Weekend rustlings
I’m starting to really like getting away from my computer. By taking even a couple of days off -I can return to my keyboard, with pent up ideas and momentum. But getting things out of your focus also means that you can focus on otehr things - or other places.
It’s kind of how I feel about the U.S. in general. I have to turn away from teh political spectrum as it is downright painful for me to watch and I’m dreading what’s about to happen. So the possibility of running a completely virtual business - structured entirely virtual - enables me to dream about living in Vancouver, Trieste or Amsterdam - while working with world-class experts around the world.
Our company’s resources would be scattered around the world, our books would be kept on NetSuite, sales leads and accounts tracked with SalesForce (or maybe SugarCRM) and we’d do meetngs via video conferencing, phone lines and only once in a while - in person.
A full-time IRC channel would be our real-time messaging platform and Wikis would be committed to each and every task. Mail lists would be centered around topics and our knowledge management system would sift and sort through everything we ever IMed, left on-line, emailed or even talked about and cluster every keyword with a bounty of relevant, handy information.
We’d be running our own ad severs which our virtual saleforce would book ads for, we’d have biz dev guys and gals around the world - bringing us the hottest leads and our alliances and sponsorships looked like a who’s who of the global economy.
The only time - anyone - anywhere had to show up - would be at a customer’s office. We’d appear - out from the shadows of our virtual presence - schmoozing our mano-a-mano rap, bringing cyberpsace together with meatspace - pressing teh flesh and breaking bread tgoether - when it counts most. Best of all we’d be bundled with hardware vendors on every continent and all money would be wired to our global bank account and all contracts would be transmitted by email - NOT FAX@#$@%$!
Since 1984 - I’ve only worked in an office for a little over 2 years. I’ve always worked out of my home, but I kind of dig being given an office at some client’s facility. Because I know it’s only temporary - I can enjoy all the benefits and perks of being out of the house, while knowing one day that I’ll be back home.
Here’s Mimi and Lucy with their big cousins at my father’s memorial service. As Mimi said, after she saw Lion King at Paolo’s house - “Simba’s daddy died”. The circle of life continues.
I first found my home on Potrero Hill by leaving the signing of our first lease for an office in SF - at 410 Townsend - and quickly finding the closest neighborhood and hill. I raised my three boys there on DeHario street and I later lived on Those Island. But I’ve had email since 1983 and I work on-line.
I wonder since the VCs now appear to accepting open source, social networking and personal publishing - that they’d consider funding a completely virtual company - which lives off of it’s own dogfood.
