Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Guess blog is below. One of our interns Jim has a blog where he writes some excellent pieces.  Take a quick look at this one below. It pumps me up. A link to his other blogs is at the bottom of the page:

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

    As GoNextWorld proceeds through the stages of Project Hail Mary, two things have become more clear to me then ever—faith and determination. While these are only two of many characteristics that define us, they none- the-less are very important traits for which I, as well as the other members of GNW, are extremely thankful for.
Faith does not have to connect itself with religious belief, rather it can refer the trust you have in your actions and inevitably—that relentless never-give-up attitude that embody those actions.
Certain levels of determination lay within us all, though it is up to each and everyone us to dig deep within ourselves and not only find, but nurture this determination.
     I, myself, have only just begun my journey in fully understanding these qualities and what they truly mean to me. In working with GoNextWorld over the past year, I can definitely allude to how greatly my fellow GNW members have influenced my understanding of faith and determination.
    GoNextWorld, just like all of us, must work with the cards that its been dealt. No matter how difficult it is to make something of this hand of cards, determination and faith will conquer all challenges you face in this life. Just like my struggle in getting in to a good law school, GNW has struggled through some tough decisions in succesfully moving forward and staying up-to-date within a vastly dynamic and fast-paced industry. Our determination fortifies our faith and likewise our faith fuels our determination. I have faith that my hardwork thus far, and in the time to come, will inevitably bring me to my goal of attending a good law school. GNW’s expansive efforts in progressing through Project Hail Mary only further commits our faith in enevitable success.
    It’s a reocurring theme for us at GNW. What ever may face you as a challenge, no matter what element of life that it applies to, Keep Moving Forward. Let your determination inspire your faith and let your faith inspire your determination.

GoNextWorld lives by our Keep Moving Forward motto.

We can’t stop, We won’t stop.

The blog of Jim Saxton

 

Much More than a Business

Successful entrepreneurs are great at creating profitable businesses. Mark Cuban built several companies to gain the experience that he has today.  It took years. But during those years, he learned the dynamics of creating a successful organization.  That knowledge, combined with passion for what he was doing and a desire to make a lot of money, got him where he is today.

I read a new blog by Mark Cuban today. And it really hit home.  It's about how owning the Dallas Mavericks is different from owning any other business. Specifically, he describes that his primary motivation isn't making money, it's about the impact that the Dallas Mavericks has on the community.
Its cool to read about his motives behind the Mavs.  Its also cool to see someone use their leverage the way he is with the Mavs.  He doesn't just see this professional sports team as a paycheck, he sees it as an opportunity to have a huge, positive impact the community (and make some money on the side).

This blog captures a couple key qualities a great entrepreneur.  And it helps me see that we are doing something right with the culture that we build at of GoNextWorld.  Although everyone is different, true entrepreneurs are simply passionate, action-oriented people who have a business building background. They've gained that background through a ton of successes and failures over a long period of time. They've learned the dynamics of creating a successful organization.  They don't mind the time it takes to gain that background. They love what we do because the are passionate about it.

We understand these facts, incorporate them into daily practices, and live by them.


Check out Mark Cuban's blog out below:The Mavs Are a Business Unlike Any Other

The Most Bang for Your Buck

GoNextWorld had yet another big meeting last night.

Most of the meetings that have the best outcomes are typically brainstorming, idea creating, or a big PIVOT. But this time it wasn't huge changes in our business plan, or change in direction that brought a smile to our faces, it was identifying optimizations that make our product focused, more efficient, and more focused. From our discussion last night, we re-framed our projects and set wheels in motion that:

- significantly reduced man power required per project since they are similar and simpler.
- decreased duration of projects
- Distributed the technical burden among programmers; increasing productivity
- Opened ourselves up to multiple platforms previously unreachable
- Created utilities to reach out to the businesses and make it ridiculously simple to use our services

These changes make me realize how important it is to do the best you can with your resources.  When Steve Jobs became CEO of Apple again in the 90's, eliminated or changed the scope of half the projects that were going on at apple in an effort to focus vision, eliminate non-critical projects, and leverage their resources. I now have a better understanding for why this was so critical. He had his goals, removed projects that didn't lead directly to them, and used man-power and other resources gained by removing those projects to drive the important ones.

We know our end goal.
We know what projects are required to reach that goal.
The picture is clearer than ever.

#ProjectHailMary

Keep Your Head Up

Pretty inspiring story about  young Detroit woman overcoming a ton of adversity to get where she is at today:

This 19 year old girl was:
- abandoned by her parents as an infant
- beaten by adopted parents
- homeless and sleeping in parks during high school
- diagnosed with cancer twice

During that time period she:
- became the top high school sprinter in Michigan
- set a bunch of state records as a sprinter
- got a full scholarship E. Michigan

The video below is an espn interview with this girl.  It just goes to show that sometimes you can't control the cards that you are dealt, but you can control how you play them. No matter how crappy the situation is, you can control how you react to it, and you can conquer that situation if  you really want to.

She says that uses all the adversity in her life as fuel when she competes. When something bad happens to her, it only makes her more determined to succeed.  We can all learn from that attitude. Its pretty amazing to see that mind set from a 19 year who went through so much.  That sure beats the hell out of complaining about it and just waiting for her situation to get better.

My summary of this story does not do it justice.  I recommend watching this video. Its 10 minutes long and it makes me feel like a whiner when I complain about some of the stuff that happens to me. It is definitely one of my favorite inspirational short stories.

It is 100% proof that having a positive attitude through adversity will eventually lead triumph.

Working Out the Bugs

I caught a portion of Big Bang Theory the other night (its actually a pretty funny show). When talking about making their relationship work, Leonard compared his relationship with Penny to software development.  He suggested treating their relationship as a beta test; a trial period for the relationship where they could identify weak points and work out the bugs.

I was able to relate to this very closely given the Online Ordering project that we are working on right now. Did you know that, in software development, creating the functional program is only the first 1/3 of a project? Then next 2/3 is testing, fixing, testing, fixing, testing, fixing (you get the point) until you have something damn near if not completely perfect. When we were about to start testing, I assumed the Online Ordering software was flawless. Not even close.  BUT... after testing it in every scenario possible and correcting the errors, its pretty darn close now.

But the dude from Big Bang Theory has a point.  When you are happy with what you have, assume you are only 1/3 of where you should be, and you have 2/3 more adjustments to get to where you really want to be.

I am pretty sure that if you could follow this template (1/3 creation, 2/3 testing/fixing) for almost anything you would end up with a great end product (whether it be relationship, software, study habits, or whatever).

If you assume everything is going to work without adjustments, then you'll most likely fail. There are always adjustments, faults, and fixes. The key is knowing that 2/3's of the project probably still ahead of you, and having the desire and patience to work the bugs out.

Today is Growth

When the iPhone was originally released, critics asked Steve Jobs if he was worried that the iPhone functionality would make the iPod obsolete and hurt revenue.  Steve Jobs responded with, "If we don't make ourselves obsolete, someone else will."

Even though the iPod was dominating the market, Apple knew they could do better.

Its easy to keep doing something you are doing.  But, one of the most exciting things imaginable is realizing there is a better way to do what you are doing... and then adjusting accordingly.

I've always had confidence in GoNextWorld, and I am proud of what we do, but in the past two months, we've truly solidified our product.  Seeing something you love, constantly analyzing the hell out of it, and then making it even better is tough (especially if you are proud of what you currently have), but I think it is essential both in business in life.  That's Growing. Constantly Refining. That's Progress.

It's exciting to be passionate about your work and realize that there is a way to improve it.  It means you are switching directions to aim for something even better. Even when just a day before you thought better didn't exist.

I'm excited for our growth today, but I can't wait to see what's in store tomorrow.

Do or Do Not, There is No Try

The video below is a quick 3 minute clip that follows my blog the other day " Broadcast It " about how important it is to have a vision and message behind what you do (whether its music, family, business,etc). It also touches on being a doer and being passionate about what you do. The first minute of the clip is a funny, yet true, Yoda explanation to how entrepreneurs think.

Coming from Brad Feld, a successful entrepreneur, investor, and VC, you can see that I am not completely full of crap, haha.  Doing what you love, being passionate about it, and doing it 110% eventually leads success and happiness. This applies to everyone, not just entrepreneurs.

It also makes the journey a ton of fun and a hell of a story. Even though there is a ton of risk, stress, mistakes, failures, the triumphs make it worth while. We often joke that they could make a movie series about some of the ridiculous stuff we've been through in the startup of GoNextWorld.

When you live the  "Do" personality vs. "Try", you live a much less restrained life style.  "Trying" sets an internal mindset that there could be internal or external forces, rules, guidelines, etc. that may keep you from completing what you set out to do.  Even if there aren't those restrictions, that fact you subconsciously think there might be hinders progress.  People who just do it (copywrite JWD) have no boundries, no restraints, and therefore, they will seemingly do anything to complete what they set out to do.
 Enjoy the video.

Broadcast It

Most main stream music nowadays stinks. It is simply a packaged business. Lyrics, notes, and song length are selected only to optimize revenue.

Not all musicians are like this. There are others who primary motives are bigger than the buck. Thats what makes artists/bands like Bob Marley, Propagandhi and NOFX so awesome.

Their motives extend way past their bottom line.

You can hear it in their their songs. Understand it through their lyrics. And most importantly (to me), you can see that they enjoy the hell out of it.  Their passion for what they do and what they believe is the reason for such an awesome product.

I think that is also the difference between mediocre and extraordinary businesses. The ones that have the most success and make the biggest impact extend way passed the bottom line. They have a message, a direction, and a vision ... and they broadcast it.

The message from GoNextWorld is clear: Progress

You can hear it. You can see it. And most importantly, I can tell you that we are enjoying the hell out of.

Expect Big Things.
#ProjectHailMary

Pushing the Envelope

Last week, one of my brother's best friends tragically passed away. It completely sucks. Thats it.

In the 4 days of viewings, wakes, funeral,etc., I heard countless.... I mean COUNTLESS, ridiculous stories about stuff he had did, memories he had created, and people he made laugh.  There were literally no boundaries for him, as long as people laughed, he did it.  We ALL have crazy groups of friends who do goofy things and create stories, but Jeff stories definitely take the cake. Ask around, you will find out I am right.

As I heard all these stories, I began to wonder how one person could have so many hilarious, impactful, memory-making stories.


Story after story, it soon became apparent. Jeff was always pushing the envelope.  He had the amazing ability to create hilarious situations day in and day out that made his friends laugh and made strangers love him. He was always looking to do anything outside of the norm to create hilarious memories. By doing this every single day, he always made a positive, long-lasting impression on others and amassed a ton of legendary stories.

Jeff is a legend. He taught us to fly by the seat of our pants, push the envelope, and that making those around us happy, is the ultimate reward. We will continue to push the envelope, take it to the next level, make memories, and carry your tradition forward.

Rest In Peace Jeff