Punchbowl Blog

A few times a day, I get emails from friends or family with something amusing on the web to check out. In a typical day, I don’t have time to check it out immediately, so they usually languish in my inbox for a few days. My sister-in-law (Agee) recently sent me something that quickly ended up at the bottom on my inbox for more than a week. Boy, I wish I had seen this earlier!

I’m currently learning how to play guitar, and Agee was my first teacher. Over the holidays (which my wife and I spent in Santa Cruz) Agee showed me some basic chords and I picked it up pretty quickly. I told her that my goal was to be able to sit around a campfire and play tunes and have people sing along. I know that lots of pop songs are made up of the same basic chord structure– so I’m hoping to quickly get to the point where it is fun to play.

To hammer home the point, Agee sent me a brilliant video from a guy named Rob Paravonian. I’ve embedded the video below this blog post– and if you’re a musician, a guitar player of any kind, or even just a person who enjoys music — spend five minutes watching this video: it’s freakin hysterical.

I’m excited to see that RobP is coming to Boston on March 15th. I just bought tickets to the show (note to wife: hope we’re available that night!). Rob apparently has some time to kill when he’s on the road as well. Check out his blog for some amusement.

Thanks to Agee for sending me this fantastic video. I’m off to grab my guitar to learn the only 3 chords that matter.

————-

Party Planning and Online Invitations with MyPunchbowl

This morning here in Natick, Massachusetts we are all celebrating a World Series Championship for our Boston Red Sox.

I recall an email I sent to a few friends and family right after the 2004 World Series ended. It went something like this: “I grew up a Mets fan, and although I’ve been following the Red Sox this year, while I watched the celebration tonight I realized that I didn’t feel the utter sense of joy like so many of the fans. I hadn’t suffered for 86 years — in fact, I was on the winning end of the World Series in 1986. So I’m happy for the Red Sox and all of the fans, but I realize that this championship is for all of the fans that have suffered for so long. I hope I get a chance to really celebrate a Red Sox World Series Championship in the future.”

During the celebration last night, one of the Red Sox owners proclaimed that “the 2004 championship was for our grandparents and parents and all of the people who had suffered for years. This championship is for the new generation of Red Sox fans.” That’s exactly how I feel. And it feels great to be able to revel in this World Series win.

As I’ve read blogs this morning, I’ve noticed how many people in the Boston tech community are celebrating on their blogs: Mike Hirshland, Dharmesh (as he writes a must-read article on why you should not re-write your software), and David at 93South.

For all of those who suffered for years, I’m excited to join you this time around. This championship is for me too.

I didn’t grow up a Red Sox fan, but I’ve cheered for them as my American League team for a few years now. When they won in 2004, I hadn’t suffered for 86 years like the rest of the fans — so I didn’t feel as connected to the win as others around me.

This year has been a different story. With characters like Big Papi, Papelbon and Manny along with their young talent of Youkilis and Pedroia, how could you NOT like this team?

I was at Game 6 last night. What a scene.

I watched every pitch of Game 7 tonight. What a game. The Red Sox won because they stayed relaxed with that “who cares?” Manny Ramirez attitude. This is a true team in every sense of the word. It’s fun to watch.

Bring on the Rockies!

          Before                           After

Well, it’s that time of year….again. The leaves are at their peak, baseball playoffs are in full swing, and I’m another year older.

Naturally, the first thing I did this morning was to head over to google and search for “Happy Birthday to me.” Apparently there is some horror movie from 1981 with that title. Interesting. Next, I looked for people who share my birthday. Let’s see, Eleanor Roosevelt, Steve Young, Darryl Hall, Michelle Wie, and whole bunch of other people. (Note to self: start a social network for people who share the same birthday. The world needs another social network).

It’s cloudy and rainy out, and if I remember correctly it’s almost identical weather to last year on October 11. This must be a sign of luck. Yes, a cloudy day means that the next year will be full of sunny days.  I just know it.

I’m hopeful my birthday will be a quiet and relaxing day. We’ve had some hard-core brainstorming sessions over the last few days here at Punchbowl HQ and I could use a less intense day. My wife and I are headed out to a nice dinner tonight, that should be fun.

My good friend Dan just called to inform me that my life is most definitely 1/3 over. That’s something. This reminds me that my buddy Dave will likely call later to tell me not to think that way. He’ll tell me that my life could be 99% over and I just don’t know it. Good friends.

Another year older — but you’ve had a pretty good year old chap. In this next year remember to try to live each day as if it is your last, enjoy the sunny days, and surround yourself with great friends and a caring family. Happy Birthday to me.

A few of my faithful blog readers noticed that I was radio silent last week (thanks for the emails!). Well, the reality is that I was about a million miles from any computer, website, or startup thought. That’s right, my wife and I took a much-needed vacation.

Those who have worked with me know that I’m a pretty intense guy. I work very hard to achieve goals and set milestones that are challenging to reach. I push myself to the point of obsession, and I’m not satisfied unless I feel like I’ve given it my all. I typically work 6 days a week, 12-14 hours a day and after several months of this I start to feel pretty burnt out. That’s when I know I need a vacation.

When I go on a vacation, I make sure that I am completely unplugged. I try to pick a place where my cell phone is out of range (it’s getting much harder these days), and I don’t have access to email (or any computer for that matter). This time, we didn’t even have access to a landline phone, and it felt great. Brad Feld wrote an great blog post a while back about how he unplugs once every quarter. Fred Wilson noted the merits of Brad’s approach, even though he’s online during his time off. My approach is even more extreme than Brad’s approach: I’m completely unplugged and unavailable for any work-related issues.

If there’s a family emergency, I can be reached. But for anything work related, I’m not available. Some of you are probably reading this and thinking, “what about the business?” or “what if there’s an important business decision to be made?” Here’s the reality: if you’re that important, then you are probably not building a solid business. As much as I like to think that I’m critical to the success of Punchbowl.com, I also know that I’m surrounded by a team of really great people. Any business issue can be handled by my co-founder Sean, and any technical issue by Gerard. I’m only gone a week; they can move the business forward. Michael Feinstein wrote a great piece about this recently: A good leader can take a vacation. I agree wholeheartedly.

I usually spend the first several days of my vacation trying to clear my head of any business thoughts. I try to deeply relax, sleep late, eat slowly, drink a few too many beers (did someone say “tequila”?), and notice all of the small things about life. If things go well, by mid-week my head is clear, and I spend an hour or so jotting some thoughts down about the business. In the last few days of my vacation, I spent a few hours each day thinking about how the business has progressed to date, and where we’re going from here. I’m able to think about aspects of the business that I rarely get to think about– and brainstorm about ideas that have been on the backburner for too long. I come back with fresh ideas to bounce off the team, and feel ready to take on the next set of challenges.

I’m a Type A personality (yes, I’m the guy who hits the elevator button three times). I need vacations a few times a year to reset my brain and give me perspective. Because of my time off, I’m more equipped than ever to lead the great team at Punchbowl Software. I can’t tell you how calm, cool, and collected I feel today– I’ve been more effective than ever and I’m able to focus on the things that really matter.

If you’re the founder of a startup who feels like you are on the road to burnout or can’t seem to shake the “I have so many things to do” feeling, then take it from me: take a vacation, unplug completely and you’ll regain perspective. It’s a great feeling.

Today is my wife’s birthday– and I have an idea….

My wife (Jessica) has been the most supportive person throughout the entire life of this startup. She’s seen MyPunchbowl.com grow from an idea on paper, to some Powerpoint slides, to a full-blown business. But as the wife of a startup guy, I’ve seen how much she’s given in the process.

Jess has been patient as the lines between home and work have blurred, and through countless weekends while I’ve worked. She understands more than anyone that getting a startup off the ground can take over your life, and it’s not a 9-5 job.

Starting a company is filled with ups and downs. Jess has been my rock, carefully helping me examine tough situations, giving me candid feedback, and never giving up hope even when things looked bleak. She’s taken a huge leap of faith with me– not just emotionally and spirtually, but also financially as well.

If you are a startup person and have a significant other in your life, I hope that you can imagine yourself writing this post.  Behind every good startup person, there is some steadying force. Who’s your rock?

So here’s my crazy idea: wish my wife a happy birthday. How? Just send an email to mypunchbowl@gmail.com,  and I’ll pass it along. Who knows? Maybe this blog post will end up on Reddit or Digg… (or even Fark!). Can you imagine the look on her face if birthday wish emails stream in all day?

I hope you’ll take a moment and send her a note. Maybe you empathize with being the spouse of a startup or maybe you have a suggestion of how to deal with the startup life? Anyone care to offer a birthday haiku? I’ll post the best submissions on the MyPunchbowl blog.

Let’s give her a birthday to remember! Email Jess at mypunchbowl@gmail.com.

I just flipped on the TV in time to see Barry Bonds hit home run number 756*.

Regardless of how you feel about Barry Bonds or the home run record, I hope most people who saw this accomplishment had the same reaction that I had when he took himself out of the game. Oh come on. You’re 3 for 3 on the night (single, double, homerun) and every move you make you get a standing ovation. You can’t play another inning or two? And yes, I know there is little to no chance that he would have actually hit for the cycle, but it would have been fun to see him try.

On a positive note, I was happy to see the video message from Hank Aaron. That’s all class. We should all strive to know when to just do what is best for the greater good. Hammerin Hank did the right thing. It was a big win for Major League Baseball (hats off to Bud Selig).

Oh, and did you see who got ball number 756? A Mets fan. I love it!

It’s time for me to admit it. I love trains. No, I’m not one of those “train collectors,” but I think the train is the best way to travel.

I’m currently sitting on the Amtrack Acela service from New York’s Penn Station to Boston. I left (early) this morning from Boston for all day meetings in New York. Here’s the situation: we’re traveling at around 100mph, I’ve got a beautiful view of the sunset over the harbor. I’m sitting in a comfortable seat (even more comfortable than my office chair!). I’ve got two seats to myself with a solid tray for my computer (this is not like one of those flimsy ones you get on the plane). I’m connected to the office/email etc through my Sprint broadband connection. Plus, I’m sitting in the quiet car– the only sound I hear is the tapping of my fingers on the keyboard. This is definitely the best way to travel.

A few minutes ago I realized that I’d handled all of the open issues in my inbox. Not only am I comfortable, but I’m productive. I’ll get home by 10pm– getting to my car will take 5 minutes from the moment I get off the train and it’s about a 30 minute ride home. As a startup guy, this kind of travel experience is priceless. Not only am I all caught up with the most pressing issues of the day, but I’m relaxed enough to spend a little quality time with my wife this evening.

Yes– sometimes the trains are delayed (ehhhmmm…like this morning). But give me the nicest car in the world or a first class seat on a 767 and I’ll be happier on a train any day.

“New Haven’s the next stop! All aboard!”

Frequent readers of this blog will know that in late June I wrote a personal story about my neighbor Robert. He was in a horrible bike accident, and I felt connected to his story. He just happened to be the unlucky one that day.

Today has been the day I’ve been waiting for– I shook his hand and said hello. Robert is home and doing very well. After 9 days in a medically induced coma, Robert awoke and has slowly been regaining his old self. I’m no doctor, but brain trauma injuries often end up with horrible consequences. I can’t tell you how good it felt to talk to him, shake his hand, and to hear that he’s retained all of his memories. He remembers us talking about the dangers of that route just days before his accident. And he was impressed at how much our lawn has grown since he’s been away. (For the curious among us: no, he doesn’t remember the accident).

Robert is inspiring. Only one month after the accident, he’s (almost) back to his old self. He’s taking care of his trees and once again working on having the best lawn on the block. I’ve resumed calling him “Ned Flanders.” Feels really good.

Robert has helped remind me of the things that truly matter– just to see him on his two feet is an inspiration.

Robert’s got a long way to go, but what a long way he’s already come. Some stories really do have a happy ending.