 6th in 1999 that I incorporated a business called Etelos.  The journey hasn't been a straight one. It's no secret that we have seen some pretty big challenges even within the last year.  As a public company, it's impossible to hide that.  Instead of boasting about successes, I thought I would take a moment and write about some of the lessons that I have learned the last 10 years and memorialize some of the events that led us to be here at this time, 10 years later.


Here are the top 10 lessons that I have learned:

Lesson #1 - I've learned that I cannot stop the rain. 

As profound and simple as it may seem, there are those that think they can.  It may help me that I live 30 miles east of Seattle where it actually rains more than downtown Seattle.  I routinely talk to others who apparently are victims of their geography because they think they can do anything.  I'm not under this impression.  Actually, I have learned that I can't do anything without other people.  It's these people that get things done.  I am here to serve them and that's my purpose.  They are the ones who accomplish amazing things.  I am amazed by them.

Lesson #2 - The road of an entrepreneur for some is harder than others. 

Some people are lucky and others work hard at it.  I have seen in the last 10 years a slew of simple concepts well funded because they were web based - and apparently that's all.  I don't really need to ramble off the list, do I?  Being in the right place when a market moves is really important.  Inventors who come too soon can suffer horrible fate.  Those that come too late the same.  Remember that being well funded is not the same as being successful.  There are some business plans where obscene funding overcomes poor execution, but that is the rarity.  More often than not, poor execution will bring lucky entrepreneurs down - the hard workers eventually get it right.

Lesson #3  When people say "just trust me" run away. 

I learned that when people say "trust me" there usually is a reason that they have to say it. Trust is always earned. To give your trust away before it's earned is both foolish and dangerous.

Lesson #4 - I learned that children grow up no matter what the economic condition is.

In 10 years my baby grew up to be a beautiful young girl, and my two sons were born and are in school.  They are precious to me and they don't care about what happens at work nearly as much as they care that I am their dad.

Lesson #5 - I learned that my wife is a great person.

It's true. My wife is a great person with enormous character and devotion to her husband and family.  I am amazed. I am humbled.  I am inspired.  I don't know what I would do without her.  It has been said that behind every great man is a successful woman, I don't think I would call myself great. But I would be a shadow of myself without her. 

Lesson #6 - I learned that my faith is more important than anything else. 

Without my belief in a God who loves me, I am not sure I would have endured the troubles that I have.  For in my journey, there has come many points where I have reached the end of my knowledge; and I am blessed to be surrounded and supported by incredibly talented and gifted people who are there to help at the right time.  I can't explain it.  I have learned to trust in my faith and a God who sustains me, no matter how good and no matter how bad things may seem.

Whether you believe in God as I do, or you believe that a series of random unplanned sequence of events (probably trillions of them) in which you have somehow survived and which has lead to your very existence - either way, be thankful for this day.  If nothing else is true, the very fact that you exist, it is a miracle - and be thankful for it.  I recently have noticed an abundance of miracles happening every day in my life.  The tougher the circumstance, the more amazing the miracle.  It's building in my life more acceptance over the challenges and confidence in knowing that things will work out.

Lesson #7 - I have learned that the government does nothing to help business and seemingly everything to hinder. 

While even if we assume these actions are not done 'deliberately', the 'unintended consequences' of increasing governmental and accounting regulations make it extremely difficult for an entrepreneur to succeed.  Whether it's a tax code that taxes paper transactions that have no cash value, or mark-to-market that causes inflated values for both losses and gains on a P&L or Balance Sheet; it doesn't matter.  Governmental and accounting regulations only become more complex and their impact on the market only creates less opportunity. While you can argue that such regulations serve to protect, there is no government or accounting rule that can be passed to help a company produce a better product for it's customers.  Only increased competition can create an environment where customers reward good products and punish the bad.  When government makes any rule, the potential consequences need to be examined more than the rule itself.  A ruler never judges themselves by the results of their actions, only by their intentions.  Remember that well. It's the consequences of their actions that impact generations.
 
Lesson #8 - I have learned that there are a lot of stupid people in this world. 

There are people that say and do hurtful things.  They tend to group together in mobs with seemingly complete disregard for the consequences of their actions.  Some of these stupid people however if you talk with them one on one are quite intelligent.  So how then can smart people do such stupid things? I'm still working on this.  Right now, I am working hardest on not making stupid decisions myself - especially if the experts tell me to do it and everything in my gut says.... "YOU ARE WRONG".  It's foolish to do something merely because everyone else is doing it. And just because everyone is doing it, doesn't make it the right decision.

Lesson #9 - I have learned that there are some incredibly good people in this world. 

There are some amazing people out there.  Genuine people of character that will support you, work with you and take care of you.  When you believe in what you are doing, it's amazing who will come to your aid to support you.  Remember to take care of these people.  I have noticed in my life a team of individuals working together to work miracles.  Not any one of them doing anything extraordinary but when combined as a group; they seem to accomplish miracles and they seem to move mountains.  The more practical a solution, the more basic and simple the solution; a bigger miracle it seems when combined as a group.  Incredibly good and amazing people.


Lesson #10 - The greatest thing you can do in business is to serve your customers and not quit. 

Make a product or deliver a service that your customers want.  The closer you work with them, the better your success will be.  If you quit, you quit on your customers too.  The more customers you serve, the easier it becomes to measure success.  When you stop serving customers, the end will soon be near.


In Conclusion

As for me, I am here today to serve our shareholders and our customers.  It's that simple.   It's our customers over time that will either make us successful or not.   This rule is no different than any other CEO or any other entrepreneur.  Serve your customers.  Those who lose sight of this will fail. And your shareholders will be thereby well served.

I hope this perspective serves you well today and inspires you to think for yourself, if nothing else.  A company is a funny thing.  It is an entity of its own where people come to make things: to meet people that want to buy things and people who want to participate in the benefits of the enterprise.  We are those people; whether customers, workers, or shareholders. 

I hope you are enjoying your journey.  No matter what happens. I am.