If you know me, you know that I am a massive fan of Formula One, ever since I could stand. I remember getting up as a kid at random times just to watch the races on the Speed Channel (old school). Sure, the cars are fast and there is an amazing amount of engineering that we see in our everyday lives years later. But what has always fascinated me the most was the team aspect; how each team was able to create something from scratch and perform at the highest level while coordinating a massive organization (usually around 1000 people) to race all around the world in often brutal conditions. Much like the creative process, innovation is born out of constraint. I had posters of F1 drivers on my walls and thought, maybe one day, I could be in a similar position. The driver was the person that helped show the collective work of all the different departments of the organization and operate the vehicle in a way that it could win championships and achieve the unthinkable. But some of the best drivers often fell short of their aspirations because, while they were talented, it took an equally high level of talent across the engineering, pit crew, strategy, and even accounting. And so for the past couple of months, as mentioned in my previous post, I've been spending a lot of time in the garden with my thoughts with the uncertainty of the new direction of my career. On one hand, I still crave that entrepreneurial spirit, pressure, and constraint as I always want to continue to push the bounds of what is possible. On the other hand, early stage startups come with their own set of challenges that I have found, at least at this moment in life, are not my focus.
Remember when I mentioned that I would just let things happen? Well, it was incredibly uncomfortable but oddly effective. During my gardening time, I found it a great opportunity to catch up with friends, mentors, and those that I had not spoken to in quite some time. I think simply connecting with others can provide so much insight into ourselves that it is something that I plan to do a lot more often, regardless of how busy I become. But one conversation really took me by surprise. I've mentioned before how everybody needs an "Andy." If you missed this, go read the post about Andy. Andy introduced me to somebody quite a few years ago who has become a mentor and a dear friend. We would have conversations on some of my long drives and talk about human existence, managing the entrepreneurial journey, and ways that we can see impacting the world. Throughout GOAT, his insight, advice, and mentorship was invaluable. However, the last time we had spoken there was some pretty significant momentum at GOAT that had since evaporated. So, naturally, it was time for a catch up call. As I moved wheelbarrows of yard waste from one side of the yard to the other, we had this amazing conversation about the transition that I was experiencing. Then, the question that many had asked me came, "What are you going to do next?" My first instinct and knee jerk reaction was to already have a plan because I never wanted to be caught without a plan. However, given our relationship and this new thing I was trying in just going with the flow, I answered with, "To be honest, I am not really sure." I explained the new path I was taking it seeing where life leads and that I wanted to work on something that I was passionate about, with truly outstanding people, and to develop myself as a person. Without hesitation, I hear, "Well bro, why don't you come over here?" It was a turning point and I can't forget the feeling of that moment, where I was standing, and the honest unexpected words that I had just heard. It wasn't the fact that it could possibly be a position at a company, but that it could be working alongside somebody that I deeply respect. I didn't know how I would fit into the organization. Building the future of energy was something that I thought was incredibly awesome and passionate about but, in all honesty, I thought they had stuff pretty dialed and didn't need my skillset at all. But we began to discuss how the organization is doing record numbers, looking to expand, and that having my skillset in the organization can add something to the team that could help elevate the brand within the market and help in the expansion to new markets. We ended the call in what I think is the best way anybody can end a big potential decision, let it marinate and think about it and we would chat again to see if it was a good fit. Over the next month or so, we discussed what integration could look like, I met more of the team on a deeper level, and a flurry of ideas began to fill my mind about the possibilities. I felt the creative energy flowing and a renewed energy that I hadn't felt in years. We decided to make it official. It was my F1 driver moment.
When a driver joins a new team, there is a period of learning the new race team culture, getting to know the core team such as the race engineer, and learning about the car for the upcoming year. Basically, it is a lot of information, preparation, training, and remaining open. There is a sense of newness that comes from all sides that is also a tremendous opportunity to create a wave of energy throughout an entire team that can build momentum into the next chapter as the pursuit of success continues to the next peak. One thing I haven't talked about yet is what the organization is, what is my position, and what do I actually do now?
I'm now the Brand Manager for Mynt Systems. We are an organization that is building the future of energy. Seems pretty broad, which it can be, but it turns out that energy is an incredibly complex industry and we are tackling every part of it methodically. The history of the business has been retrofitting midsize commercial real estate buildings, often times HUGE users of energy and producers of waste into efficient, sustainable, and future-proofed buildings that leverage solar, battery systems, and thoughtful deployment and storage of energy to optimize output, minimize footprint, and maximize profitability. While that is still core to what we do, we are also becoming a leader in electric infrastructure such as EV charging networks and even partnering with some of the largest organizations on the planet to look at real estate and energy as an asset that works together, not at odds with one another. Essentially, I'm responsible for taking what we are doing and creating cohesive brand, strategy, and content to support the incredible work that we are doing. Energy is at an inflection point that probably hasn't been seen since the industrial revolution. My dream was to always work on the cutting edge of innovation and to use my creative mind in a way where I can make an impact on the world around me. But I couldn't have predicted this path, nor do I think it would have been helpful to know what the future held. Every experience that I have had, especially the hard ones and the massive growth I experienced running GOAT, prepared me for this next chapter. And man, is it going to be a good one.
I feel very grounded in how I go about my work, my life, and I am always pursuing balance. That being said, I absolutely love what I do as a career and try to spend as much of my spare time outside of this helping other organizations with their creative strategy. Most think that it would deplete my energy, but it oddly has added even more energy to me. I used to be the type to get up at 7:30ish and stay up pretty late. But in order to juggle it all, I'm now the 4:30am kind of person who goes to bed earlier. I still get adequate sleep, spend time with family, and even find time to still exercise (as you know I love to do). The packed schedule has cut out all distractions, has encouraged me to be even more present, and I am finding that I have never been in a better mindset while producing more and better work than ever before. I'll still be writing as often as I can and sharing the lessons that I learn along the way. But, to be honest, my plate is pretty full at the moment. My writing has and always will be about reflection. But reflection comes from experiences that are equally as important to the story of life. And I never want to miss any of those moments. I don't talk about it much but I never captured my life because I was so busy capturing everybody else. For the past few years, I have begun to capture my life much more and cut something together, just for me and the family, using my years of practice at this craft. If I have been honing this skill for so long, why not capture it for what matters the most? So while I will still be doing that, and it is the priority, I may also begin to document the journey and release a series of videos, without any type of expected frequency, to give you a peek into the behind the scenes of building this new chapter of a career.
Alright, back to creating. ✌️
PS. Thank you to everybody who has always believed in me, supported me, and helped me grow. You know who you are.