The LEGO Theory of Job Fulfillment

August 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
lego

  Who doesn't love Lego? When I was a kid, Lego was my ultimate, favorite toy. After I would unbox a set, I would first try to build it as designed. But this wasn't the fun part yet! This is sort of the boring requirement. After some time, these new pieces would gradually fall into my BIG PAIL of Lego blocks. Playtime commenced when I would pour the pieces on the floor - one big mess. Then, I would just...create. Cars, knights on steeds, robots with several points of articulation, you name it, I built it. Fun! Decades after, Lego is bigger than ever. People buy the stuff in droves (even if it hurts the pocket) - fuelled especially by licensing everything cool. (Marvel … [Read more...]

Filed Under: TAKE THAT LEAP!, Your Value Proposition

Been Awhile, JGL

August 25, 2015 by 4 Comments
entrepreneur-593378_1280

After 8 months, I had all sorts of ideas on what my "first" post will be like. Some long, drawn out 5-parter on what I've learned all this time, perhaps? Some Michael Jordan "I'm back" one-liner? I was even mulling just hammering out a regular post and pretend the 8-month gap never happened. I had all sorts of ideas. Of course it came down to me just opening good old Wordpress and suddenly just typing. And here it is. When Peter? I would get asked around a lot "when are you writing again?" or "when is the next open coffee?" And I would just smile and apologize. I did have the perfect excuse. It has been a busy year. STORM went through a huge fundraiser. We … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GETTING STARTED, TAKE THAT LEAP!

What Is Your Fearlessness Quotient?

December 4, 2014 by 1 Comment
jump

At work, when we talk about hiring (which we talk about A LOT nowadays), I usually tell my co-managers that I am very interested in hiring "entrepreneurial-minded" people. Then I'd get often asked: What does that mean? That's a question I've been mulling about for ages. What exactly is it? How do you evaluate if someone has it? How do you know if someone has the potential to have it? There are so many theories on what entrepreneurship is. Here's one of mine. I think, when you distill it, when you boil entrepreneurship down to its basest levels, entrepreneurship is all about fearlessness. Entrepreneurs just conquer fear. Innovation, a word long synonymous with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GETTING STARTED, Small Steps, STARTUP ADVICE, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With:

15 Slots Available For STORM’S Private Recruitment Cocktails Tomorrow

December 1, 2014 by 4 Comments
storm logo

STORM is scaling fast. Founded in January 2013 (a spinoff from my original HR startup, STORM Consulting), STORM is bent on transforming the way companies manage benefits. I'm fairly confident STORM has been among the fastest growing local startups across these last 2 years, revenue-wise. We've been blessed. In 2013, we proved our new business model could work - an entirely new way for companies to manage their benefits. In 2014, we started growing fast. Very fast. We've quadrupled both 2013 revenue AND 2013 manpower. We're set to AT LEAST quadruple revenue again in 2015. There are no signs of slowing down. In fact, it's looking like things will go even faster. The most … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: ,

Big Picture? No, Look at the BIGGER Picture

November 28, 2014 by 3 Comments
big picture

These past few months have been crazy in STORM. We started the 2014 with about 16 employees. We're ending the year with around 50 employees and 60 more job openings. After 5-6 years hovering at around 10-15 employees, we're now scaling at an unprecedented level. It's been all sorts of crazy, but its been fun. It's a riveting challenge to see just how far we can push this. This sudden shift in scale started when we realized two years ago that, "Hey, we can be more than a niche player in the industry - we could help EVERYONE out with flexible benefits." We widened the aperture. Stepping Back for a Wider View Every once in awhile I would talk to an entrepreneur about ideas or … [Read more...]

Filed Under: STARTUP ADVICE, Startup Ideas, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: , ,

Release Your Inner Kraken: The Folly of Hidden Talents

August 15, 2014 by 8 Comments
kraken release

For as far as I can remember, I've always loved writing. I enjoyed paragraph writing in grade school. There was always a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when I felt a paragraph was complete, when I felt every word I used was the right one. It was simultaneously art and science for me. This love for word construction continued throughout my high school and college stints. Writing assignments wouldn't feel like homework. I would volunteer for writing tasks across my different subjects, projects, and the clubs I belonged to. In my first year after graduation, I taught english for a year in my alma mater and loved every minute of it. Then I went corporate. Suddenly, my love … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GOD@WORK, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: ,

5 Reasons Why You Should Quit Your Job Now and Work for a Startup (With Traction)

August 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment
racecar1

So, you want to put up a startup. You want to take the leap. But it's sooooo hard to let go of the cushy job you've spent numerous years cultivating... You worry about the sudden disruption of that bi-monthly cashflow you're now so accustomed to and built your life around. So what now? Here's a solution - work for a startup. But don't just work for ANY startup - work for a startup with traction. What's traction? I like Naval Ravikant's (Angelist founder) efficient definition of traction: "Quantitative evidence of market demand." A startup has traction when it has increasing numbers - revenue, users, profitability, engagement, traffic, etc... These are evident signs … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GETTING STARTED, Life in a Startup, STARTUP ADVICE, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: , , ,

Thursdays Unplugged Postscript (July 31 Edition)

August 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
TUWEEK2

  See that bottle of Pepsi in the picture? I started this Thursdays Unplugged session by accidentally dropping the closed bottle, and then proceeding to absent-mindedly open it. The result was an explosion of cola and pride, mostly on my shirt (which, incredibly, looks the same in the picture). It was all uphill from there though! With the third participant calling that he couldn't make it the last minute, this became a 3-person session. Of course, I loved the result, as Jode, Gerome, and I not only got into the technicalities of the their startup ideas, but more importantly, we got to talk about their journey, and the softer parts of the startup life. The thing I love … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS, Event Postscripts, Life in a Startup, STARTUP ADVICE, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: ,

Risk Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

August 4, 2014 by 7 Comments
risknow

The older we get, the more permanent our decisions become. In high school, the biggest decision we made was probably what school to take (a lot of people I know didn't have a choice in this matter as well), or perhaps what course to take. We could then easily shift courses. A lot of people I know even shifted schools. We also choose who to hang out with. This can change easily as well. Then one day, we graduate from college. Then we have to face the next big decision in our lives - what job to take. Not quite happy with our first job, perhaps we transfer to another firm. It isn't as easy as changing courses, but this decision is still flexible enough that for a lot of us, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: STARTUP ADVICE, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: , ,

UPDATED: Jobs in Our Startup Community!

July 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment

People! Lots of openings in our growing group! Check out this updated list for more information! Tired of the corporate life? Eager to contribute to a startup? Want to have some fun building stuff with great people? Do check us out!   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: , , ,
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