How God Founded Our Startup

January 10, 2012 by 32 Comments

When a new employee starts in STORM, or any of the startups I'm associated with (we're all in one building), they are treated to something different (especially if they've previously worked in corporations before) which happens every three o'clock. We invite the newbie to our conference room, where we read the Gospel for the day, and then everyone gets her turn to say a prayer. When we celebrate a victory, we quickly remind ourselves that ultimately, it was God who enabled the victory. Yes, we have very talented and intelligent people on our team - but where do all these gifts come from anyway? We cannot and will not take full credit. On the lower-right corner of our website, you will … [Read more...]

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The only shoe that will fit perfectly is yours

December 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Each individual is unique. From our fingerprints, our view of the world, our biases, our histories - we are each truly unique. Our uniqueness extends to what exactly satisfies us at work. Some of us prefer sales, some research, some human resources, some supply chain management, some finance, some technology. Some of us prefer to work at night, some mid-afternoon, some are morning folk. Some of us prefer working with people, while some prefer to work alone, for some "it depends." Some of crave simplicity, while others desire sophistication. Some of us get a thrill out of talking to someone new everyday, while some of us want to a correspond with more an intimate set of … [Read more...]

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Get Off The Corporate Assembly Line!

December 13, 2011 by 1 Comment

Do you remember the last time you did truly great work? I bet your output was made possible because you were fired up and inspired, and you threw your entire being into the project. I bet you thought about the project during non-work hours, in fact, I bet you had trouble sleeping because your mind was so buzzed thinking about possibilities regarding your project. It was work which was consuming, inspiring, and meaningful. There was a point to it. It was work you believed in. Now, how long ago was it when you felt this way? A lot of my friends in the corporate world haven't felt this way for a long time. Oh, they might feel this way for the first few months of a new job, but when … [Read more...]

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The ONE TRUE RISK I faced in taking the startup leap

December 7, 2011 by 16 Comments

One of these days, I'll post the full-blown story of what exactly happened when I took the leap and kissed my corporate career goodbye. It was truly a Faith-Leap for me. Till then, kindly make do with this super abridged version: I was a 33-year old corporate lifer with a wife and a newborn son I was supporting. It was the middle of the 2008 recession. The startup firm I was working part-time putting up was struggling mightily, partly because I wasn't giving it the time it deserved. I had two paths to take. One was to continue on my 12-year corporate career as a line HR director, continue receiving my comfortable salary, continue with the peace of mind that my family would be ok. … [Read more...]

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Juan, A Great Leap Please

November 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I am a Filipino startup owner. I began my professional career going up the human resources ladder. I eventually got really tired of this climb and felt the corporate structure stifled me from fully spreading my wings (more on this later), so I took the most significant leap of my professional life. In 2006, I started the HR Technology firm STORM Consulting. After nearly 6 years, through all the ups and downs startups go through, I am pleased to see our firm alive and kicking, impacting employee lives for the better through the provision of HR technology. Over these years, I have played every role that our startup has needed me to take on: CEO, sales, investor, evangelist, janitorial … [Read more...]

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