It has been an interesting couple of weeks for me, which has prompted me to write a new post to this blog after taking a break. A couple of things have caused me to think deeper about my startup experience. First, the current political environment and the outrage towards the wealthy in our society. Second, there has been a lot of discussion amongst my former colleagues at Sequent where several are pondering how to get more traffic for their businesses. Third and last, the Sequent office in Weybridge (outside of London) closed down. This was the place I gave my last international class on the DecisionPoint Software. All of these events caused me to reflect on my experience starting DecisionPoint and what motivated me to start it versus the motivation I see these days.
I have stated several times in previous blog posts that I started DecisionPoint based on a passion. I was passionate about data warehousing, how people use data to have a positive impact on the business, and how we could take what was a traditionally a data warehouse market that was heavy in consulting and package that knowledge in software. The goal was to do something bigger and better in a way that had never been done before. In the back of my head, I knew there would be the opportunity to make money as we were getting started because the internet bubble was starting to grow. However, I couldn't look at it as just a way to make a lot of money. If it wasn't something I could get passionate about and throw all of my energy into, I couldn't see a reason to do it.
The reason I bring this up is that I see so many cases these days where people decide to try to start a company because they see something that's never been done before and want to be the first to do it so that they can "make a lot of money". I once heard a rumor from someone that said that the guy that built the iPhone flashlight app made over one million dollars from that simple invention. It was someone that was using as an example of how he might "get rich quick". Especially in the case of mobile computing, there are many examples of people that jump into something because they might be able to get rich quick without a lot of effort. Often, when you talk to these people about why they do it, there is really no passion behind their idea other than the potential of making a lot of money. The whole concept of building or doing something for the greater good is missing. Even the venture capital community facilitates this behavior. Venture capitalists want to invest in something that can make a huge return on their money, and do it as fast as possible to keep their investors happy.
There is a part of me that can see the motivation behind this. We are a society that is driven by money and social status. There is a lot of opportunity (both legal and illegal) to make a lot of money quickly depending on what you're willing to do or not do. You see it every day in a lot of different ways. There are companies and individuals that take investor money and rather than use it to better a company or group, put it in their own pockets for personal gain. There are internet ripoff schemes that take thousands of dollars from unsuspecting individuals. There are even individuals and groups that donate to political campaigns so that the politicians that get elected back their cause and influence rules and regulations to benefit their donor communities. When I look at this, I am saddened by how much we have become a society focused on money and power rather than a society that is passionate about what they are working on and trying to accomplish.
When I look at the team we formed when DecisionPoint was started, there was a lot of passion about what we were trying to accomplish. It was great because you knew the people you were working with would do almost anything to keep our dream alive. It wasn't about money. It was about doing something great that would benefit both companies and individuals within those companies. We couldn't just squander investor money and walk away from it. It was larger and more important than our individual goals and motivation. It was simply about doing something great we were all passionate about. It was so much fun working in that environment, and very stimulating.
The unfortunate thing that happened at DecisionPoint was that the last management team we brought on board started to focus on the money. We needed to make a profit, but several members of the management team were more interested in their own personal gain and reputation rather than doing the hard work to figure out how to move forward. It was easier for them to sell the company because they didn't have the same level of passion and commitment to the cause that the founding members had. For me personally, it was the beginning of the end. While I continued to work with some great people, they generally weren't as passionate about what we were doing as the founding members. In many ways, the passion was gone. I think that was more disappointing for me than the fact that the company was being sold to a larger organization. I did ok financially from the sale of DecisionPoint, but working for the larger organization was difficult because the same level of passion just wasn't available in the larger organization.
At the end of the day, I guess everyone gets involved in a startup organization for different reasons. However, it's my opinion that the highest quality organizations are started based on passion around a concept or idea. Something that the employees can rally around and commit to. If it's only about the money, people will only hang around long enough to see if the opportunity to make a lot of money is a reality or not. The commitment will only last as long as that opportunity exists. If the company is based on an idea that people are passionate about, the commitment to the organization will last as long as the passion exists.
I reflect on the non-work activities that I choose to participate in. The first is coaching competitive soccer, and the second is as a volunteer for the Congo Rescue Mission. Neither opportunity is one that I will ever make a lot of money at. However, I do it because I'm passionate about the cause. In the case of soccer coaching, I do it to help young soccer players grow to become better soccer players and individuals. It's about helping young people be the best they can be. In the case of the Congo Rescue Mission, it's about helping a close friend start an organization dedicated to helping others that are less fortunate and dealing with horrible living conditions. That friend did not start the organization to make money. He started the organization from a passion to help other people. Now that's something I can sign up for every time!!!
Life is not about the money I make. It's about the lives I've influenced and the people I've helped. That impact will last long after the money is gone.
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