Welcome to the NoahGuy Blog. This Blog exists to inspire you to Live Outside The Box in business and everyday life. Entrepreneurship is my passion. Follow me as I embark on the journey.
Now I am in Software Heaven
In November 2018 I was fired from my job at Olympus. I was shocked but excited for the opportunity to jump into a new industry.
God had been preparing me for this moment.
Since my time working in the veteran office at San Jac, my people skills and customer service has been groomed and refined for my current opportunity.
In December I found a small software company, called Garner, that gave me the opportunity to learn in many different areas.
While I was learning a lot, I quickly found out that it wasn’t the best company for long term.
The team was tiny after 20 years and the business side of the company was not organized. I was on this business team, but it did not feel like a team. Ultimately, the lack of team cohesion and poor leadership put me back on the job hunt.
This hunt lasted five long stressful months, but finally at the end of August I found Homebase.
I realized the best way to find the right company to was to first put in my 2 week notice. I was spending half my time . looking for a new job and the other half actually doing my job.
On a Monday, I emailed my notice and applied for Homebase and other tech companies. The next week I had a job offer.
With Homebase, I found a software company that values skill building and personal growth. They value their people.
When I started looking for new jobs, I knew I could use my people skills to get into another software company. I searched hard for customer service roles. Thankfully I found a customer success role with Homebase.
Homebase is a 5 year startup with about 100 employees.
I am excited to be here because I have the opportunity to learn the product, grow and move into new roles in the future. I would love to learn as many roles in the company as possible.
Ultimately my goal is to start my own software company and Homebase will help prepare for that.
I needed to enter Tech Heaven to get closer to my vision. My vision is what gets me going on a daily basis.
What’s your vision? Do you want to work in Tech? What industry do you like
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Entrepreneur Responsibility
Starting a business comes with a ton of responsibility.
Not just in leading the people on your team, but also in your community.
When anyone is thinking about starting a business, they should ask how it will impact the community around them.
Every business needs to make money to survive, but profit should not be their number one priority. Their business should be helping the community.
This means bringing up the value of property around them and doing outreaches.
There is several type of businesses that hurt the community by bringing down property value.
These businesses prey on low income people and communities.
Here is a list of businesses that hurt a community:
Pawn Shop
Strip Club
Rent a Tire
Cash advance/pay loan businesses
vape shop/smoke shop
Adult video store
Discount store
Low price grocery store
Discount insurance agency
Low price cell phone retailer
Used car dealership
The owners of these type of businesses do not care about the ripple effect that their business cause. Yes they are making money, but they are hurting people at the same time.
Two strong examples:
Strip Clubs help sex trafficking by introducing women to the sex industry.
Pawn Shops sell goods that are taken from people that cannot pay back a high interest loan.
Don’t believe me? Take a stroll around your city. Notice that these businesses are in the high crime/low income areas where as in the nicer areas, not so much.
So remember before you start a business, think about how it affects your community.
Think Outside The Box
Vision
Photo by Mark Solarski on Unsplash
Our society has been brainwashed.
We are told that to be successful in America, you need a college degree.
Let’s be clear. You do not need a college degree to be successful.
You need a vision.
Without a vision, you will perish.
If your vision is to become a doctor or lawyer, then fine go to school.
Otherwise, why is it necessary to pay thousands of dollars for a degree?
Especially now that we live in the digital age, online education is easily accessible. Udemy and Youtube are just two great resources for skill learning.
The education community pushes kids to go to college, when not everyone is meant for college. Everyone learns differently.
Me personally, I hate sitting in a classroom. I learn by doing. I need interaction.
There are other paths besides college. When you realize college is a big business, you start to think about the alternate paths. You wonder if it’s worth going to into debt for.
Going into debt for your future, is a huge risk. You are limiting your freedom.
What you need is a vision.
In 2016, I finished my Business A.A. degree from San Jacinto College with my GI Bill and started to understand my vision better. I knew I wanted to start a business after the Army, but I had to figure out my niche.
By the time I finished college, I knew my niche was digital. Then I narrowed it down even further. I started down a web development path and realized I wanted to create a digital product not a digital service.
This led down the software development path. I know now that I want to start my own SaaS company.
This is why vision is so important. Every career path decision I take now, is dependent on my vision. If I am looking for job, I know what I am looking for. I need a job and company that will help me build the experience and expertise to start my own software company. This can be challenging in Houston, TX. Finding a software company in Houston, is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Recently, I moved closer to my vision by switching companies. I found a software startup in Houston, that is right up my alley for my product idea. I also was looking for a strong teamwork environment because that is what I envision for my company.
When you have a vision, it’s not about money or climbing the corporate ladder, it’s about moving closer to your goal. Every move you make has a purpose.
Find your vision.
Live Outside The Box
My Software Love Affair
Credit: unDraw.co
I have a love affair with software. I might even be obsessed.
You could give me a low paying, boring job, but if I can use software to do my job, I will enjoy it.
I am fascinated with learning and using software to increase efficiency and eliminate human error.
It all started when I worked in an Asset Management Coordinator position at Olympus.
When I started we were coordinating millions of dollars worth of equipment with spreadsheets.
It was a nightmare.
Then, everything changed.
We launched new software to track the equipment and coordinate with the sale reps.
Suddenly my job became joyful. I was less concerned with spreadsheets and more focused on customer service.
The software allowed visibility and transparency in our process. From Asset Management, to Sales reps and Marketing.
We had a huge inventory issue, and now we had the tool to fix it.
Around this time, I knew my business niche was digital and was learning web design. But I kept brainstorming, and discovered that I did not want a service company but a product company. A digital product.
This led to my own software company idea targeted toward the restaurant industry and the veteran community.
The key to finding the right business, is starting with something you love.
For me that is software. I want to use a digital product to help small businesses and the veteran community.
What do you love so much that you can start a business surrounding that love affair?
LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX
4 Business Foundations
Every business needs a foundation like a house needs a concrete slab.
Without this foundation, a business will struggle to grow and thrive.
Vision
Vision is where your business is heading.
Mission
Mission is your everyday objective
Values
Values are what keep your business on the right path
Beliefs
Beliefs are the summary statements of your values.
Here is my business foundation. Of course it’s a work in progress.
Vision
Use technology to help the Hero and Small Business communities. If a Small Business wants to give a discount to a Hero, the Hero shouldn’t have to ask. The Hero app automates this.
Mission
Everyday we work to unite the Hero and Small Business Community.
Values
Love, Diligence, Excellence, Humbleness, Kindness, Joy, Peace
Beliefs
People Over Profit-People are more important than profit and make the business turn.
Innovation through Technology-We will innovate and use technology just like we want our customers to do. We like technology tools.
Work to live- We have lives outside of work. We love our crafts, but have lives and family outside of work that need us. We also need to be recharged otherwise, our work will not be the best.
Bottom to the Top-ideas flow from the bottom to the top. The top will not stop ideas from flowing or in anyway criticize an idea to discourage future ideas. Micromanagement is considered a serious offense. It will not be tolerated.
Continuous Improvement- We will strive to improve every day in all aspects of the company. Everyone has equal input on improvement ideas.
Teamwork- We hold teamwork to the utmost esteem. We work in teams and make everyone feel valued
What your business foundations? If you don’t have them yet, that’s ok, start thinking about them today and write them down.
You will thank yourself in 20 years.
Remember to live outside the box!
Characteristics of a Great Leader
True leadership is hard to come by.
People start businesses or promote to manager without knowing how to lead people.
Have you ever worked for someone who lacked people skills?
It’s frustrating right?
The other day I was brainstorming about the characteristics of a great leader.
Here’s my list. What does your list look like?
Sees the best in people
Strives for Continuous Improvement
Open Minded
Creative
Authentic
Values people
Passion for empowerment
Challenges the status quo
Positive Attitude( Not pessimistic)
Focused on the future
Cares
Open to change
Team Oriented
Learner/Reader
Empathetic
Emotional Intelligent
Loving
Kind
Patient
Self Aware
Live Outside The Box
Priorities
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
Trying to build a business on the side with a full time job, wife and kids is difficult.
It is less difficult if you cut the less important things out of your life or at least limit them.
Last summer, I made a dramatic move by getting rid of my playstation 4, RIP, and the TV.
This freed of tons of time for reading, writing and spending more time with my family.
For an example, yesterday, my daughter spent some time playing in our 10 x 30 pool in the backyard.
I am not sure I would of ever bought that thing, if I was still distracted by video games.
We also have made it our mission to travel through Airbnb as much as possible.
I made a commitment to spending more time with my family and on my dreams.
However, with a job change and my attachment to social media, Netflix and Amazon Prime, I am behind on my Dream work.
Because of this, I deleted my facebook app. But I still need to cut back on the streaming. Thanks a lot Stranger Things Season 3.
So today, I am making another commitment to my family and dreams.
I am committing to no streaming on week nights before bed.
I am seeing the benefits of no facebook app, I can only imagine the reward of less streaming.
I am thinking better sleep, more time on my business mind map/planning, consistent blog content, reading, and writing.
All of which are super fulfilling.
What do you need to cut out of your life to work toward your dreams more efficiently?
Live Outside the Box
Observe
You are Entrepreneur at heart. You live and breath business. You have your future business mapped out. (Don’t worry if you don’t, but feel free try it out.) But you are stuck in a 9-5 job. It could be something you enjoy or something you hate, but either way you are not doing what you were born to do.
Build a business, lead people and leave a legacy.
On top of that you have a boss who micromanages. No one hates this more than entrepreneurs. We dislike being told what to do, but we hate being micromanaged.
To me it is the best way to demotivate people at work.
I am currently in this situation. I enjoy my work in a software company. We build a valuable product. It’s truly a joy to be a part of it. But, outside the development team, the sales and delivery team is almost non existent and micromanagement and control lives and breathes.
I’ve been dealing with this for months and keep wondering why. Today I discovered why.
Five or ten years from now, when I am leading my own business, I will know how not lead people.
I have probably seen more poor leadership than good in my business experience. From military, to student to employee, Great leaders are rare.
I want to be a part of that rare group.
I want people that are helping me build a sustaining business feel valued, empowered, loved and rested.
Micromanagement is the opposite of all four of these.
Micromanagement drains people.
The thing about people is that we are not robots. Everything we do and every interaction with other people, requires energy. Those tasks or interactions can energize us or drain us. Work will tire us for sure, but should we feel drained afterwards?
I want to do my best in building a business were people do their best work and retire at the end of the day feeling fulfilled, not drained.
So I will observe make sure others won’t have to suffer toxic leadership later.
Community
Photo by Papaioannou Kostas on Unsplash
Don’t just build a business. Build a community.
At the core of every person, there is a longing for community.
Old School of thought is two use people like robots. Money fully drives the business, not people
New School of thought puts people first, and builds a community. A place where people feel welcome, empowered and connected. A place where work is left at work. This community understands that you have a life outside of work.
Do you dread going to work? Maybe what you are missing is a community.
This is my dream for when I start my own company.
I want a place where people loving doing their work.
A place where people are truly valued, and they are given the freedom to be creative.
A place where people are not micromanaged.
A place where teamwork thrives. Teamwork is the foundation of the company.
This kind of atmosphere starts from the top.
When I daydream, this is what I think about. A community of people doing their best work and creating an awesome product.
Are you dreaming about starting your own company one day? Don’t just start a company, start a community.
Live Outside The Box
Continuous Improvement Ninja
There’s two type of leaders in Business:
Those that allow stagnation and do not allow ideas to flow from the bottom ranks.
Those that create new ideas and inspire other to create ideas as well.
The people that are creative and inspire others to be creative are Continuous Improvement Ninjas
Whether you are an employee, manager or CEO, you should be a Continuous Improvement Ninja
Keep throwing ideas in the pot, no matter how cynical people can be. Do not stop being creative..
I recently decided that I wouldn’t stop either.
I have been facing resistance with ideas, at work and in my personal life. It started to discourage me. Finally I made up my mind to keep going. To keep creating ideas and throwing those ideas in the pot. It could be a bad idea after looking deeper, but it’s a chance to brainstorm. Somebody else might have a similar idea.
Every two weeks at my company we have a retrospective meeting to bring up ideas for improvement. Every retro meeting,I try to have something to contribute. It could be a small, bad or a great idea. The point is creativity.
When a company doesn’t allow creativity, it becomes stagnate. When a company becomes stagnate, people become unhappy and the company doesn’t grow. Without growth, a company can not do more for its people. It’s a vicious cycle.
It all boils down to people. People need creativity to be fulfilled in their job.
It’s the leaders job to allow that creativity to flow freely.
Hire, create and be a Continuous Improvement Ninja.
LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX
Servant Leadership
Photo by Isaac Benhesed on Unsplash
It’s not about you as the entrepreneur; as the risk taker. It’s about the people that are helping you take the risk and gain the reward.
The more we ask this question, “How can I serve you and make your job more enjoyable” the more successful a business will be.
When we ask this question, take action and proactively seek continuous improvement, the people below you will feel loved and appreciated.
When people feel loved and appreciated, they will work harder, be more creative and innovative. People are not robots, lets treat them like people should be treated. Servant Leaders set this standard.
Along the way, you will also inspire people to start their own business, learn new skills, accomplish goals etc.
The job of the Servant Leader is to serve people.
It is impossible to build a business without people, but somehow organizations forget this.
At the first sight of missing the quarterly numbers, people are cut.
It is our job to help people enjoy their jobs. Cut out the waste and bull crap. Be flexible and open to ideas.
Great companies become great by pushing ideas from the bottom to the top.
Great leaders get out of the way and let people be creative and generate ideas.
This is Servant Leadership.
LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX
Action over Perfection
Photo by David van Dijk on Unsplash
One of the biggest threats to a business, is perfection. The desire for perfection breeds micromanagement and fear.
As an entrepreneur, it is natural to want people to do things 100% like us. This is not realistic. Every person is different. Is it possible to find people that do things similarly or have similar mindsets? Yes, but not perfect.
Instead of perfection we need to focus on action. Will you make a mistake? Absolutely. But, that is how we learn. Take a step forward, learn from that step and keep improving.
I am a huge supporter of Agile continuous improvement. The idea that improvement is in a continuous cycle.
The focus for Agile is in development, but it should be in all areas of business.
We need to continuously try new ideas. Keep the good ones and throw the bad ones.
Never stop seeking improvement and listening to new ideas.
Without this mentality, a business will not grow.
The company I am at now, had been using the same powerpoint theme for years. No change.
The theme was cluttered and boring.
I quickly realized that we needed a fresh look.
But, implementing the new theme was like pulling teeth.
People were afraid if we changed it, clients wouldn’t like it. Or if we went from 4:3 ratio to 16:9 widescreen, it would be a disaster when it came time to present. There was a clear fear of change.
To get over the hump in business, we have to be quick to change, and empower people to make those changes. if the idea doesn’t pan out, empower them to try something different.
Continuously make changes and improve. Take action over perfection.
PASSION & PEOPLE
Photo by Matt Antonioli on Unsplash
Before you start a business, I believe you should as yourself WHY?. Why are you embarking down this risky adventure? If money is the main motivator, issues will be rampant. While I am in favor of creating wealth, money can blind you.
Here are two factors you should consider before starting your venture:
Passion
People
Passion
Are you passionate about your business idea? I don’t care how innovated or how the demand is for your idea, if YOU the creator are not passionate, it is all a waste of time. If you want to lead your business with excellence, you must start with passion.
My stepdad loves math. After a decade of figuring out his entrepreneurial niche, he figured out he also loved accounting. This passion led to starting a business tax company. Today they are thriving after almost ten years in business.
My passion is digital content and software innovation. Simply put; I love the digital age. I figured this out in my last semester of college and started my digital content journey, because it was simple to start. My goal is to eventually generate passive income from this blog. Right now, it is my outlet for creativity. If I am not writing, I am not Shaston. Ask my wife. For my software innovation passion, I plan to start a software company one day. I have a product in mind that will benefit the military, first responders and educator community.
People
The more I learn about business, the more I confirm that people are the greatest asset. As, entrepreneurs, if we do not invest in people, what’s the point of being in business?
Without people we have no business. It is our job to constantly think of creative ways to boost the happiness level in our business. We should be going above and beyond for employees. At the same time, we should have high standards.
Expect excellence, but do not forget that human beings are doing the work. Create an environment where people are excited to come to work, and do not feel bad for taking a decent vacation. Trust people and allow creativity.
So, are you passionate about your business idea? What is your plan for investing in people?
Find Your Craft
Photo by James Pond on Unsplash
When I think of a Craft, I picture a brick layer, carpenter or welder. Or Trades. All of these trades or crafts take years and thousands of hours to master. In the digital age, we have creative crafts like photoshop artist, blogger, web designer or Video editor.
A craft is simply a nurtured skill.
In 2016, I found an unexpected craft. With zero photoshop experience I needed to edit an old business card but I did not have the original photoshop file.
Thanks to YouTube, a graphics arts course at San Jacinto College, and an adobe cloud membership, my photoshop journey was kicked off.
It started with editing a business card image and eventually turned into creating graphics for my blog.
Today I have the pleasure of also using my photoshop skill for work, which has helped me grow my skill level.
It amazes me how it all began.
It took hours of practice and consistency to get to the skill where I am today. For almost 2 years, I used most lunch breaks to write and create graphics for this blog. By no means would I call myself a graphic designer. For one, I stink at drawing, but I can hold my own on a blog graphic and a basic logo. My skill level fits perfectly with promoting my blog. If I need to move up to a new level, I have the ability to do so.
Do you have a skill that you are interested in? Even if it seems like you are light years away from growing that skill to an adequate level, try it anyways. Photoshop, writing, blogging, podcasting, video editing, woodwork, coding; whatever it is, carve out some time to learn. You never know where that skill will take you.
Learning Photoshop seemed like a tall order at the time, but looking back, I was simply making time for something I love doing. I love creating.
That’s the key for finding the right skills. Your heart and soul has to be dedicated. You are not just finding a skill, you are finding something you love doing. Ask yourself this: “If money wasn’t an issue, would I do this without pay? If there is answer yes or heck yes, you found your skill.
Once you have nurtured your skill into a craft, you can then create a niche.
I started life early with the skill of writing and learned a complimentary skill in photoshop at age 25. These skills, plus the ability to manage a blog, have morphed into a content creation niche.
Society teaches the status quo of going to college and getting a job.
There’s a different path in life. The Entrepreneur path.
Thankfully, the digital age make the entrepreneur path simpler.
Wether you freelance as a designer, a writer or Youtube creator, or start your own business, the digital age makes this possible on a wide scale.
Find a skill that you would love doing, nurture it into a craft, and create a niche.
LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX
What is a business? Wisdom from Michael Scott
In the words of the great Michael Scott, “What is a business? Is it a collection of numbers and sales reports? Sure. But as you know, David and Jan, it is much more.”
Somehow I managed to harvest wisdom out of one of my favorite shows and characters.
We all know not to take Michael Scott seriously, but this time, he might have a point.
We have come a long way from our Standard Oil Industrial Age days of business.
While Baby Boomers complain about millennials, the truth is, business has changed. It has changed for the better. We now have a generation of people that care how business affects the people around them.
Despite the rants on social media, the millennial generation does work hard, we just do it in a different way. We work smarter. No longer do we need 12-15 hr days to get the job done. While it is still normal in some companies to work long hours, it is not necessary.
Companies brag about their work/life balance, but do they really take it seriously? True work/life balance is promoting peace in the workplace, so that hopefully the personal life is less crazy.
You see if the boss treats his or her subordinates like crud, their actions will negatively affect life at home. Their crappy leadership creates stress and that stress projects on families.
I’ve been in that situation. Work sucked, because leadership stunk.
A business is not just a profit machine. A business needs PEOPLE. A business is about relationships, first and foremost. Sometimes the people in charge forget this. They forget that they are not monitoring robots. They have been charged with leading people who have beating hearts, and families waiting for them at home. Those families need their Dad or Mom to be emotionally and physically present.
The more and more I study entrepreneurship, the more people become my motivation.
As a leader, people should be your first priority. You make a profit to help people. Without people, we do not have business.
Two off the cuff ways to prioritize people In your business:
Go above and beyond for your team. Strive for above industry standards in pay, benefits, and work environment. Treat your team like they are leaders themselves. Trust your team. Use profit to invest back into your people. Grow slowly and wisely so people stay your priority. Be creative.
Make an impact in your community. Use profit to help make your community a better place to live. Be a light for hurting people. Wether its the homeless or veteran community, be a helping hand.
LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX
True Wealth
What comes to mind when you think of wealth?
Full bank account, houses, cars, luxury?
Our friend Meriam-Webster says: “abundance of valuable material possessions or resources”
I have another definition.
Wealth: The abundance of time to pursue skills and dreams
There is one thing more precious than money or valuables. Time.
Money is not the treasure we should be chasing. Time is the treasure.
The more time we have, the more we can do. The more memories we can make. The more memories with our families.
Money is a tool to grow our time.
In the back of my head, my greatest dream is to not be tied down to an employer but have the freedom to pursue my Skills, dreams and hobbies. And for it to all be scheduled around my family.
The freedom to launch and run a business, write books, fly drones, travel and spend as much time with my wife and kids as I want.
To me this the ultimate freedom and wealth in life.
So, how do we grow our time, so we can do whatever we want before it’s too late?
That is a blog topic by itself but the cliff note version is this:
Get rid and stay out of debt.
Build Cashflow: With zero debt cashflow increases. Continue to cut waste to increase the flow.
Develop investment portfolio: Business, stocks, Retirement. Use cashflow to build portfolio.
Develop Skills and knowledge
Be patient. Wealth doesn’t develop overnight
This is True Wealth. Time > Money. Money is a tool.
Live Outside The Box
My Journey into Tech Heaven
Photo by Mantas Hesthaven on Unsplash
Two months ago I was stuck in Technology Hell. I was at a company that had almost no digital initiative. if you suggested software as a solution for better workflows and efficiency, you got the deer in the headlight look.
I had been in this hell for almost 2 years. A young Veteran techie engulfed in an environment where it seemed like leadership didn’t care about advancing in technology.
In 2018, I set a goal for myself. I was be working in the tech industry in 3 years.
That goal came much earlier than I envisioned. In November of 2018, as my mouth watered for turkey, I was let go, thus freed from this Luddite prison.
Truthfully, I was looking elsewhere before being freed, but now I had ample time to devote to finding the right company. A company that loved technology and wanted to use it to make life more efficient.
Full of turkey, I sat down with NextOp, a non profit veteran organization helps veterans find careers in the energy sector. This is their niche being stationed in Houston, TX. I asked for a tech company and NextOp helped me find one of the few software companies in Houston. In other words I found a needle in a hay stack. I could have been inpatient and jumped at a chemical plant job, like many people recommended, but I stayed focused.
Today, I am in Technology Heaven.
NextOp found a software company that solves logistical issues for energy companies.
The company started a Veteran Intern Program because of the vast amount of veterans they saw in the logistics and energy sector.
I am two months into my internship and loving every minute.
I get to be around like minded people who love technology and help people improve their workflows with software.
Email and spreadsheets as a workflow is a problem. Software is the solution.
My advise for fellow veterans trying to get into the tech industry? Don’t give up. Block out the noise from people. Set a goal of when and how and GO!
One day when I start my own software company, this will be the milestone that set me on that path.
It started with a dream and goals. I knew I needed to work in the industry. Here I am.
Do not give up.
Goals are meant to be written down.
There was a time that I did not write down my goals. Short term or long term, I stored goals in my head.
That method was lacking some punch and still does.
At the beginning of 2018 I wrote down a list of goals for the year.
As I look back, it is amazing what I was able to accomplish.
To give a highlight of the list, I wanted to devote more time to my family and my craft because I was spending too much time on idle entertainment i.e. video games or Netflix.
6 months later, I unplugged the TV and playstation 4. I still miss the playstation, but when I have the urge to play my favorite game, Madden Football, I think about the time I have available for my family , writing or reading.
I took it a step further to convert our dining room area into a study with a whiteboard to promote more time on my crafts and goals.
At 27 years old, I didn’t want to look up at 30 be stagnant.
I needed drastic measures, and it has paid off.
I might have to cut back on Netflix this year to meet 2019 goals. Especially if they keep producing movies like Birdbox.
What are your goals for 2019? Whatever they are, get them out of your head, and write them down.
Dream Workplace
Since taking my first job in Corporate America, I was longing for a better culture. I had this dream work environment in my head. The company I was working for did not come close to that dream.
I am not sure any company can meet my standard except for the company I plan to start in the future. Regardless, I kept hope that there has to be a company that lines closely with my values and standards. With hope, I endured some tough times with my first corporate job out of the military. Almost 2 years later, I think I found the company that I was looking for. I was fired, and found the company in less than a month. I am thankful that they fired me because, who knows how long I would stayed.
You should not dread work. Every person deserves an environment that promotes innovation, creativity and continuous improvement.
Work should be fun and family oriented.
What is your dream workplace?
Here’s a list of my standards that I have for the dream workplace and hope to implement for my future company:
Empowering Environment
Says no to Micromanagment
4 day workweek
Flexibility
unlimited time off
No dress code
On site daycare or Reimbursement
Toll Road Reimbursement
Entrepreneurship Environment
Great work/life balance
Unlimited time off
Video Game lounge
Free lunch
Free snacks/drinks
Core Hours
Self Organized and Cross Functional Scrum Company
Idea/Skill incubator
Creative/Innovative/Fun Environment
Startup feel
Project Parties
People over profit
Environment that promotes the values of Love, Excellence and Diligence
Generous 401k(8% match) and Health benefit package(100%).
Financial Education
Mise En Place
According to google, “Mise En Place,”(Thank you Google), is a French culinary term for “Putting in place or Everything in its place.”
I first heard this term in my Acceleration In Mathematics(AIM) class at San Jacinto College.
AIM = College Preparatory Math + College Algebra.
Taught with two dedicated professors and collaboration among students, AIM is 5 days a week.
Unlike the traditional College Algebra class, we were set up for success. Especially for those of us who took a lengthy vacation from Mathematics.
Mise En Place was introduced to us to help manipulate word problems. On the surface these problems looked impossible but once we had all of our ingredients set aside, we were ready to solve it.
Mise En Place is useful in cooking, and mathematics, but what about business?
Like in culinary, in business there are a lot of ingredients for success. It takes time to build with the right ones and piece them all together. One wrong ingredient can ruin your dish.
The clear and simple definition of Mise En Place for me is “Preparation.”
In business, preparation is a key factor for success.
That business idea you have needs careful Mise En Place.
Business planning, building capital, branding, marketing, it all involves Mise En Place.
Your business plan is the most critical for building a solid foundation. It is your preparation for a successful launch and to get you through the first 5 years.
Society has crafted a way to get things quicker than we could ever imagine.
In business, if you don’t have the capital, you can get a business loan.
Instead of building capital on your own or seeking wise investors, you can pile debt on top of your overhead.
With Mise En Place, you do not need to go into debt to start a business.
Don’t just start a business, do it the right way. Do your Mise En Place and you will build a solid foundation to get you over that critical 5 year mark.
Mise En Place.