“The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things…
But if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple, right?
You’re not going to out-work me. It’s such a simple, basic concept. The guy who is willing to hustle the most is going to be the guy that just gets that loose ball. The majority of people who aren’t getting the places they want or aren’t achieving the things that they want in this business is strictly based on hustle. It’s strictly based on being out-worked; it’s strictly based on missing crucial opportunities. I say all the time if you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready.” - Will Smith
I love this commencement address from Corey Booker:
“I remember slamming down the phone, feeling my eyes fill with tears and rage. I began to want to cuss like a sailor, and suddenly I realized my arrogance. You see, I thought God had put the great Cory Booker there for my poor client, but there’s purpose in everything. God had put this great woman there for the poor me. At the very beginning of my career, months before my last graduation, she demonstrated to me what fundamentally is the most important force in universe. The Greeks called it agape. The Hebrews called it chesed. As a poor Baptist from Newark, New Jersey, we just call it love.” - Corey Booker
This is a vide that was shown at the TED Talent Search (stop 11/14 worldwide) in Vancouver. Extremely cool. I think witnessing a starling murmuration in real life is on my bucket list now.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain
Heading to San Francisco tomorrow. Vancouver in a week.
“With Maria Bartiromo I talk about what I call the ‘Love Principle’ in investing (To see the video click on the title above). I want to expand on what I said. I’ve learned to invest only in the companies where I completely fall in love with the team, product, execution and vision. Life is short so one should want to invest your time, energy and resources into something that you can be tireless about - where your love becomes a source of endless energy. Think Warren Buffet still drinking Cherry Cokes every single day or going to the local DQ frequently. You can’t go wrong with love.
This has helped me filter and simplify what I decide to invest in. If you don’t feel the love then don’t invest in something because you want to check off an empty box in a space - you are not investing in empty boxes - you are investing in people and the resilience of the human heart to beat on against the greatest odds. Companies and teams like Uber, Fab, Warby Parker, Tumblr, Machine Zone are filled with love and caring for their teams, their vision and their products- where they exude the passion of their teams and their focused execution inspires excellence all around. Their hearts pound so hard the world feels the beats and begins to sway to them. Love what you do and it never feels like work - it feels like being alive.” - Shervin Pishevar
Well, this has been quite the two weeks. I can honestly say I never expected to be leaving both a city and company I love so soon. Reality is, you never know what’s around the corner.
To everyone at rtraction, I’m going to miss you all a ton. I had no problem selling our work because both the team and quality was the best of the best. It’s been an honour to work alongside each and every one of you. I have tremendous respect for all of you and hope to stay in touch.
To my bosses, thank you for taking a chance on me. For that I will always be truly grateful. I consider you friends, which is an amazing thing to balance in a workplace.
So where the heck am I going?
In short, Vancouver. I’ve taken a job with Uber, a Silicon Valley startup that I’ve keenly followed since day one. My new boss and CEO, Travis Kalanick, is one of my top business idols and I cannot wait to learn everything I can from him and our COO, Ryan Graves. Both awesome guys with endless hustle.
If you have some time, check out this interview with Travis. So badass.
As an obsessive tech business nerd, Uber is a company I’ve drooled about for well over a year. They are extremely disruptive, combine both offline and online components, and balance hardcore math with badass hustle. My kind of company. Not to mention their investors are the absolute who’s who of the Valley. I’ve never seen a list of investors that comes close to stacking up. Super cool.
I wouldn’t have left my job for just anything, let alone move myself in a couple of weeks to the other side of the country. I`ve turned down multiple offers to date, but my heart is in this one ‘til the end. That’s an exciting thing for me. This is a dream job for me in my dream company.
The bittersweet side is my incredibly close (and massive) family, my amazing friends, mentors, colleagues, and projects I’ll be leaving behind. I’ll miss it all and will be doing my best to spend every last second I’ve got at home with these people.
“You can’t discover new lands until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” - Summit Series
I’ve always felt the drive to do something big, or be a part of something that is much bigger than myself. This is a massive opportunity for me and aside from moving, I cannot wait to both experience an awesome city like Vancouver and to hustle my ass off to scale an amazing company. Weird part is I’ve never even been there!
I’m going to be busy the next week but I am going to do my best to get in as many goodbyes as I can. But better yet, come visit me in a few months on the West Coast. I’m holding you all to that!
“Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” - Daniel Burnham
Normally big moves, both physically and career-wise, take some time and careful planning. To me this opportunity, however hard it may be to leave my family and friends, is such a massive one that I’ve moved faster than ever before. There are very few companies in the world I would make this move for and drop everything I’ve worked for here. So it’s a testament to the belief I have in the business model, founders, executives, and investors behind it. A year ago I was watching videos of them doing interviews, now I’m going to be working for and with them. Feels awesome.
“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.” - Francois Auguste Rene Chateaubriand
