Today I spent time reflecting on 2020. I read old writings, emails, and text messages. I looked at pictures and news articles. I wanted to digest everything that’s happened this year personally and at a macro level. There was so much to absorb that it was bit overwhelming. I had lots of plans that I scrapped. I wasn’t too thrilled about that but didn’t have much choice. On the flip side, some great things happened that were complete surprises. After all this, I had one big takeaway: Life is iterative and plans go awry. Adjust as necessary.

This was a challenging year, but I feel like it was a year of growth for me. I’m happy to close out 2020 and looking forward to 2021!

Tomorrow’s the last day of 2020, and what a year it’s been. I can’t celebrate New Year’s Eve like I normally do, so I’m thinking about how I want to spend the day. This will likely end up being one of the most eventful years of my life, so I think I’m going to spend time tomorrow reflecting on it. So much has happened that I want to go through and digest it all before I close the chapter. I’ve had a lot of highs and lows this year, so I’m curious how the exercise will turn out.

How do you plan on closing out 2020?

Today marks the end of my fortieth week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week forty:

• Countdown – With vaccinations beginning this week, I think there’s a mental shift happening. I had a lot of conversations with people who mentioned counting down. People see the light at the end of the tunnel.
• Reshuffling – I’ve noticed that some days or weeks are heavy with commitments. This week was one of them. It was unintentional. When I noticed it, I made some adjustments to avoid overextending myself. Too often, I’ve pushed through these periods and felt drained when they were over.
• More deals – This week it was announced that CallRail raised another $56 million. Atlanta tech companies are still seeing lots of activity. The holidays are here, but I expect more deals to be announced over the next few weeks.
• Holiday – Christmas is next week, and I’m looking forward to the holiday and the extra downtime.

Week forty was busy, a big push before Christmas. Next week should be much slower—a good time to wrap things up before the end of the year.

I’ll continue to learn from this unique situation, adjust as necessary, and share my experience.

Amazon announced an initiative to offer free cloud computing training. Its goal is to help 29 million people globally grow their skills in cloud computing by 2025. I got really excited when I read about this. Cloud computing is exploding. I believe it will continue growing for the foreseeable future. Amazon will provide knowledge and training (free of charge) and help many people excel in this emerging industry rather than watch it from the sidelines.

I recently talked with a close friend about declining industries and their impact on my hometown and similar communities. When a dominant industry declines, its workers often have trouble finding employment because many players in that space are downsized at the same time. They may not have the necessary skills for roles in other industries with comparable pay. They end up taking jobs that pay less, which has a ripple effect on the local community. Over time, this has a negative impact on all aspects of the community and is hard to reverse. Communities once dominated by the steel industry but now struggling are an example.

Our economy is changing faster than ever. We’ve seen revenue redistribution and other factors accelerate growth in some sectors and bring others to their knees. The pace of change highlights the need to help our workforce adapt. That’s why I got excited when I read about Amazon’s initiative. I like its approach and hope that others replicate it. It will help many people if more growing industries have the foresight to invest in skills training early. I also hope that we provide more support and resources to aspiring entrepreneurs to accelerate new business creation. These two things will provide the foundation local communities need to continue thriving and adapting to our changing economy.

Today marks the end of my thirty-ninth week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week thirty-nine:

• Community – I miss seeing people in the Atlanta tech community. I’m looking forward to the day when we can interact in person safely. Community will be top of mind for me and many others in 2021. If working from home and other habits become the norm, people will be seeking community more than ever. I view 2021 as a time that offers a unique opportunity to create and rethink community across in many sectors, not just tech.
• Working smarter – I spent time this week thinking about what I want to improve. I thought about what was and wasn’t working but realized I do better when I begin by defining the end goal. After I did that, it was easier to see what activities were misaligned and start figuring out what changes to make. I’ll keep doing more of this over the next few weeks.  
• More deals – Last week Microsoft announced the acquisition of Slack. This week was busy for IPOs. Doordash debuted Wednesday and Airbnb debuted Thursday. Investors are bullish on tech companies and are paying high premiums for high growth. I expect this trend to continue with more large deals announced before year’s end and maybe into Q1 too.
• Weather – Last week I shared how the cold weather negatively affected me. It warmed up this week and we had more sunshine. My productivity and mood were noticeably better. I know there’s lots written on this, but I’m still amazed to observe it in myself.
• Chapter 2021 – 2020 will end in two-and-a-half weeks. It’s been a wild year, and I’m looking forward to turning the page.

Week thirty-nine was a reflective week. Next week is the last full workweek before Christmas. I’m looking forward to it being both productive and reflective.

I’ll continue to learn from this unique situation, adjust as necessary, and share my experience.

Yesterday, I shared what I learned from Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates. I don’t watch much TV, but this was an insightful series. Today I’ve been thinking about Bill’s “think weeks.” He regularly spends a week alone in a cabin reading and thinking. The quietude and stillness give him an optimal environment for his best thinking, allowing him to distill things and solve complex problems.

Bill’s intelligence and ability to rapidly comprehend things have been remarkable all his life. (His siblings, coworkers, and wife all confirmed this.) And they’re at their highest level when he reduces his activity level and just thinks.

I started to wonder what environment allows me to do my best thinking. I usually need to get in the zone to think about complex things. Big blocks of time let me do that, and then I can concentrate and make significant progress on a problem. Once I see progress, I get excited and want to keep going. Interruptions or lots of activity around me are disruptive, so I try to be somewhere quiet and still when I need to get in the zone. I’ve also learned that writing helps me make connections and solve complex problems. It forces me to organize and communicate my scattered thoughts in a way others can understand.

This year has been challenging, to say the least. Like everyone, I’m ready for it to be over. In tough situations, I try to look for the silver lining. I believe life is about perspective and there’s always something positive; you just have to look for it. This year is no exception. Less activity and a slower-paced life because of the pandemic have given me more time to think than I’ve ever had. I’ve accomplished things I’ve been putting off for years (like blogging) and worked through some tough problems. Bill Gates does think weeks. I’ve sort of done a think year.

Bill Gates is a brilliant person who made an impact on society through entrepreneurship and is doing it again through philanthropy. I love learning from the experiences of people smarter than me, like Bill. There’s a lot to be said for his practice of taking week-long blocks of time to think. (If someone of his stature continues to prioritize this, there must be something to it!) I don’t have the luxury of doing think weeks, but I’ll work toward being more intentional about taking time to read and think in the right environment.  

Today marks the end of my thirty-eighth week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week thirty-eight:

• Winter – The temperature in Atlanta dropped quickly this week. It was a reminder that winter is upon us. The cold weather, shorter days, and reduced sunshine will make working from home challenging for me.
• 2021 – I was asked today what I think next year will look like. I had a few tentative ideas, but the truth is I have no clue. Everyone is planning for a year that is so uncertain. I’m hopeful that things won’t get drastically worse, but I’ll have a plan just in case.
• More deals – Last week, I reflected on deal and fundraising activity levels. Salesforce’s acquisition of Slack was another huge tech deal. I suspect we’ll see more big deals announced before the end of the year. I’m starting to think about all the variables driving the flurry of deals.

Week thirty-eight was the first week of winter for me. I don’t like cold weather, but I’m starting to adjust to the reality of the next few months. I’m already thinking about spring sunshine.

I’ll continue to learn from this unique situation, adjust as necessary, and share my experience.

Today marks the end of my thirty-seventh week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week thirty-seven:

• Thanksgiving – It was great to have time off. This year has been very unusual and Thanksgiving was no exception.
• Southeast ecosystem – I connected virtually with a venture capital fund and an accelerator this week. Both conversations were enlightening. I’m surprised there’s so much activity I’m unaware of. All signs are that the region is headed in the right direction.
• Fundraising activity –There’s been a lot of fundraising activity in Atlanta in the last few months. Before year-end we’ll see a few more deals. Acquisitions, private equity recaps, venture capital fundraising . . . I’m happy for these founders and their teams. We’re in uncertain times, yet investors are bullish on ownership in private tech companies. I’m curious about what the future holds.

Week thirty-seven was low key. The holiday was much needed. I’m glad I got some downtime and could reflect on the things I’m thankful for. Before I know it, Christmas will be here.

I’ll continue to learn from this unique situation, adjust as necessary, and share my experience.

Today marked the end of my thirty-sixth week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week thirty-six:

• Thanksgiving rush – Unexpectedly, there was a Thanksgiving rush this week. Many people were trying to meet or wrap things up before next week. Busy, busy, busy! Note to self: plan for it to happen again before Christmas.
• Giving back – I had an exciting opportunity: participating in a feedback session for a group of early entrepreneurs. This group will do well, and I’m looking forward to keeping in touch and helping them on their journey.
• Zoom limits – I participated in two Zoom meetings this week that were four and five hours long. And I joined a few others that lasted an hour or more. The longer meetings were helpful for connecting with people and achieving goals, but they were brutal mentally. I can’t do more than one of these long meetings in a week anymore.  

Week thirty-six was busy. I’m glad it’s over and that next week is a holiday week. Some downtime will be good.

I’ll continue to learn from this unique situation, adjust as necessary, and share my experience.

As a former nontechnical founder, I understand how hard it is to build a company that relies on technology. One popular route to building technology is to use technical talent based outside the United States. We used a hybrid approach at CCAW comprising both US and non-US technical talent. Here are some of the things I learned:

• Fit is key – Finding the right person for the role is hard. Spend time making sure the person is a good fit before you pull the trigger. I’ve used Toptal, Upwork, and other services. Regardless of the service, I’ve always had to spend time evaluating the person or firm for fit. It’s one of the most important parts of the process, and you can’t outsource it. Spend time on the front end.
• Nearshore versus offshore – There’s a difference. Offshore refers to another country that has a different time zone and isn’t close to your country. At CCAW, we had offshore team members in Greece, Poland, and the Philippines. Nearshore usually refers to a country in close proximity with yours and the same (or almost the same) time zone. Nearshore can be easier because it’s more likely they’ll understand your culture and have similar work hours. We had nearshore team members in Nicaragua at CCAW. Both nearshore and offshore worked for us at CCAW.
• Communication – This is more important than technical abilities. You need to be able to easily communicate with someone. If they can’t communicate clearly in your language, orally or in writing, it will become a huge problem.
• Individuals versus firms – There is a difference here, too. A good dev shop will have the processes, systems, and management layers in place that will increase the chances of success. We had success working with individuals early on at CCAW. As we began scaling and needed more structure, we had success with firms that already had management structures. I enjoyed have one point of contact to manage the relationship.
• Product vision – Someone domestic on your team needs to own the vision for the product and they need to work closely with technical talents to make sure their work meets expectations. This may be the founder early on and someone else as the company grows. I originally had this role at CCAW, but transitioned it as we grew. If you can’t articulate what you want built, the end result will be poor, and it won’t be the technical talent’s fault.
• Expense item versus team member – If technology is key to your strategy, treat the people building it accordingly. Don’t treat them like a line item on the budget. Don’t try to get something for nothing. Don’t just give them a bunch of tasks with no context. Treat them like team members and value the technical insights they bring. Include them in conversations and ask for their perspective. Good technical talents can tell whether you value what they contribute. If you don’t, they’ll decline to work with you and you’ll be left working with people of lesser talent.
• Expectations – Know what you expect and communicate it clearly from the very beginning.

I learned a great deal working with a hybrid team at CCAW. Our team members based outside the United States were strong, and I’m happy I had the opportunity to work with them. Without these people, we would not have been able to achieve eight figures in revenue.

I know a number of wildly successful founders of technology companies who have loved using non-US technical talent. Conversely, I’ve known others who’ve had bad experiences. I personally think there are amazing technical talents outside the United States and that working with them is a huge opportunity for founders. And I think the founder’s perspective and approach determine the likelihood of success.