Did my first podcast in a bit!
I speak about the different paths we can take in our lives, the fulfillment that comes from loving what we do, and loving the process regardless of the outcome. I also give an update on Speak and share some reasons why we have been successful with early pitches and fundraising efforts.
Link to iTunes Podcast: Speak With Tyler Bryden
Transcript (Unedited)
Hello everyone, it is to ride in here it’s been again. Every time I do one of these. I say it’s been a bit and I tell myself and I probably say that I’m going to be back here soon.
Now I’ve let you, let myself down. But I’m here. I’m ready to go and I’m ready to talk. You know, I try my best. I think again. This is one of those things where you need to have force of habit.
You need to will yourself into doing it and creating content struggle with this continuously.
I think again, it always comes back to at all. A couple reasons that I think people are obviously busy. I think that’s why a lot of people sort of shy away from content creation.
It takes a lot of mental capacity in Enerji to even try to do a half decent job at it.
Not for myself and I think for many other people just like what do we have to say? And you know as I’ve gotten older. I’ve really starting to realize again. Like many of us do it just how important and crucial time is. And so a lot of times you do try to be. Concerned inconsiderate of that. And sometimes if I just feel like I was sharing things that you know are so mundane or so.
You know unspecial in this world where there are so many beautiful and special things that.
Sometimes it’s possibly not we’re sharing. And you know, definitely I feel that there are many people who don’t share that same sentiment or many of us are sharing really, really everything, including all those mundane things and in many ways that I believe actually builds a strong relationship and.
And maybe the you know the mundane part of human life is something that bonds us, especially with you know, people that were following or look up to her admire. But in my case here I just don’t always have a lot to say don’t get access to all the time and space to feel like you have.
You know the ability to do it and you know a nice job recording high-quality audio but also just having the capacity to sit there and think and really focus while you’re doing this. And luckily I have an opportunity like that today. It is you know just something I can’t not say, It’s 4:20 here in Canada.
So happy holidays to all my 420 years in Canada. It’s a legal celebration this year. And I think that’s really exciting for a lot of people and you know there has been.
You know, so much hype and Fallouts and challenges, but you know also wins all throughout this process of legalization here in Canada and specifically us here in Ontario for seen quite the rollout.
And lots of back and forth between people and trying to judge how that rollout went.
I myself not too sure I think there is obviously a significant amount of people on the black market here and that’s something that seems to be echoed in the statistical studies that are being passed around. And I think that makes a lot of sense. People are boiling it down to several reasons. I think it is you know price, there is a lot of a position in pricing that the black market is doing especially some of these delivery services.
Convenience I would say even plays a factor into that. Apparently, the quality the marijuana from especially in the Ontario Cannabis Store store and a lot of these.
I don’t know government system is an LP’s or not of high quality, especially as they can’t really meet the demand right now and I don’t know if that is just leaving them to having low-quality products.
A lot of people are sort of disappointed with the amount of packaging actually associated with them. So I don’t know I mean. That seems like a small issue. But it could contribute and I don’t know, do people just not trust the government II don’t know why you know they still you know, I think those are pretty good reasons why the black market is still so existent.
But there are just some underlying features there and I think more of a psychological site of people too or just not that trustworthy of government operations and actually prefer to operate outside the system in that black market.
So what do I wanna talk about today? I guess actually tonight. It’s coming to a late night and as you know anyone who probably listens to any of these in the past, has noticed, it usually when my wonderful girlfriend Robyn is gone somewhere III’m at home here. Let me know what my home story studio here now tonight and take the opportunity for where I have some silence and, you know, try to print it into productive capacity and you know, I think. I may be told this story before, but I had a good friend who I admire very much. You always sort of broke it down to 2 things for me and that was create, your other creating or you’re consuming.
And a lot of times, especially on nights like this, I’ll find myself consuming be doing a lot of reading and watching videos or podcasts or things like that, and sometimes I think it’s just necessary for people to actually create. And so that’s what I’m trying to do today. I’ve been just you know also just I think semi-inspired by a lot of things.
Lately, some of those just some you know podcast. I’ve enjoyed myself and you know if and I’m not too deep into the podcast game really all I’d get my fixes from you know, Joe Rogan. I really like Aubrey Marcus. And so they actually had an episode here together, so that was really nice. Michael Pollan was also on Aubrey Marcus so some really interesting podcast lately. You know as I’ve shared before as well, I get my kicks out of audiobooks and you know really. You know see, Audible an Amazon product there as gods godsend almost than that. You know, no one likes to say that to a corporate entity. I guess but to me man that that that application and that subscription has paid off so many times over and I’m listening to just a fantastic book right now called Laws of Human Nature. And that’s actually by Robert Greene, who broke the 48 Laws of power. And so you know that book was that book is actually had quite an impact on you know on the world in the way from the II don’t know. I think it was a pretty popular book but you know what? What what I’ve sort of continually seen as I’ve you know, I read that book and then just explored what people were saying about that.
You know there’s a lot of hip hop stars like Jay-Z and Oz and all these people from you know from the early 90s and stuff, and there are all these people who just have contributed. Some of their knowledge and success in the way they maneuvered through this world to that 48 Laws of Power book I read that I think last year.
Fantastic book and you know get some criticism for almost giving you a path of manipulation to the top of the power hierarchy in this world.
And so be some people like that, you know didn’t like that was very interesting and you know a lot of it about psychology and humans.
And this book here laws of human nature goes. I would say even more deeply into that looking at different kinds of people narcissists or different kind of courtiers.
When people were more when courting someone different kinds of quarters who are they broken down into sort of Archetypes and then explore did you know, even showing sort of how to? How to read and know how to? I understand and deal with them if you’re facing those kinds of Archetypes. I just feel like when you get to consume. Some really good content like that, and you know, I would even say as we continue to work on the Speak project here just getting some inspiration from seeing updates and progress with at work.
And so it makes you makes you want to create a little bit again. And so again. I wanted to take this time here tonight to actually create instead of consume.
In many cases when I do that. You know you, you feel that that reward in the end and that reward is, as many things and one thing I’ve continued to to focus on lately well, while considering this and I think even contributes to some of the pauses is in the creation for myself and for many people is just the lack of maybe feedback the lack of people listening or you know the views or the people commenting engaging with kind of content that you’re creating and so, if you’re printing. A lot of work and not not necessarily then you know something like this is a lot of work.
I’m lucky to have a good technical sound system setup and be able to do at least a decent quality broadcast without too much work. But it’s still a commitment of time and. And a lot of people are trying to build something for themselves, but also understand the practicality of the real world that we are in. And so you know when you’re creating content and you know, so many people are so passionate about podcasting long-form content right now. You put the time and you put the effort in and you don’t get the feedback, you don’t get the comments, you don’t get the likes and I think that can lead to a lot of people to don’t want to continue because in some ways, you know podcast seems to be a really direct. In a good way to sort of connect with the tribe and I think that’s really important but when you put that work in and you put that time and you don’t get that connection, it can lead to a pretty pretty pretty disappointing outcome for you.
And so in that case, a lot of people actually. Sort of stop broadcasting stop doing it. Especially in you know in the state of comparison. We’re looking around at people who are getting the attention and getting that traffic and engagement that that that maybe you want. So II think I get caught up in that sometimes I like you know, I’m doing this? Why am I doing this, if no one’s really listening or you know if. If you know if they are less thing that they’re not going to comment engage anyways.
I think that. You know in this recent times. Have continued to sort of spot in just sort of great people, that I sort of follow is this idea of just trusting and loving the process.
And you hear variations of this, you know it’s not what is it the not about the? What is not about the reward? It’s about the journey? Whatever all those sorts of sentiments right like the people who seem to be, not even people who seem to be successful as people who seem to be fulfilled seem to love what they’re doing, and trust the process and just love the opportunity to be able to build or design or create or do whatever they do, and the people who do that don’t suffer because they love that part so much and so they’re not as concentrated on the outcome or the reward.
I think that’s a really, really. Important thing to think about it, something that. I try to build in my life and when it’s too focused on metrics or too focused on outcomes in that regards. Then, I know I might be sort of leading astray. And, that’s not to say it’s not important to have metrics it’s important to have things to track that that I know I considered very, very important? And you know, I’ve really built my life around metrics and data and outcomes of did this worker did this, not, and having to be able to show that. And so I you know, I’m advocating for both sides here. There needs to be a focus on the outcome if you do want an outcome but. What really matters is do you love the process of building or creating whatever it is to get to that outcome and whether that’s your entrepreneur in a startup, you’re a musician trying to make your first album. you’re an artist trying to become a great artist and sell your paintings.
All those things. You want that outcome in the end, but you don’t love the process that’s going to get you there. Is really no really I mean? Not that there’s no point but you’re going to suffer along the way and you know, there are different kinds of suffering people who are suffering. You know intentionally because. They love the process so much that they know. We hope the outcome is going to come, but then there are the people who are suffering. Who are only suffering because they think they’re going to get that outcome? And I think that’s a big nuance I think I’ve been on both sides of that.
I don’t really know where I would even say I said, now I think. I like many people were multi-capacity. We have a multi-capacity. I want to basically build the things that I want I think that I’ve identified some places of value and an opportunity to build things that could actually help people and I would like to do that. But at the same time, I, of course, have to be practical. I need to focus on the metrics that are going to get me there and whether that’s revenue per month, the number of leads lead client recurring revenue profit margin whatever those things are to get me to the outcome, which is what is that outcome.
No. You know that outcome changes for so many people for myself that outcome can be a mix of several things are normal for most people what they want they want some stuff about stability. Security. You know, obviously with that comes capital and in this capitalist system, you know it would be nice to have a significant amount of capital to not for myself, not to really even keep all for myself, but to have the ability to comfortably and securely be able to continue build and create the things that I want to build. And you know without significant amount.
Sharing that. Quite generously with the people who are doing that. And. You know really you know, I question why. Now, why, why would I do something different if this is the life that we get, and really only get one. Then, why, why want at least find something that you know that you love the process. And you know, I think that can make life really enjoyable and I get caught up in like we all do it.=So I do get caught up in those metrics and right now there’s a big investment period and you know, I’ve raised a little bit of funding. In some grants for this project among but that’s a lot of it’s based off reimbursement so for example, I have to spend the money up front before I get that money back, and so there are all these kinds of stresses that go along with investing and trying to grow.
What you’re doing, whatever that is, and again. If that’s startup entrepreneur. If that artist whatever situation that is, you’re taking a risk doing what you’re doing. But we need people like you and you know if you’re out there and you’re grinding and you’re trying to grow and develop and invest in something that you believe in. We need people like you. So, stick with those things that you love the process. You know one thing that I will say in my own life, I’ve been in that process for quite a while now. And I think that’s something that’s really interesting and I think that I’m going to take you to go down this thought process and hopefully this will parallel maybe some things in your own life.
But when I look back. At everything that I’m doing right now, I can trace. You know almost significant events, a lineage even some even I would say almost like environmental and genetic things that have contributed to who I am today and where I am today and then the things I’m working on which you know, luckily. I actually do enjoy that I love and I love that process and so you know.
I this sort of joke that I tell. If someone asks you why advertising and digital marketing at all. This stuff and it’s ’cause I loved this movie. How to lose a guy in 10 days at Matthew Mcconaughy and Kate Hudson and it was just as hilarious movie and he was in advertising, but I think it was an advertising executive in that movie. But something about seeing that and you could see that movie him working on you know the whole movies working through these drafts of these big projects that is doing and they’re all conceptual and arts and everything is driven. Shows the processes at him developing that and so when I look back. Let’s just a small movie and invent but it’s something that I remember from my early childhood that shows open my eyes up to what advertising was cool.
It was you know what Matthew going. He was doing it. Moving the opportunities that gave you the cities that you live in an obviously Kate Hudson, beautiful women and all these things that came with that. And you can take you know, small significant events like a small big or significant events like that trace them all throughout your life childhood and you know, I’m trying to think of another one like. When I look at. What I was doing in school and when am I going through Western University here. It was the selections of the courses that I took you know looking back at that and I have lots of range in elective courses that I could take throughout my program and the ones that I chose to choose to do. We’re all seem to line up with you know for saying digital marketing or technology or things like that and so I guess what I’m trying to get to is if you’re trying to understand why you’re working on what you’re working on or trying to understand what your passion is or that process that you should choose to, not sure exactly how it got on this tangent but this, idea of loving the process.
If you are trying to discover that you can look back and sort of trace all those insignificant events or just interest in your life or things that made you feel little special or excited you a bit more than other things if you look back and you trace all those things I think you can really find a core or foundational element of yourself that shows the process that you will love and that you can undertake and sort of happily undertake without having to be only tied to the metrics. They go along with that. Work that you do.
And so by choosing something that you love the process. And this is. You know always, I think what you hope and in myself. I’m telling myself as well, too. If you trust the process if you do what you love you, work hard at it, when you love something and you work hard at it seems like you can. Pearson there’s such a path of least resistance. That may be the sacrifices that you’re making in the short term, pan out in the long term. But not even that because again that gets back to that metric focus thing. But that process in between. Will be more enjoyable even if you don’t get say the same metrics that you would hit in the alternate life so say you don’t make as much money in your life being an artist. But every day you got to paint, work on beautiful things you got to meet other artists. You got to sell some of your paintings and had amazing rewards throughout doing that process.
You know it would that be a more positive life then. And maybe you won’t make the money than say this second life where maybe you go more on that path of practicality. And you maybe make more money than if you do the standard traditional things. But in a lot of cases, we see unfulfillment and unsatisfaction in those and So what is the better path to take these are hard things to question ourselves and especially when there are different options here on that second path. Even though it might not be as fulfilling in a lot of cases that can be more comfortable.
And So what red Lily can be more enjoyable or what’s a better life is it a comfortable life.
Not maybe doing everything, everything you ,ove not feeling I swear filled maybe you can do that as a hobby or something on this side and maybe there is a beautiful balance of this that can be met. Because when you go that other path the more risky maybe path. You have the chance that that outcome isn’t going to happen. And I think anyone who I hope you know that anyone who squid heart. Who works hard who’s smart and does? What they love in does it in an intelligent way? I believe that there’s some outcome along that pathway. That will be good. And I’ve seen that many times, I think there’s so many for example, going back to artists. Artists, who thought they were going to be them You know the best. Most famous artists of this day and maybe that didn’t come out and they didn’t get to sell their paintings on national stage.
But they actually ended up being an art curator for highly revered person or museum organization or something like that and so, although they? Didn’t maybe get the amazing outcome that they originally saw. They exited I guess exited at 75% into a position which is truly, truly beautiful and it was because they explored that part of their life. That process in those things that they love that they actually got to do that whereas.
In many ways, the person who never explored that and took the opportunity to explore those things.
Might not have identify that. Would have had the opportunity to? End up in a position that truly is fulfilling. I don’t know. I don’t know and again, I think it somehow. Hard to give advice when you’re still on that journey yourself in.
It felt like. Felt growing up. And thinking that I’m born in 1992. That advice was given in the. With. The idea in mind that the world was going to stay largely the same.
But you know as many of us have? Apparently seen here, the world is accelerating at quite a significant speed. There is drastic change all the time both culturally politically. Now, with climate change. Environmentally, you know this. So much has changed since I remember growing up and getting advice through movies or television shows, or from parents and it was all this sort of traditional advice that had been passed down since the I don’t know the forties some generation.
And. You know the reason why that device continues get passed around is because. You know it had it had worked in the past, it was all these things you know, we work hard you know whatever. Go to school you work hard get a job by House. You know all those all those things. They were they were true. And yet in in so many ways today, the advice that was so widely. Considered the primary foundational advice to listen to it changed so significantly. And. That’s something that so many of us are are dealing with every single day.
And. You know when I say. You know that that little tangent that I just went on, there that I hope that. You know this trust the process mentality is worth it if whether the outcome comes or whether it’s not really.
I have no idea it’s something I’m theorizing myself and trying to understand and. When were in such time of. Such change some people called chaos. It’s really hard to. Take too much weight and what time? In what I’m thinking or believing or really? What other people are believing and I think that’s something that we continue to see.
is? You know comments and beliefs and people that we used to have a lot of trust and faith in aren’t necessarily taken with as much weight because of how things how quickly things can change. And I. You know, I think there’s a lot of examples of this one that sticks out in my mind right now would.
I’m not important at 6 months ago, maybe longer than that where some of Zuckerberg and some of the Facebook executives appeared in front of the American politicians.
I think it was ascending not sure for the center of the house or both.
But the similar ridiculous questions. We’re getting asked why. When I look at a chocolate bar or talk about chocolate online, though I don’t see chocolate advertisements. You know when this these people asking these questions are supposed to have the most authority in the country and that American country and really be representative of some of the most authority in the world and they’re asking questions that. Any 12 year old are 13 year old who was ever interacted with something online nose and so when things are so radically different from generation to generation and.
So much information things accelerate the cultural mood changes, so quickly and you want to go on the separate tangent but one of the ways that through memes memes have been around so long.
That there is so it’s so easy now to manipulate not manipulate. But change the culture and just you know, either significant or small ways. And I think you know a certain Minecon Minecon. Change host an entire culture’s perspective and. Trying to think of it, you know here’s 1 for example, creepy creepy Joe Biden is running into a lot of trouble lately because this meme that has been spawned from some of these video clips and pictures of his activities alter his political career and that meme because of its shareability because of the different variations of it all expressing the same meaning.
Can be shared so quickly that the cultural? Reference point a cultural perspective can change, so quickly as well, too, and with that, you see an example of an authority figure pulled down so quickly.
And we just didn’t have the capability to do that in the past. It was you know you think of Nixon and you think of Watergate and you think of the process that went into that or do you think of Bill Clinton and you know his demise and sometimes the length and time that went into those? But now with just a quick edit of an image with some words on it or a green screen of something we can tear someone’s reputation down just to continue down that thought you look at the meat to the environment and you know the movement of that not necessarily just means but a quick distribution of information around a certain # or certain pockets like a subreddit or something like that, so quickly. These communication channels have allowed us to radically. Using the word radically again alter. Altered the world, the environment our culture on a day-to-day second, the second basis. And that obviously has a lot of consequences for us living here as as humans day today.
No, I’m coming up on 30 minutes here and I’m sitting here alone on a Friday night. And now in the dark. I’ve actually lightened or not light and I’ve done the opposite of dark and no room that I’m in and so I just have a couple of screens here better nice microphone stand and I wouldn’t even say about a couple of screens. I’ve got 3 screens sort of ridiculous at this point but I am starting to actually question.
Weather having 3 screens is the most productive thing. One of the developers on my team right now set a great point that one day that you know II said doing my love.
Having My 3 screens. I want you. I want 5 more. I wanted many screens as I possibly can. But the focus in a size but I left in the focus that comes along with one screen.
And the resourcefulness that you need to have it’s pretty impressive. Here, I am spread out on 3 screens wanting you know 4 more so I can have one program open on everyone and yet? With the right shortcuts with the right. Work process that could be unnecessary so thanks for that. So, along along with that I guess. Like the cock about just a couple of things that. You know that have been part of my life here lately. Since the last time I’ve done one of these broadcasts and again that has been too long.
It’s been a bit. But I’ve sort of mentioned in the last couple episodes have been working on this project Speak. That has been actually incorporated into a business PKI ink and. It’s been pretty interesting for months here, so first 4 months of 2019. I actually right now incorporated the business January 9th, 2019. With a little bit of superstition there. And just as a note on that number 19 for Steve Eiserman, Steve Yzerman is returning as the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings after Tampa Bay had a horrible falling out after this playoffs here and that’s a really, really exciting thing so side note on that Steve Yzerman. You’re coming home. Looking forward to. I’m hoping a dynasty number 2, here in Detroit wasn’t amazing thing that would actually be. But in that 4 months again, taking that superstition, I put that incorporated that business. And I was lucky enough to get I got $12,000 in funding through the western accelerator program so it’s Canadian dollars.
And was really paid out just once a month do a check so every month, you get that and has allowed me to then put some confidence actually starting the project gave me the ability to hire a developer and this developers names.
Vatsal, who has been an absolute blessing in my life and anyone who wanted to solve a big hairy problem who has some technical ability, but is not. A full stack developer or a big programmer at heart knows how important it is to find someone who you can rely on and count on for the work that you need to do so. That’s Liz have filled that role and been a huge, huge part of some of the success and progress that we’re actually making. Let’s actually continue Dan. With this vessels work we realized we sort of had a gap on some front end design and we needed to get a little bit more support around the development and so I had the opportunity to hire an awesome guy name.
Richard, who’s really worked in some fantastic other companies and brings a wealth of knowledge and his already made an impact, both on the look and feel of the work. We’re doing, but also on the giving us a better process to do that and he’s been really helpful both with the development of our projects.
With the current business SixFive and a lot of the marketing and what we’re doing with a lot of experience with WordPress and sort of lamp stack development. PHP WordPress JavaScript. MySQL, he brings a lot to the table. Lucky enough also to have. So amazing interns who I can’t thank enough for the work that they have done. They come from the MIT program that I did at Western University and you know, I’ve had mixed thoughts on this on this program in my own experience in the program.
But in many cases. I do believe the way that they teach that course in what they focus on and can actually set you up for a lot of success in this ever-changing chaotic world that we’re living in and so the students would come out of this program often.
I find don’t exactly know what to do with their hands their anxious to take this theoretical knowledge that they’ve been given and put it into practical use.
And I’m lucky enough to have gone through that program and understand what some of those.
More theoretical concepts that they learned are and a lot of that program if you’re questioning what MIT is.
It’s not the MIT school that would be nice. It’s weak sort of make the joke crappy MIT and that we look at a lot of critical looks very critically at media information lot of media theory.
Cultural studies sort of information science information. So it’s more of a sociology degree, but a lot of philosophical looks so for example, something like. Michael Foucault looking at gender looking at the male gaze looking at how media impacts.
The culture and how how technology is going to change. As both as humans physiologically, but also psychologically and also culturally and spiritually. And you know by understanding a little bit, acknowledging going through that program, it’s really quite. Easy and wonderful process to take that knowledge and transfer it into the work that we’re doing, and so was lucky enough to have. Intern Ainsley Ainsley and Lexie. Thank you if you ever listen to this, it will guys were absolutely awesome. An contributed to a lot of amazing work and if you ever go and check out anything on speaker.
You can see some of the early sort of social media stuff and some really great blog.
Posts articles on the site. They didn’t awesome job with that and I know those 2 will have a lot of success in the world because not only is there mind sort of prime through theory in school, they just what was awesome is. Internship experience here where they got to learn some really practical stuff and it’s been amazing.
It’s really humbling and rewarding thing to be able to do in to hear one of them, said multiple times that they feel like they’ve learned more in that internship and they learned in their whole University career and.
That’s a sort of blue shot at trying. University of Western and love. You numbers because I think that’s debatably probably not true but that is a really interesting thing here and with some of that experience and if they continue down that practical road and take you know their minds and their ability to write and look at it with data and look at it with metrics and print.
Going back on that marketing side looking more at those outcomes and and trying to build content or do their work around that.
It’s going to set them up for a lot of success and so. You know that has been quite a process working not only with you know really bringing 2 developers and working with them on a pretty substantial basis, but also now with 2 interns. They’re gone now, finishing their last semester here and are sending off but will always sort of.
Continue that relationship and be thankful for the work that they’ve they’ve done and so I can’t be more happy with some of the quality of the students coming out of these programs. And if you are looking on growing something and trying to build a business or company.
I encourage you to actually try to explore that method in process and see if there is a school or University or college or even high school students or anyone.
Nearby, who is willing to volunteer and do an internship for you. Of course, there is the aspect of cases free labor. Of course I give an honorarium and there’s quite a good experience involved in this button.
Pending on what you’re doing. That experience is truly valuable and I wish I had the opportunity to in school or even at a younger age to approach a business owner and understand what the world. They were living. It was like in lucky enough to be able to be very transparent and open with them and I think that’s a really eye opening experience to understand. Little bit more, but the real world and especially from someone who is not that much older. The number that much. Further, along but has obviously had at least a little bit of success to be able to be able to provide this experience for them.
And I guess along with that, so I’ve talked about that, grant from the Western Excellerator. That Western Celery Grant Open me out to actually some more grants and one of those was actually called OC Smartstart and lucky and proud.
I guess to say that we were successful in getting that grant so that was actually a $30,000 grant, which is a little bit bigger. We had to match that so we actually have to spend $30,000. I’ve contributed $12,000 over from that Western Accelerator, which we can apply towards that and so there’s another $18,000, which then needs to be covered by revenue or investment or in kind gifts. I think we’ve got that covered but again, you have to pay that up front and then you get reimbursed but that $30,000 really allows me to.
Put more time and energy into this project. I think it’s starting to become pretty exciting and in some ways to me obvious that this is a path I should at least be exploring.
It could be expensive. Multi year and challenging task and hits a nob spacesmith voice here that is probably going to be very competitive and intense.
But I think I might have. A path here to pull this off successfully from really happy with where we are right now and if I continue building a great team.
Keeping the people who I’m working with right now who are amazing happy. We got a really good shot actually doing something and so we’re trying to explore what that actually looks like.
And I guess just by a couple notes on that on that funding like. That was quite a rigorous application that we actually had to put in there is a lot of commitment that goes in worth reporting to go along with that and again. It’s not like it’s cash up front. You need to have the receipts. You need to show the reimbursements that needed to be made, and so it’s not just a. Now $30,000 in her pocket is actually some work that is required so. With that that total comes to $42,000. That’s in grants so far, it’s been raised for this business. $42,000 can seem like a lot, but when you have talented developers. You’ve got you know an office space. You’ve got software expenses and you’re trying to advertise a business, especially one that is a bit innovative. No. That’s not that much money and so you have to look at what are the options that you have? And you know, there’s couple couple of choices here 11 of them You know is obviously bootstrapping.
I think there is absolutely something beautiful with bootstrapping in many ways. I’ve sort of done that with 65. I’ve and I’m doing with speak raising grants where I can get them but not really taking on a venture investor an Angel investor and then trying to get clients or revenue. To actually build that up yourself and maybe that slows down the process and a little bit more.
But you get to keep more control and maybe in several ways of Validating and built maybe a stronger.
Business I put a question mark at the end of that ’cause I’m not necessarily sure if that’s true.
You know the Their options. Many of them many people would look at. Ranging raising capital from Angel investors that something that. Is I think sort of considerable? And something that I’ve considered. Because a lot of these want to return from the work that they’re doing, but they aren’t focused on the same returns at now cool. Venture capitalist is seeking who’s looking for you know if you’re going down the venture capital, were out looking for and this is maybe I shouldn’t taste. I shouldn’t generalize across everything here, but generally this is the experience that. You know iPad from who I’ve met I’ve had from people who have had successfully raised money who are in venture capital all these pieces.
They’re looking for a 10 or more times return. And a lot of times the only way you can actually accomplish that is by going public or doing you know pretty massive acquisition.
And with that comes a pretty intense pressure and scrutiny because many of these cases again that could be a large investment.
And if you know, an with that becomes a lot of times the lack of you know, maybe a lack of control and so, if something is not going well. You could actually be thrown off thrown out of your own company for example, so there’s a lot of. How many years you can take bootstrapping Angel investing other investing with loans there’s traditional kinds of of in financing there’s friends and families so many different ways that you can actually start a business and. In many cases. It’s really easy for a business to fail. It’s really easy for the business that I’m working on here right now to fail because.
Again, there is a lot more expenses along with it with 65. I could keep really low overhead. I could return to whatever thousand Bucks, a month for managing Google ads or something and. With under 10 clients. I’m quite making quite happy living by myself or whatever that looks like.
With this you know. I have the investment that’s getting reimbursement. I’ve got some money that I’ve had built up through 65 and as part of the cash flow there, which I’m contributing and then other parts is like I need to rely on either getting more investment.
I need to rely on lines of credit or I need to figure out other avenues.
Whether that’s revenue grants or investment to continue this going. And so when I look at that again. We talk about that at the sort of some point in this ramble on that.
I’m going on is loving the process that I’m in right now, but I also have to be very aware and cognizant of the outcome that I’m focused on because if I can’t hit outcomes and whether that’s again revenue work grants or investment made. I am no longer able to continue the process that and I love that process so much.
I want to continue on that and I think. You know in my heart in my guts, but also analytically if I continue on the process. I’m going to deliver something of value for somebody here that’s worth some money. And so How do I get there? How do you get there many people have been in the same sort of situation.
It’s really interesting to try to understand how they want about that where they were successful where they weren’t and continually.
I’m lucky enough and privileged enough to be able to connect with people and build a network of people who are on somewhere pass of myself and many of them.
I love very much. I respect very much and have had some success or had some failure that are very open and transparent with those.
I’ve had some friends, who have raised money and quite a significant amount of money.
So I can actually go and use them as a resource is to try to understand how they did it and the thought process that they went through and.
I don’t know the path that I want to take and again in my mind, maybe bootstrapping in building this and finding an enterprise client, who loves what we’re doing in wants to invest in US, maybe that can supplant. The you know the cash flow don’t need the. The. The this to breed actually build what we’re working on and I truly hope that we can get there with that, but in some cases. We might not be able to for example, get the platform to where we want it to be for them to be willing to pay for it.
Before we run out of money or something you know what I mean, like there’s all these things that you have to navigate through one again and those are some of those are just.
Those are a lot of times the reasons that the business fails, not necessarily that’s a bad product or a bad idea or bad service. And so I’m trying to navigate through that one thing that I’ve been very transparent with myself.
I’ve I’ve somehow in the last several years. I’m almost 4 years. Sort of by myself full time as a nerd with 65 and now speak here continued.
I’ve been OK, I’m sort of moving along with my gut and charging people what I think is right, and trying to do my best to make estimates. But now I’m in a space where. Those decisions can have a lot bigger consequences and you know, I’m now paying developers and other people and taking risks that are larger than what I’ve done in the past and so I’m trying to put a better focus on accounting on budgeting and forecasting on charging. All these things where I’ve been able to sort of get along at 65 doing that and printing extra time and effort in.
To make up a 5 misquoted something or whatever that’s been. But we speak for example, if I price something wrong or at time, lots wrong or I don’t deliver for potential potential customer. Not that game can be over really quick and so I don’t want that to happen.
I’m having a lot of fun and I think we are creating something of value.
And I don’t know if you feel that way. Maybe that is the time you take that path and you take that risk in and you take take the process.
Now. If any of you are interested II guess just a couple thoughts on why I actually.
We were successful with raising that funding. One of them was a written so for accelerators $12,000 that was a written application and then do it in person pitch.
And then the smart start you had to be referred by no organization like that western accelerator to be sort of eligible.
And then once you are there was a pretty substantial written application with a lot basically almost almost a business plan basically and a lot of milestones and budgets.
And that was pretty substantial so. Throat that process I think. There was a really big focus by myself. On trying to Take some were working on technology speech to text natural language processing sentiment analysis machine learning artificial intelligence.
All that stuff blah blah. That’s great. But that doesn’t necessarily connect with. People that you’re pitching 2 and a lot of times you know part of this process that I’m working on with speak is understanding that when we try to go with the buzzwords or these big intelligent words were alienating a lot of times the audience that were dealing with, and not only because maybe they don’t know the words. But it also be comes across as arrogant and you’re showing an inability to want to try to connect with them because we’re using jargon using words that they don’t use in their day-to-day business just to try to show off. And so I think taking what we’re doing, and trying to distill it’s very simple and clearly. For that Smart start application for $30,000. I had the app application written. They broken down almost every feature Speaker Identification speech to text. You can export to PDF you can all these features that were capable of doing.
And I thought wow. This is really well laid out and is understandable, but then I was like it’s not enough, though. What else can I do and what I did was insert screenshots of every single one of those features and so not only did they get the description of it? Which was I think already quite clear and well laid out. They also got an image of it and so. I think part of the success wrote that whole process and I guess that’s been sort of 6 months.
Very focused communication. Making sure that. It’s articulate and intellectual but distilled down to a very. Understandable and digestible way an thinking I don’t want to talk at a grade 12 level or University level.
I want to go to a great a level and so can I take? You know, we Use. You know, we use multiple machine learning methods to analyze audio video and text for you know, emotional qualities, etc section. No, it’s. It’s we want to analyse audio and video in text so we can understand tone personality in clarity.
You know the difference, there, not still not the best is pretty significant so I’ve been there in my past using jargon to try to explain what I’m working on and realizing that does not get across and it only creates friction and conflict for the people who are trying to understand you so don’t do that, if you’re trying to apply for any of these. Applications these programs are trying to raise funding. Yes, there’s going to be opportunities for you to deal with very technical. People were specific to what you’re working on who want to. You know nerd out on the jargon with you, but in most cases, you’re not going to and so just put that stuff to the side and focus on how can I articulate? What we’re working on the value proposition the benefits of what we’re doing? And how we’re going to do it very, very clearly. And I would say that doesn’t just go along with the. Communication and your pitch deck or your pets your presentation or whatever that is, it’s the actual product and. Now you’re displaying it that that yourself and so. I pitched in the past and what I’ve done is really only had a slide deck.
For example, and I’ve gone through that and talked about what I’ve been working on especially when I was doing 65.
I don’t really have anything that could show, but with that Western Accelerator, an extensively with that. The screenshots of the features in that smart start. I was able to demonstrate the technology in the product that we were actually working on.
And that gave That gave me just a ton of power for that western accelerator pitch. I had bomb bisque mean earlier pitch on the same technology that I was working on and I felt like wow.
I really thought. I did a decent job explaining it and I thought it was a valuable sort of.
Exploration of what I’m working on, but when I went and did the next version. I just barely. I basically through the slide deck to the side and I just download the product and I showed him how it worked showed them that technology like how easy it was and this was still in an early demo form, but it was just so clear. By showing the product, the value of it compared to by just talking to it.
I just had to make them. Imagine it and so, if you have a product that’s a prototype or demonstratable at all print to focus on that people and these people aren’t just directly.
I guess investors. But there are people who are the gatekeepers of these programs and a lot of them come from Ivy backgrounds and are very capable of being investors.
They that’s what they look for they want to see the technology. They want to see the product and of course, they care about the vision and they care about you and your they can trust you when you’re going to be a good person, but you can’t show or demonstrate something it does make it a challenge and if there’s anything another thing I could say it’s.
If it’s a product that your building put the focus on the product. You are really good job. But that you know, creating at least a prototype or demonstration of that and let it sit.
Center stage. If you have got a technical people on your team and you’ve got some amazing smart.
Math business marketer people whoever they are that’s a huge value and they put a lot of weight.
On on that for teams but Specially for Open E one that they they don’t know the team or they don’t know the founders.
They’re looking at that technology. They’re looking at the product because that’s going to be the driver of the success in the business.
With that I guess I would say. Something that has helped me along this journey has been the fact that my speak the business that we’re working on and again.
That’s Basically taking audio video and text. You can run it through our dashboard. You can upload this content. That’s going to extract insights out of it, so for audio and video? What’s going to transcribe it’s going to put the key words the topics. The speakers and emotion, and we’re building even more sophisticated sort of emotion personality and clarity analysis in it.
And we’re doing the same thing with text. Aaron so a lot of this is built around basically you speaking you’re doing presentations.
You’re communicating everyday conversations or your writing content. You’re creating content. You’re emailing doing press releases blog post or sort of marketing materials an? Because that is sort of all, so wrapped up around speech and speech driven things that sort of this, tying unifying thing is that brings us all together and so I have a little not even a little a pretty extensive demo.
I can show right on my phone in just a couple of minutes and because it’s built around audio video in text, but also speech. And we all love speech so much and again bring it back to that talk about podcasts and the rise of this kind of stuff because there’s this thread. I can get. Some energean excitement from every single person I sort of showed what we’re working on 2 and that’s been honestly just an amazing thing that’s sort of.
Lucky and a privilege because of technology that working on speaking. It’s trying to help people communicate better, but then also do research in all these other great applications of being able to analyze this information.
But if you can work on something that. Ties people together or at least you can identify the groups in the audience is who there is this thing that ties them together, you’re going to have a lot more success with showing off the product or the service or whatever you’re doing is because people get very enthusiastic when it’s something that they relate to or they connect to and so when I talk about speak and I want to.
Understand the emotion in YouTube videos, they think wow. I’ve watched so many YouTube videos, too, and I’ve always wanted to understand that myself Have you ever thought of analyzing this video and then? It goes down this rabbit hole. The conversations that often start man that has been an enjoyable thing and not only that it’s been a goldmine of amazing ideas for what I want to do with this technology in the products that were actually working on so yeah, those are just a couple of things I guess I’ve found I’ve pitched ideas and thought of a lot of things for several years now and.
You know, I’ve actually had some success with with talking about this product with this technology and I think part of that comes with a newfound confidence in my own ability understanding that we actually are working on something pretty damn cool here. And you know, maybe an experience with a lot of blows to the to the head into ego along the way in the last several years, but for some reason this has been a little bit of. You know less resistance on this part of the journey, then I would have expected and I think maybe a couple that can be broken down to those maybe 3 things that I just talked about a bit so.
With that. I’m almost at an hour here and so I think I’m going to shut this down and again.
It’s always nice to be back and actually have a chance to do this, I apologize. I am so busy so if anyone does actually enjoyed listening to this.
I’ll be back in a bit.