Slowing Down to Focus

One of the best parts about running a company is that you get to live, run and breathe at a hundred miles an hour. That means, you’re moving with speed and force that crushes obstacles and leaves competitors in the rear view mirror. 

And the results are blatantly obvious. In the past 2 years, across my companies, we have:

• Earned or raised in excess of $2,000,000 
• Pushed through legal obstacles by fighting large convoluted laws 
• Established trust and confidence in the ability to execute at scale

With that, comes a significant impact on everything - life, work, family and values. As with everything in life, some of it is good and some of it is bad.  

Being on the road for the past few weeks has been extremely important for me. Living in New York, you add a lot of layers of bullshit in your decision making process. 

Being on the road brings clarity. Some changes I’m sharing below. Others will be shared in a future update. 

Effective immediately:

• I will no longer invest in companies if I cannot have a material impact on the outcome. There’s simply no point. 
• I will no longer invest in people who are still employed or have a safety net. Comfort is the enemy of success. 
• I will no longer invest in people who haven’t experienced life - whether it is travel, adventure, a foreign language or international culture. These characteristics are critical to prove how one navigates the ever-changing landscape of startups.
• I am halting the publishing of my 3rd book. I do not believe I’m ready to write the most important chapter of my life - not just yet. 
• While I will always consider New York City home, it is time to move on. Later this year, I’ll be packing up a few bags and moving to Los Angeles. New York has been home for me for nearly 15 years. Every good thing has happened here. A lot of firsts. A lot of important decisions. I respect the hustle this city has taught me. But, it is time to add a second home.

Lastly, I realize I’ve been spread too thin. I need to breathe, sleep and enjoy more of why I work 18 hours a day. As such, I’m going to be spending a vast majority of my time at Poln. It has been growing at a significant pace and its time to guide that rocket ship to the next level. As such, my time on other projects and companies will significantly be reduced. 

There are a few more important decisions that have wide ranging consequences, but this is day 1 of my return to reality. None of these decisions are easy for me. But they need to happen. Otherwise I’ll be back on a treadmill to nowhere. 

For This

I'm sitting on an Airbus A380, operated by Emirates, the world's largest operator of these jumbo jets. I'm sitting in a first-class suite which features showers on board and a bar. I'm sipping a glass of Dom Perignon and later on, I'll be drinking Hennessey Paradis, the most expensive liquor in the sky.

I lean back, get ready for the jet to thrust into the air and take me home. I catch myself in the mirror in my suite and I have a huge smile on my face.

This is it. This is my life.

At some point in my past, I made 2 decisions. The first one forced me to walk away from everything. The second decision was to give up a very well paying job to build my companies.

These decisions meant not to accept small victories or instant gratification. But to fight for the things worth chasing. To commit all the way or to not bother at all. I made a decision to live life my way. And that's what I've done on this trip.

I produced my first video in a long time:

I captured stunning sunrises: 

And capped my days with jaw dropping sunsets:

I flew on the world's first commercial airline to offer an apartment:

And as this trip comes to an end, I'm excited to get back to the grind. There are a few large hurdles I need to cross amongst our group of companies. But, if the past is any indication - there's a way.

Nothing worth having is easy. Nothing easy is worth keeping. Every good thing in life takes 3 things: time, patience and perseverance.

And those that want it badly enough are the ones that get it.

Live well. Be well. Chase your dreams. And be strong enough to make them reality.

What You’re Taught and Why it’s Wrong

(A repost from nearly 3 years. Nearly every word still holds true.)

The past few weeks have been interesting. I’ve had severe setbacks in ventures and then great upswings. It’s a weird feeling, but it also reminds me of how different real life is than what school and professional institutions force into your head.

Elementary school:

Remember elementary school? Where they taught you A for Apple, B for Ball and C for Cat? When’s the last time you had an apple while playing ball with a cat? Never. Elementary school sets you up to dream. Yet, as people progress through life, the dream – whatever it may be – slowly starts dwindling down to the path of least resistence.

Middle school:

Middle school is where you start reading books. Not fancy Shakespeare just yet, but good books that are mostly inspirational and highly adventerous. Yet, there are so few people who pursue adventure in real life.

High school:

Remember when you snuck out of your house to do something fun that your parents didn’t want you to do? That was fun. Yet, most people don’t have fun – don’t pursue fun as they get older. They stick to their boring desks in a useless job and in their tiny apartments and just keep on working. Sneak out and go have fun!

College:

College is another animal. If you don’t have fun in college, you’re missing out. And yet, this point in your life, you’re independent, living in the crappiest location and have the least amount of money. Still, the fun never stops. 

Job: 

If you go through all the different types of schools and end up at just another job – you’ve already lost the game. Finding a job is great. Finding the right job is important. Many people find a job based on their professional degree. That should never be the case. Finding a job on your passion is far more important. A professional degree has a set path. If you’re satisfied with that path, fine. You’ll make a six figure salary in the next 15 years, you’ll take 2 weeks off every year to go to Florida or Mexico or some other pre-defined place – because that’s what every one does. 

But, take a look at everyone who is succesful and happy – they fought their way to be there. No one – ever – is going to give you the opportunity to succeed just by staying on one path. 

The “system” is broken. Companies don’t succeed, because people don’t like their job. People don’t like their job, because they don’t enjoy it. They don’t enjoy it because it’s not their passion.

Most people are talented. Heck, everyone is talented. Just do what you want. And don’t accept less than perfect. It’s not worth it. 

On Big Decisions

The phone rings. It's another entrepreneur. It's another pitch. It's another story. And I have a list of questions, a series of doubts and always a twinge of guilt. Why? Because even though I'm not entirely sold on this idea, entrepreneurs call me every single day - asking for advise, feedback or introductions. I'm happy to do it for each and every single one of them - if I believe their story. I feel guilty during most of these conversations because I have been through what they're going through. 

In an entrepreneur's life, there are usually 3 difficult decisions:

1. When they give up comfort
   • Entrepreneurs are a rare breed of people - they are willing to give up everything to make themselves happy. That's the definition of an entrepreneur. They give up comfort of their current circumstances. They sacrifice relationships to form better ones. Why? Because it makes them happy. Here's the thing: for anyone to even think of these changes means that their current circumstances - professional and/or personal are wrong. But, knowing what is wrong and making the change are two different things. 
2. When they have to ask for money
   • If you're dreaming, might as well dream big. When entrepreneurs do that, they need money - whether to pay rent or to pay salaries. You always do. And when you have to, your ego is hurt. It hurts going to people that told you once that you wouldn't make it. But, you have to put that in the rearview mirror and let it roll off of you. 
3. When they're in an incredibly difficult situation
   • The biggest determining factor in success is making hard choices. And the only time you have to make hard choices is when you're in a difficult situation. You know what you do then? You rip off the bandaid. Just fucking do it. If you don't you're going to bleed internally. Or as Paul Graham from YC in an article perfectly titled "How Not to Die" says: "So I'll tell you now: bad shit is coming. It always is in a startup. The odds of getting from launch to liquidity without some kind of disaster happening are one in a thousand. So don't get demoralized. When the disaster strikes, just say to yourself, ok, this was what Paul was talking about. What did he say to do? Oh, yeah. Don't give up."

If you are comfortable with the 3 traits above, I'll tell you this: make the big decisions. Believe in your dream. You know why? Because no one else on this planet will. Not your partner. Not your family. Not even your employees. 

I've started a few companies. Some have liquidated. Others have not. But despite the outcome, I have yet to regret any of those decisions. Why? Because I believed in them and fought for them harder than I have ever fought for anything else. There's no point in fighting for anything UNLESS you believe that it is going to be longterm. 

And if you're not always fighting, then you're making short term decisions. Decisions for today. Not for tomorrow. And those decisions are never going to work. That's my promise. 

Everything is New Again

I haven't had this feeling in a long time. More specifically: 3 years. 4 months. 15 days. 

The last 1232 days have been a rollercoaster. Despite the lows, I've had incredible highs in building a company that has been the beginning of amazing things - life-long relationships, adventures of a lifetime and the realization that everything you want can be achieved. 

Today, I am proud to announce the first public-facing version of Poln, Inc. Designed for retailers, Poln is geared towards making transactional advertising easy for retailers. Our retailers span everyone from those who sell razors in New York to custom made tuxedos in Italy. 

Above all, I'm proud to go into this venture with my original partner in crime along with 2 other friends who are incredibly successful and talented. 

It's hard to fathom, but at 5 months old, we are 6 employees with the goal of making an impact for every e-commerce retailer online.

Ready? Go! 

Say hello to Poln.