Every Day is Saturday

A Lesson in Hinduism

2010-03-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Most people think of Kauai as an island of lush green tropics, dramatic cliffs along the Napali coast and beautiful beaches. It is certainly all of that. But it is also home to Kauai's Hindu Monastery founded in 1970 on 365 acres along the Wailua River.

One morning a week the monastery opens its doors to the public for a tour of the gardens, a short lesson in Hinduism and time to meditate and pray in the temple. Kristin and I were fortunate to get in on this last public tour before our departure from the island.

To say that the visit was inspiring is an understatement. It is not often that I get to visit a place so beautiful and 100 percent dedicated to harmony, peace and love. While we did not interact with the monks (swamis) directly, we did see a few around the gardens and doing some chores in the temple.

There are two experiences from our visit that have left an inspiring and lasting impression on me. One is the Iraivan temple currently under construction on a hilltop overlooking the Wailua River. This is not your ordinary temple. The temple came about from a vision of Gurudeva, the founder of the monastery, in 1975 and I believe they said that the construction began in 1990 and will be finished around 2017.

Most amazing about this temple is it is being built using the same techniques used thousands of years ago. All the stones are cut by hand in India and shipped here for carving by the stone masons. All of the work here on the island is done by hand. Believe me, I was looking for an electric saw or any kind of power tool in hiding. They could not be found. The stone masons come from India and stay for two years. The architecture and designs follow the exact plans and dimensions used to build such temples for thousands of years in India.

To see these stone masons working in person--the slow pace of their work, the repetition, the detail, the commitment--is to feel a power and presence that leaves you in awe. This is solid granite stone that is handled just like it was hundreds of generations ago, and built to last for thousands of years.

The second inspiring experience came when we were able to spend a few minutes inside the Kadavul temple. This is the monks place of worship and they let us in for a brief period. (Once the Iraivan temple opens it will become the public temple and the Kadavul will be permanently closed to the public.) Here, photography was not allowed, so it gave me a few minutes to set down my camera and experience the temple for what it is--a place to mediate and pray. Amazingly, this temple has a monk inside it in prayer on 3 hour shifts 24/7/365 since 1972. I was told not even the monastery temples in India have this kind of track record.

And perhaps the best thing I learned today is that despite the swamis' thousands of years of traditions, endless contemplative thought and selfless life of worship, each of the 23 resident monks is equipped with Macs and iPhones. Maybe there is hope for me yet.

To learn more, visit the Kauai's Hindu Monastery Web site.

Sweet Marie's Lives Up to the Name

2010-03-13T01:47:00.000-08:00

Spending this winter on the island of Kauai'i has given me a chance to meet some absolutely wonderful people. But there is one person who is a stand out, to whom I've given considerable thought since I first met her in our first week on the island. Her name is Marie Cassel and she is the sole owner and operator of Sweet Marie's Hawaii Bakery in Kapa'a, specializing in gluten-free muffins and cakes. Every time I visit her bakery, which is just a short walk from our condo, I walk away impressed and inspired.

Although she originally comes from Philadelphia, Marie has been on the island for 18 years. She is the embodiment of the Aloha spirit. The brand name of her bakery "Sweet Marie's..." is absolutely perfect for her. It is rare that a brand name fits the brand so perfectly, but in this case it does.

I won't recount her history here because it is on her Web site, but I will say her skill and experience in a kitchen is significantly larger than the cramped, little bakery hut in which she now operates. However, now that I have spent some time on the island, her hut is absolutely perfect and appropriate for the easy-going island lifestyle.

I first discovered Sweet Marie's when I was looking for a place to get a dairy-free cake for my wife's birthday. She eats dairy, but my four-year old son has a serious dairy allergy, and he is now at the age that he gets really upset at birthday parties when he cannot have cake. I saw her sign indicating gluten-free the first day we were on the island so I figured I would give it a shot.

From the moment I walked up the stairs to her screen door, Marie was welcoming and helpful. She didn't have to think twice about making a special order, even when dairy-free was not her normal routine. Within minutes of first meeting, her warm and generous personality just overwhelmed me. Moreover, the cake was beautiful and delicious. Truly a culinary work of art.

And it is just not me who seems to be taken with her. There are always two or three other customers at her door when I am there, and they all seem to know her well, and she knows them. She remembers travelers from years past, and I am sure they remember her.

We feel like we have a friend on the island. When weather had turned bad one afternoon, we thought it would be fun to get some of Sweet Marie's ready muffin mix and do some baking with the kids. Marie took care of us. She sells packages of the ready mix, but she also provided us with the baking tins and some freshly toasted coconut shavings. The muffins (gluten-free and dairy-free) were delicious and made for days of great treats for the kids.

Sweet Marie's is a joy to visit and the muffins are a joy to eat. If you cannot make it to the island, but still want to try her muffins, you can always order her packaged mixes on her Web site. I can assure you I will be doing so in the future.

Part III: Common Sense Gives Way to Irrational Exuberance

2010-03-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Part II: Dot.com Era Gives Work Culture a Makeover

2010-03-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

see also:
Part I: Changing the World

There are many lessons learned from my experience developing a tech company in the 90’s and as I reflect back on that time, one of my biggest takeaways is the importance and role that company culture played in the development of the business.

The tech boom of the 90’s is often compared to the California gold rush of the mid-nineteenth century, and rightly so. People would do just about anything to get into an Internet startup. Seasoned executives were leaving their corporate security blanket for the risk-reward of a startup. Families were packing up and moving across country to the various tech hubs like Northern Virginia. Young people were dropping out of college thinking that a little web development skill would be their ticket to riches.

While the quest to find and ride the IPO wave was in the minds of many who joined the tech movement, it certainly was not the only motivation. As much as the promise of potential wealth, young startups offered people the corporate culture change they craved.

You might think I am talking about the infamous stories of offices filled with video games and lounge chairs, fully stocked bars for in-house happy hours, extravagant employee parties and BMWs for the employee of the month. It was an anything-goes attitude in those days all in the name of retaining and attracting talent.

The reality is that when the tech bubble burst in 2000, the venture money dried up and the focus returned to business plans that could actually make a profit. All the lavish perks quickly went away and those that made a change just for such perks found themselves once again unhappy with their jobs.

The kind of cultural change to which I am referring money can’t buy. It is the kind of culture that comes from the heart of the organization, and is part of the infrastructure and management of the company.

The small, young entrepreneurial focused tech companies of the 90’s broke down all kinds of barriers people were feeling in the big corporate world. Internet startups moved at such a pace, and were in such need for talent that traditional corporate ladders and politics just did not exist.

The startup entrepreneurial spirit of the Internet companies allowed talented people to be noticed and make a difference in ways the corporate environment would not allow. Regardless of sex or age, smart people with good ideas and a strong work ethic could advance quickly and be rewarded for their work.

Being part of a small company also allowed people to be “in the know” and a genuine part of the direction setting. Communication often revolved around company huddles and everyone had real and meaningful access to the CEO.

The “race” mentality of the startups created a laser beam focus that often served to develop a feeling of camaraderie and teamwork. There was a genuine feeling of “we are in this together” and even after the bubble burst, people were making big sacrifices for their team.

Small companies have always held these types of cultural advantages, but the difference in the late 90’s was the number of companies that were now in play. The volume of startups outpaced that of any time in the past, and the availability of such opportunities were an attractive alternative to the big corporate jobs.

So, this is yet another lesson for me to keep top of mind. I can’t say that I fully understood all of this at the time, but with my experience and a bit of maturity I now have a better understanding of what to do and not do with my next venture. Company culture is not just something you let happen. It is not something that you can just talk about. To develop a strong culture that serves the employees and the customers takes thoughtful planning and hard work. It starts with the CEO and needs to be part of every employee who takes a seat. It isn’t something you can mask with perks and parties.

Next: Part III: Common Sense Gives Way to Irrational Exuberance

Developing a Business in the Dot.com Era: Part I, Changing the World

2010-03-07T02:30:00.000-08:00

I recently read an article in the Washington Post that has me reminiscing about some of my experiences during the "dot.com" era and the burst of the tech bubble in 2000. The article is made up of interviews with 10 Washington DC area entrepreneurs about the dot.com period and the aftermath of the crash. It has stirred some mixed emotions for me, but has no doubt come at a good time as I am deep into thoughts of my next venture. I am reminded of the things that I really enjoyed about developing a business in the 90's as well as some of the things that I did not enjoy.

Over the next several entries, I plan to explore my lessons learned from that era.

Part I: Changing the World

At that time in the 90's, I had this feeling that we were going to change the world. It was an unrivaled feeling of optimism. Probably a bit of cockiness too. I went to technology conferences like Internet World and Red Herring, venture capital fairs and angel breakfast club meetings, and various network events for entrepreneurs. The feeling of dramatic change was everywhere, and everybody seemed to have it. It didn't matter what industry or sector, it seemed the Internet was going to revolutionize it. I would walk away from those events thinking that we were all on the edge of something big, something very big.

In fact, we were on the cusp of something big. It was the beginning of the digital revolution; a significant period in the world economy not that different from what the agricultural revolution meant to Europe or the industrial revolution meant to Britain and the U.S. It was exciting times indeed.

The best part for me personally is that I felt like a participant, not a spectator. I felt like I was contributing to the digital revolution. I believed the work of ApplyYourself was going to change universities forever--at least the world of student recruitment and admissions. And it did. Since its inception in 1998, ApplyYourself has helped transform the way college and university admission offices do business. Thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of many ApplyYourself employees over those years, the vast majority of college applicants today will never see a paper application again.

Now I am not so naive as to think that the dot.com era was not for many people just an attempt to get rich quick. I realize there were a lot of people jumping on the bandwagon trying to simply get their start up public, thinking that the path of IPO was the path to quick wealth. In fact, it was for many people. But it wasn't for me.

I didn't start ApplyYourself thinking I would get rich. No doubt, making money was important to me, but if I had wanted a path to quick IPO or quick riches, I certainly would have picked a product with broader market potential, in more lucrative markets than college admissions.

The reality is that I had an idea that I believed in with all my heart and I couldn't let go of it (even at times when I probably should have). I believed I could make a difference in the world. This was my primary driver.

So, as I now begin anew, I am reminded how important it is to start a business for the right reasons; how important is to be passionate about the mission; how important it is to believe that we can change the world. If I do this, I know success will follow. And perhaps a bit of money too.

Stay tuned for more lessons learned from the dot.com era.

Next: Part II: Dot.com Era Gives Work Culture a Makeover

President Obama, I Have an Answer for You

2010-02-28T00:11:00.000-08:00

For over a year now, the economy has struggled, and our American government seems to have equally struggled to get it jump started. The President and Congress have tried just about everything...spending hundreds of billions of dollars on programs to reduce foreclosures, aide home purchases, stimulate job creation, promote lending to small business, and the list goes on and on. Meanwhile, the economy takes two steps forward, and then one or two steps back again.

Well, after experiencing the evacuation that took place today on the island of Kaua'i for the tsunami that was bearing down on Hawaii, it hit me what can be done to pull the American economy out of this continuous slump. The solution is really quite simple.

Let's start at the beginning. At 6:15am this morning when I discovered that our area outside of Kapa'a on the island was being evacuated, we were ordered to pack "as if you you're not coming back" and get to one of the designated evacuation centers. There were several schools and a community center serving as safety zones for locals and the droves of clueless vacationers, like us.

But the thought of spending countless hours with a four-year old and a 16-month old in a school gymnasium crammed with lots of other tired and cranky holiday goers sounded to me as scary as tying ourselves down in the condo and riding out the storm. Kristin ruled out riding out the storm. I ruled out going to the gymnasium. So, we came up with a compromise. Turns out most of the island came up with the same compromise - head to the shopping mall in Lihue.

What would have been most likely a slow and mundane shopping day at the mall turned into a boom that rivaled any day of Christmas season. There were thousands of people with no place to go or nothing to do and held hostage at the mall by the tsunami. The stores and restaurants were packed, and people were spending.

This is when it hit me. We don't need expensive government programs spending billions of dollars on programs that don't seem to be working. All we need is several surprise days of a "national emergency" spread out over a couple months in which the shopping malls of America are declared evacuation zones. Force Americans to the shopping malls, and most of our problems will be solved.

Americans start spending again, which gives a boost to retail. Inventories begin to drop which will spur manufacturing to make more goods. Business start hiring again which gives banks confidence to begin lending again. Restaurants get a boost because people have to eat while at the mall. With steady jobs and business doing well, people will begin shopping for homes again which will spark the housing market. This really does seem like the perfect answer to our economy blues.

Plus, we get the added benefit that when Americans go into crisis mode, they get really nice, friendly and helpful to their fellow citizens. A society where people have more patience, more sympathy and understanding, and want to give a helping hand is surely a society from which we would all benefit.

Now, President Obama, we don't want any real natural disasters. Thinking of the human and economic losses of recent events like Haiti or New Orleans is a tragedy. So, let's just define it as an Economic National Emergency. If you would like help constructing the program and implementing it, I am available as a consultant for a modest fee. Just one requirement, though, I need to be able to work remotely because I am doing my best to be a good citizen and continue my contribution to help jump start our economy. Total tally for today at the mall, about $250.

Value of a Sabbatical

2010-02-06T00:59:00.000-08:00

Prior to selling ApplyYourself, I was giving consideration to putting in place a sabbatical program. Then, we entered the acquisition process and the idea never came to fruition. At the time, I had a number of managers and staff that had been with me for seven plus years and I was thinking of it primarily as a retention and employee benefit program. I was a bit worried about the cost of such a program, and how I would financially justify the program as such a small company. I suspect my concerns were no different than that of most small business leaders.

I have now been out of the working world for nearly five months since losing my job in London to a redundancy. My intention this year was to take time to have fun, explore, and create. I must say, now that I am almost halfway through my year off, I am the Sabbatical’s biggest fan.

I am sold on and have become a believer in the value of a sabbatical. This is so different than a vacation. For me, a vacation was a break from the office and daily routine, but was never truly a break from the mental work. There were always emails to check on, and the lingering thoughts of the work piling up awaiting my return.

A real sabbatical is different. It is the chance to leave work behind. It’s the freedom to let your mind wonder in any direction it desires. It is the time to separate from daily routine. It is the chance to flex the brain in ways it has not been flexed in many years.

Some people say that a sabbatical is about “recharging the batteries.” Perhaps it is so for some, but not for me. I believe my batteries had (still have) lots of juice; they just needed a jolt of creativity. For me, this year is about waking up parts of my brain that have gone to sleep; about sparking creativity that has been lacking; about finding mental, physical and spiritual fitness.

I know that when I begin my new venture, I will be better focused, more passionate, and have more fun than if I did not take this special time. I also know that, if I am in a position to do so, I will make sure a sabbatical program is an option for my team.

I may not be able to show quantitative analyses on how a sabbatical improves employee retention or increases production, but I will have first-hand experience with how valuable it is to the human psyche. And there is nothing more valuable for an organization—regardless of size—than to have its employees filled with creativity, passion and drive.

Once again, thank God for my redundancy.

Inspirational Living: Lessons Learned

2010-02-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

After one week on the island of Kaua'i we are getting quite settled and into some routines. Our condo is great and has everything we need. The resort and beach property is magnificent. Like any new experience, there are a few lessons we are learning in our first week which have resulted in certain rules that we are trying to adhere to while here on Kaua'i.

There are really only three types of footwear needed here. All the other shoes are just a waste of space in the suitcase. The Keen water shoes double as dress shoes for fine dining.

The 9:00am fish feeding is the only thing that one needs to be on time for in Hawaii. If your five minutes late you may not get your cup of fish food. Obviously, this is a popular activity for all the kids. It is where they meet in the morning, discuss their plans, and decide who is going to do what. If Will misses it, his day just doesn't seem to go well. Sort of like some people and the water cooler at work I guess.

Always be water-ready, so never change out of your swim suite during the day.

No alarm clocks. We wake up when we wake up.

There are two drinks that have become part of the daily routine. A traditional margarita with plenty of salt and extra lime and fruit smoothies. The margarita goes nicely with food prep on the grill. The winning smoothie recipe: blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, a banana, non-fat plain yogurt, a bit of honey and ice. Mmmm good and good for you.

Plenty of sunscreen and keep the aloe in the refrigerator. Despite putting on spf 50 several times a day, it is still easy to get burned here--the sun is so intense. It always feels good at the end of the day to lather up in some really cold aloe gel.

A walk in the buggy along the beach puts Ella to sleep faster than anything else...must be that sea breeze and the thunderous noise of the ocean waves. Good for us; we are forced to take a walk every afternoon.

These are our rules and we try to live by them every day.

London Memories

2010-01-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

Unable to sleep last night, I laid pushed to the edge of the bed by my 15-month old daughter sleeping arms-sprawled between me and Kristin. Will sleeping at my feet. My thoughts drifted to London. It is hard to believe it has been four weeks since our re-entry into the States.

My final weeks in London gave me a new perspective on the City and our family life in it. I wish I could have had more of that time. Some of the things I miss most about those final weeks...

The walk to school in the morning. Will's school was only a ten minute walk, but it was a perfect walk for a father and his four-year old son. I miss the funny questions he would ask. I miss the countdown to West End Lane, signaling time for a ride on Daddy's shoulders. I miss hearing him talk about his teachers Ms Karen and Ms Patricia. I miss the brisk November morning air that would jolt me awake and give me energy for the day. And I miss watching all the people rushing down West End Lane to the Tube or the London Overground, trying to guess what they did and where they might be going.

George's oranges. Will was hooked on oranges from Georges Fruit and Vegetable market on Mill Lane. Yes, the oranges were good, and the quality of the produce was better than any around, but Will really liked going to see George. He was such a nice man and went out of his way to break open a fruit or cut up some grapes for Will and Ella. It was a 30-minute round trip walk to George’s market, but well worth the time.

The music. I'm not referring to the great music venues of Camden, but rather just listening to my iPod. I found that walking, and taking buses and the Tube promoted my iPod use. I probably had my earphones in at least two or three hours a day. I rediscovered songs and artists that have been lost on my iPod for years. Now that I am back in the States, and the only walking that I am doing is from the door to the car and then from the car to another door, I fear that my music time is gone.

Love Food, a small organic food store just a short walk around the corner on West End Lane. Our house was rarely empty of their freshly baked bread. On Friday nights Kristin and I would often treat ourselves to a sampling of the cheeses and olives along with a bottle of wine. What a perfect dinner.

Friendships. Finally, I miss the opportunity to get to better know the friends we made in London. Of course, while working, there was not a lot of time to develop new friendships--the weekends were always dedicated to family time. But in my final weeks, I had a chance to spend time with some of the parents of Will's schoolmates. Kristin and I hosted and went out to dinner with friends. We developed friendships with people from around the world. I hope through the use of technology we can make them last.

The things I did not like about London…well, let’s just leave that for another day.

Craftsman vs Businessman

2009-11-30T13:48:00.000-08:00

On this typical gray rainy November afternoon in London procrastinating the organizational tasks needed to get ready for our upcoming move I've come across a family plate that was made for us on our recent September visit to Italy. The plate is nice, but the story of the craftsman behind it is even nicer.

Climbing the hills of the mountain-top town Montepluciano, I stumbled onto a coppersmith working in his shop. What started as a two-minute photo opp turned into a 30 minute exchange with my family. He spoke virtually no English (and I speak absolutely no Italian), but welcomed us into his shop and somehow we conversed. He proceeded to pound out a copper plate representing my family tree, showing Will just how a coppersmith works with an anvil and stamps. I've been thinking this afternoon about our visit with him.

His name is Sr. Mazzetti and his shop, Bottega Del Rame, has been in his family for almost 150 years. He started the craft with his father when he was a young child and has been in the shop ever since. His copper pots and artwork are sold in a boutique run by his wife just a short walk from the shop.

As someone who has an interest in good cookware, I can tell you the quality of Sr. Marzetti's saucepans is top-notch. The detail in his artwork is exquisite. His work is obviously a labor of love, and the end result is something very special. I am guessing his business does well--especially the last ten years since "Under a Tuscan Sun" brought droves of tourists to his region--but he is probably not a rich man (in terms of monetary wealth).

Sr. Marzzetti does not dream of globalization. He does not aspire to have a shop full of workers pounding out pots by the hour; and he certainly does not think about big marketing campaigns. Sr. Marzetti knows exactly what he has--a small family-run business based on tradition, family and pure craftsmanship. He loves working in his shop and being close to his customer; you can tell by the way he so easily invites you in and makes you feel welcome. To grow the business larger, to add more craftsmen, to sell endless product would ruin it, and I suspect, would ruin Sr. Marzzetti.

For almost my entire adult life, I've run a business with the goals of building it bigger, selling more and making it operate more efficiently. In part, I had to because I had investors that expected those things. But I also thrived on it. So when I think of Sr Marzzetti's business, it is a bit foreign to me (literally as well as figuratively) but it is a concept I am beginning to really admire.

After all, isn't that what we all are after in some way or another. Work that won't feel like a job. Work that brings out our passion and excites us. Work that allows our individual contributions to make a big and lasting positive impact in a way that is true to ourselves.

Footnote:

Just in case you are wondering...yes, Kristin did make a healthy contribution to his boutique by making us the proud owners of a copper vase. You can find his shop online at http://www.rameria.com./

Inaugurial Post - Slowing Down

2009-11-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

As I am three weeks from packing up and leaving London for the States, I've been giving considerable thought to just how this year-off thing is going to work. In addition to childcare duties, being with my wife 24x7, and now sharing a heavier load of the daily life tasks, I've been thinking about just how I will slow down to take time for meditative thought, and get myself inspired. Not being busy is something I don't have a lot of experience with the last 15 or so years.

Then, today I had a moment. Ella has a nasty cold and has not been sleeping well. If you're a parent, you know that a one-year old with a cold means fussy baby. She needed sleep so badly. And she was fighting it so hard. The only way I could get her down was to hold her, and hold her, and hold her.

It was one of those situations that I assume most parents have been in at one time or another. She finally fell asleep over my shoulder. I very slowly and gently maneuvered into a seated position on the couch. Then I slouched down a bit to get her in a 45 degree angle. She wrestled herself into a fetal position on my chest with her head tucked under my chin. Not exactly the most comfortable position for me, but she was sleeping and I was happy. It is in that position that I sat for almost two hours. Barely moving myself. Fighting back my own cough as to not wake her. And just hoping Kristin would not call my cell phone buried deep in my pocket.

It wasn't long into this sleep exercise that I realized what I have been missing. There was complete silence in the house except for the sound of Ella's breathing into my neck. There was no movement by either of us except for the pitter-patter of her heart I could feel on my stomach. And for that nearly two-hour period, I had not a care in the world, except to see, hear and feel my baby girl sleep.

Now don't get me wrong; I spend a lot of time with my wife and kids, especially this summer while over here in London. But at this moment, there was no multi-tasking taking place whatsoever. No work thoughts. No money thoughts. No people thoughts. Just complete, dedicated focus on Ella's sleep.

I think I had a glimse of what this next year is suppose to be about. Thank God for my redundancy.