Confessions of an Alpha Monkey
Startup: Idea to Business in 100 Days
[1] The highest ranking individual is designated as the alpha. In humans, alphas often change through revolution or insurrection. During late 2019, Jairson Ascencao often refers to himself as an alpha monkey before he becomes a true leader. This story is part of his journey he took to turn an idea of his into a business in 100 days.
[2] Why does Jairson refer to himself as an alpha monkey?
Day 62
“The original reason I wanted to write a book was to document the process of turning someone from an alpha monkey into a leader,” said Jairson in the video Origin, which is Episode 2 in Season 1 of the YouTube series Coalmont.
This is “so that others who aspire to be a leader can go through the process themselves and reach out to us,” said Jairson further.
The turning point in my life was “the moment after our first indoors Haven meeting,” on the last Monday of November (Day 62), “when you and I were talking and it was made clear that what I thought was leading was just temporary ownership of the group.”
“Up until then, I thought that temporary ownership of the group was leading. I was using that style of leadership to direct my friends in the way that I want.”
“It works in the short term for things like partying or making a single event go smoothly but it does not allow for good group synergy when the leader isn’t present. Basically, you can’t be a leader unless you’re in the room. That’s not very useful for anything beside very short term events.”
As a comparison, the prior turning point in my life “was the day I decided I was going to leave Colorado State University in March 2018.”
“My whole life up until that point has been groomed to just get a degree, get a job, and settle down somewhere. During that time, I’d been running a mediation club and working on business related skills. I felt this big calling towards creating something rather than just following a track. That decision was the day I decided to take a step towards being a creator rather than a follower.”
Day 63
“It’s been 2 years since I graduated from High School, during which I’ve met many new people, and acquired many new friends. However, only five of those friends have been brought into the innermost circle of my life. One of them is a man named Norman D. Baker.”
“That’s why, when on the last [Monday] of November I realized how much I had disappointed Norm, I felt a great deal of pain. One of the only other times I felt the same amount of pain was when I realized how much I hurt my mom by not telling her the truth about what I was doing with my life a few months ago. Only then I didn’t realize that what had happened was because I lacked integrity, and this time it was painfully clear.”
“I had asked Norman on the 24th when he thought we would have a business structure. I did that so that we could be covered in case of any liability issues while running our creative event called Providence Haven. Norm then spent the greater part of that Sunday working to prepare for a meeting we agreed would happen the next day which would explain where we were in the incorporation process. I then missed this meeting so that I could finish writing the standup comedy routine that I needed for the Haven event, which cost everyone their time, but also disrespected Norms commitment to honoring my request. What made what happened even worse for me was the fact that I had missed our meeting due to procrastination, and procrastination meant I delayed our work process.”
“Last night, I felt upset because one of my closest friends broke a promise that could mean he may disappear from my life. Yet even after I confessing that I felt that way about my friend, I still didn’t think that Norm felt the same way about what I did. Then, Nick made it clear that how Norm felt about yesterday was just as bad as how I felt about my friends decision. He reminded me that though I am desperate for income to pay my student loans, Norm is more desperate than I am, because while I live at home, Norm doesn’t. And so, instead of sitting there waiting for me all day, he could have been making money. As I’m writing this, the pain only grows.”
“This all keeps happening because I keep listening to my personal opinions and telling myself lies. For example, I keep telling myself that as long as I completely focus on making my life better I will someday have the power to make my friends lives better. That’s why I always look for ways to improve my life but when it comes to the others around me I only help them at my convenience, as long as it doesn’t take too much effort. For example, my friend Ari had a roommate problem and needed a new roommate, and I knew it would both make my friend Shira happy to live with him because they knew each other, and it would be cheaper for her to do so. Knowing that, I told her I would help her find a sub letter so she could move into his place, but then never followed through. What an awful person I’ve become, is my only thought as I write these things down.”
