I just e-signed a special document. There was nothing special looking about it – no confetti or streamers to indicate that this document was any different from the hundreds of others that I’ve e-signed over the years.
I paused before submitting my signature, realizing that this was the last moment of a three-and-a-half-year chapter in my life, coming to a close. Then I clicked “Submit” — and the chapter was over.
“Cathy”, I said looking up from my computer, “I just sold Retriever!”
I’m incredibly grateful for the experience of bootstrapping and selling a company.
There were dark and painful periods. I spent weeks lost in a haze of anxiety and uncertainty. I’d regularly wake up to crises, instantly on high-alert. I had some of the most difficult conversations of my life with teammates.
But these painful periods offered the most valuable lessons: patience, persistence, … how to keep my head when my amygdala has just pulled my brain’s the fire alarm.
I learned the truth that “there’s always a move”. When you think the universe has you in check mate: keep looking. You’re not being creative enough. There’s a way through — you just have to find it.
Fear of failure keeps us from striving. But this lesson taught me that failure is often a choice. And now I feel emboldened to be more ambitious, and reach for new heights.
It’s with that feeling that Cathy and I have struck out on a new mission: putting an end to distraction at work. If you’re drowning in Slack messages, boy have we got something for you.
So long, Retriever – and thank you for everything <3
