Thriving by her own rules, with Karen from Tagz.
With a cup of coffee in her hand, Karen, from Tagz, sits at her fixed desk across from me. She’s wearing a faded black hoodie with a purple Yahoo! logo on it. We talk about the early days of working at an internet company, and laugh about its quirks and pleasures. But the moment I broach the topic of what she’s up to now, her expression sharpens and her speech fills with a matter-of-factness.
“I guess I’d spent long enough in the corporate world, and wanted to prove to myself that I could make a business successful. We’ve already got some great products in the market, so honestly, this shouldn’t be too tough a job.”
She goes on to show me the array of visitor management products — one that includes both hardware and software — that she’s laid out on her desk. From text translating the details on your ID card, to encrypting and storing the data, it’s clear that she’s right. A lot of thought has gone into the product, and it shows in her excitement. It’s like she’s uncovered a gem and she wants everyone to know about it.
“Above all, nothing beats a happy customer. When they see their product automating roles and providing their visitors with a delightful experience, they can’t help but smile from a sense of amazement. That’s when I know I’ve done a good job, and I can go home proud of myself.”
It’s true. In between our discussion, when we share stories about mutual colleagues at Yahoo!, she can’t help but laugh at the many incredible moments of both victories and failures, which she’s seen her share of.
The most vivid memory was from the company’s well loved tradition of pranks, especially popular when colleagues took one or two weeks off from work. She recounts a colleague who had been away for three whole weeks, where a plan was hatched to ‘renovate’ his desk.
They began covering his table with a layer of cotton wool, and topped it off with a few bags of green beans sprinkled on top of it in generous portions. Whenever someone walked by, they would water the burgeoning field of beans, and watch nature evolve on the table top. Three weeks later, when Karen’s colleague returned, there were enough bean sprouts to be stir fried and served with salt and pepper.
“Yeah, those were the days. I’m surprised we didn’t do much worse than that,” she says, in between bouts of laughter.
Although she never did get a chance to cook those bean sprouts, she’s now excited about her prospects as a solopreneur. She tells me how demand for Tagz has been steadily increasing, and now counts a wide range of building owners — country clubs, schools, religious organisations, and condominiums — as her customers.
“In the end, I’m happy as long as on a daily basis I get some exercise in, get through lots of work, read a few chapters, and spend time with my elderly parents. That’s all,” she says, before finishing the rest of her coffee, and getting straight back to work.
