Month: August 2011

Today is my last day at Gist

/ Robert Pease / 7 Comments

Gist_logo
This has been part of the plan following the company's acquisition by Research In Motion back in February.

It is the end of what has been a fun, crazy, and rewarding few years.  I first sat down with founder T.A. McCann in mid-2008 to catch up and got the download on what was at the time called Mineboxx.  The company evolved to Gist, I began to consult on go-to-market stuff, and joined as full-time Vice President of Marketing following closing a Series A venture capital round in May of 2009.

There are lots of nuggets of wisdom gained during this time that I'll share more about going forward and can't say enough great things about my team and all involved. 

So, what's next for me?

I am enjoying "being generous" and helping companies think about how they are building their sales pipelines, developing their customer acquisition funnels, and going to market.  It's nice to share what worked as well as a few lumps from failure with the desire to accelerate their success and advance my understanding of what is possible.

Included in that is being a Mentor at TechStars/Seattle for the first time this year.  That program is just getting started and I look forward to working with the companies there as well as getting to know many of the other mentors I have yet to meet.

I'll also be working more formally as an advisor to LoopFuse.  They are an Atlanta-based marketing automation software company focusing on the SMB market with web analytics, lead nurturing/scoring, and email marketing all in one package.  I encourage every startup out there (every company, actually) to put a nurture program in place and with LoopFuse you can start and use it for free paying only when you begin to scale (a good deal!)

Other activities include living vicariously through my friend Joe Solomon and his Steamboat Springs, CO-based adventure travel company Iconic Adventures where I am helping a bit on the marketing front.

I have my eye on a few opportunities that include starting my own company.  I have worked in startups for the past ten years and am now at a place where doing something of my own makes sense.  What is it?  More details as the pieces come together but I am looking at sales & marketing processes, the inefficiencies that exist there, and how social, mobile, etc. technologies can be used to "hack" it. 

I'll also be enjoying a bit more time with my wonderful (and understanding) wife, amazing daughters, and loving but neurotic dog. Oh, and trying to catch up on training for the Portland Marathon on October 9th (my first full marathon) that Marel & I will be running together.

So, email me if you want to chat, have an idea, or are looking for a bit of advice on marketing and markets.  I'm happy to connect…

You don’t just downgrade America

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

I have taken the Standard & Poor's downgrade of US debt pretty personally.  After all, it is a statement about all of us and the prospects of our future.  Let's put aside for a moment how little credibility any credit rating agency has after being just shy of criminal in the events leading up to the 2008 financial crisis and look at the impact of this on us as Americans.

America is defined by optimism and, quite frankly, this is a gut punch.  The first reaction (unfortunately) is about blame.  If you decide you need to blame a minority faction of newly elected congressmen and women (the Tea Party) in the minority party in one house of Congress then you must also blame the party who held both houses of Congress (including a filibuster proof majority in the Senate) since 2008 plus the White House.  A "Fiscal Commission" was assembled led by good men from both parties.  Its findings were politicized, denounced, and buried.  What a shame.  The time for leadership on this issue and the window to really get something accomplished has past for our current President.  Now it is about grown ups sitting down and absorbing the gravity of the situation.

Previous Presidents share responsibility here as well.  This transcends political party and our last balanced budget under Clinton was the direct result of the opposition party taking him to the edge (and beyond) and forcing a government shutdown.  Why does it take this kind of drama and damage to do the right thing?

Barack Obama was elected on a surge of optimism and desire for something different.  What we are seeing is the difference between sales and implementation.  Leadership is a hard and lonely road and I cannot even begin to fathom the loneliness and pressure as President of the United States of America.

This is a defining moment for Mr. Obama and the rest of the people we have chosen to lead our country.  If they can't come together to chart a path for the future, then we'll get a new set in 2012. Maybe, just maybe, there will enough courage in this batch to look beyond the next TV spot, fundraiser, or election.

I write this blog for many reasons.  One is to give my daughters a record of who I am and what I was thinking at different stages of my life and career.  As this news broke on Friday, I looked at both of them and actually wondered what kind of America they would grow up in. 

Today I am concerned and saddened.  There is no faith in our government and the leadership running it.  I do, however, remain optimistic about America and our ability to achieve things others thought impossible.  We will get through this and be a stronger nation as a result.

Our healthcare system continues to fail entrepreneurs

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

Regardless of your opinion on the recent healthcare reform debate, process, and resulting legislation, one would expect the output of so much brain power and political capital to truly improve things.

I am not a policy wonk, healthcare expert, and have not read the Obamacare bill in its entirety (like most members of Congress) but this story about Sarah Perez leaving ReadWriteWeb due to the lack of affordable healthcare coverage makes my blood boil.

Sarah is awesome, a great journalist, and was very kind to us as we created and launched Gist.  She is leaving ReadWriteWeb because of a growing family and the lack of employer provided healthcare.  This quote alone lays it out in black and white for me:

Now my husband runs his own business, and we pay for our own health care. It’s expensive, and it’s a struggle. 

So I’m moving on, to somewhere that can offer me the benefits of a larger organization.

This makes my blood boil because a great person is leaving the "best job she ever had" due to the costs of healthcare as she and her husband both pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.

How does this make sense? Why wasn't this obvious obstacle to entrepreneurship addressed in the healthcare reform debate?  We sorely need jobs and economic growth in this country and it breaks my heart that this situation continues to exist.  There are many, many talented and smart entrepreneurs staying in corporate jobs or needing to return to one because of the costs of self-insuring.

Sarah – I will miss you and your readers will miss you.  Thank you for sharing your story..and for inspiring me to write this post.