When Time and Money Don’t Matter.
The story of figuring out what’s next.
Before becoming irrelevant at nGen Works, I would ask people what they would do if time and money didn’t matter. It’s not an easy question, but it’s supposed to give you insight into your purpose in life. Some people would respond quickly with something exciting like “sail around the world!” or inspirational like “dedicate my life to ending poverty.” But a majority would be unable to answer on the spot. The difficulty is understandable. It’s a bitch of a concept and requires the ability to suspend your disbelief. After all, money and time do matter. At least they’re supposed to.
But on some level I was given this gift nine months ago. I’m hardly wealthy, but I don’t worry about money like I used to. I’m not a spring chicken, but I’ve got a good chunk of my life left to do something meaningful. So when time and money didn’t matter, what did I do?
Nothing … and everything. It is frightening to have an opportunity that is so wide open. You don’t want to screw it up.
After a few months of annoying my friends and family with one “what’s next” idea after another, I heard the story of Tito Beveridge. Broke after taking a beating in real estate, he followed cliche’d advice he saw on late night TV. Find the intersection of what you love to do and what you’re good at. Thus, Tito’s Vodka was born.
Looking to follow that advice myself, I took the time to list what I loved doing and what I was good at. As I lined up the two columns it was pretty clear. The things that meant the most to me involved helping others through sharing my experiences and learning from theirs. Sometimes this was in the form of giving talks, or podcasting or writing followed by meaningful conversations. Other times it was a personal discussion around more sensitive topics.
There were also three commitments I had made that would factor into my decision on how to move forward. The web industry had done so much for me that I was determined to leave it better than I found it. Anything I did had to be for the betterment of the industry. The same held true for nGen Works. I had spent a quarter of my life building a company that was now giving me the gift of freedom. Anything I did had to be beneficial to them as well.
The third commitment would leave me severely limited in my options. I had promised myself that I would never be the boss again. And also that I would never have a boss again. Anything I did had to be as equals with everyone bringing their skills to create something new.
As I found myself fumbling with where to go, there was one person I would constantly connect with, Greg Storey.
I first met Greg at SxSW in 2011, although he probably doesn’t remember it. Like many of us in the industry, I had always been in a huge fan of Happy Cog. Now I was hanging out with one of the Gregs. While he cracked jokes with the others around me I just sat there happy to be included.
Years later I was invited to the first Owner Camp. Over the course of several days I became good friends with a lot of people. But it was the mix of unfiltered honesty combined with an unselfish desire to see others succeed and a childlike curiosity that made Storey so unique. He was constantly asking me to share things about what we were doing at nGen. He had great advice on things to try. And he had no tolerance for bullshit. I fell madly in love.
We played around with different ideas on how we could work together on a side project. We outlined a book we could write together, brainstormed a few podcast ideas and basically just found excuses to hang out. One of those excuses was the idea of building something the industry was lacking. An organization that could help educate everyone while facilitating important discussions to make the industry better. This idea led to a meeting in Atlanta with Greg Hoy.
When we first started nGen we had a mantra, “Serious Fun.” Greg Hoy is the embodiment of that concept. He shows up with an infectious smile and a determination to make good ideas great. He doesn’t stop working on something until it’s time to pull the trigger. Even then things are going to get fine-tuned. And when things don’t go according to plan, he can joke about it in a way that lightens the mood but keeps the pressure on fixing the problem.
Hanging out in Atlanta it became obvious that there was something special the three of us could do together. The Gregs were already a dynamic duo and now I knew why. Storey’s inquisitive nature was a perfect complement to Hoy’s business sense. Plus they’re both insanely creative. But how would it work if we threw a non-Greg into the mix? Let’s find out.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce to you The Bureau of Digital Affairs. This is the first step towards bringing our industry together. It starts with Owner Camp, Owner Summit, Digital PM Summit and Operations Camp. These events will give the underserved segments of the industry a voice. And they are just the beginning of what we have planned.
The web industry, with all of its faults, cares. It cares about the people, the companies and the work. It cares about itself. And we care about the industry.
Making connections. Sharing experiences. Learning from each other. Helping each other. This is what the Bureau is all about.
So what would I do if time and money didn’t matter? This. I would do this.
