Winding Down…
It seems somewhat backwards that my first post would be titled “winding down”. Yet after Sindeo closed its doors unexpectedly, it seems entirely appropriate. Despite advice to write about my experience on day 1, I opted to wait a while, to give myself time to write something that I could actually share publicly. As I went through the five stages of grief, I lingered for a while on depression. We had something special — a great team, a great vision, and we were solving a real problem. We just didn’t have gas in the tank.
The day Sindeo closed down, I sent a message on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter looking for anyone who could help my team find new jobs. The response was overwhelming. Literally. In addition to the comments on the posts, I received hundreds of emails, private messages across multiple channels, and dozens of phone calls. And not just from people I know well or even know at all. I half expect the next email I open to be from my cousin’s neighbor’s roommate’s girlfriend or some equally tenuous connection. While it would be really easy to be bitter, depressed, or angry about how things went down, the support and outreach have been incredible, uplifting, and heartwarming.
As with everything in life, time provides perspective. While I’m still disappointed that we didn’t get to realize our vision, I also recognize that through adversity comes opportunity. I’m seeing that in the options that former Sindeons are looking at. There are a lot of exciting roles with companies who don’t just have the vision, the team, and the problem, they also have the gas. The people at Sindeo have become as close as family to me despite our short time together, and I can’t wait to see where they go and what they do next.
As for me, I plan to take a deep breath, reflect on what’s important to me and my family, and be patient about my next move. In the meantime, I’m hoping that getting this first post up will spur me to do a little more writing. I’m planning to do a little prototyping of some ideas I’ve been kicking around for a while and never found the time to think about properly. Most importantly, I’ll get to spend some quality time with my wife and daughter. Yet more evidence that through adversity comes opportunity. Can’t wait.
