Young Successful Entrepreneur

I find it easiest to write when I’m feeling stressed, angry, unhappy, or frustrated.  I’ve recently been plagued with a string of happiness, making me feel uneasy, as if I don’t deserve it.

By no means have I ‘made it’ yet, but the tunnel was pitch black at so many points this year, and I finally see a dim light at the end of the tunnel.  I feel that this year was ‘the Dip‘ for my team and I, and if we’re able to push through and make it through the last part of the Dip, we could potentially come out of this 2-year tunnel alive and well.

My partial and limited ’success’ was greatly dependent on some very special people in my life who have been through thick and thin with me.  This Christmas post is a Thank You to each and everyone one of you:

My Love: Kim Ear

You put up with my A-type personality and my impatience.  You stayed with me for 2 years even though I had no money.  I’m a hermit that would rather work than go out drinking at a club or lounge.  Everyday I wonder how I got so lucky; everyday I’m thankful that we’re together.  Kim, without you, I would lack the inspiration to do all the things that I have accomplished.  Because of your love and support, I’m going to do great things for this planet.  LOVE

The Anchor: Yu-kai Chou

I call you at 1 in the morning to yell at you about the misdirection of Viralogy.  I call you names, tell you that you work at the speed of a sloth, and make fun of your English.  And yet, you have never retaliated or pointed out my faults; instead, you encourage when motivation is needed, you anchor down when things seem all over the place, and you keep the company moving forward at its bleakest hour.  Without your inspiration and guidance, I would not be the entrepreneur I am today.  Thank you

The Soldier: Joseph Yi

I bring you on board and leave you to fend for yourself.  Circumstances this year have allowed me to only “manage” the marketing for Viralogy, leaving the execution completely up to you; and yet, Viralogy marketing has never been stronger.  I sleep soundly at night because I know you have everything under control.  If this were a battle field, you would be Arnold Schwarzenegger, single handily conquering everything in your path.   I’ll be back in the trenches with you this 2010

The Talent: Stephen Johnson

Developer, surfer, strategist, business-mind, finance expert… is there anything you can’t do?  I think Viralogy is finally at a point where the development and marketing are on the same page.  If we successfully work together, I have no doubt that we can be a force the startup world has yet to see.  See you in SF

Mi Hermano de Sur America: Carlos Miceli

Your simple, yet deep posts astonish me every time I read them.  I can’t wait to hang out with you in person, and I’m sure the ladies can’t wait either.  I remember when we started you told me that you don’t have the experience, but that you have the desire and drive to be a great director.  You have impressed me beyond words with your organization, quality of work, and contribution to the team.  Salud hermano

My Mobile Inspiration: Cody McKibben

Every time I hear a friend say that mobility is a myth, I immediately refer them to your blog.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve mentioned your name in presentations I’ve given at conferences and universities.  You make me want to drop everything I’m doing and live the mobile lifestyle.  You are real, your writing is inspirational, and because of your example, I am planning my mobile lifestyle for 2011.  Keep leading the way because I’ll soon be there with you

The Mystery: Adam Baker

I ask about real estate online and it turns out you successfully ran a property management business; I ask about company organization and structure and it turns out you’ve established 5 LLCs of your own.  You are traveling the world with your wife and daughter, topping everything that I’ve been able to do so far.  Everyday I learn from your leadership and organizational structure.  That’s why I’ve dubbed you “the Mystery,” because I have no idea what great things you’re going to do next

Always one step ahead: Monica O’Brien

For how long have we talked about starting something together?  It’s been quite a thrill watching you accomplish so many things: MBA, published author, consulting services, and I’m glad to finally be working along side you.  If I really think about it, you have already accomplished a majority of the things on my to-do list.  I’m glad I’m always one-step behind because I’ll happily and humbly turn to you for advice any day.  Keep leading the way Mon

The Selfless: Andrew Norcross

You are by far one of the most selfless people that I have ever met.  You put up with my knack for feature creep and look past previous projects that never saw fruition.  Out of everyone I know online, I would turn to you first to lead the development of a site or to answer any technical questions that I have.  You’ve made a big step, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to succeed with the team that we have put together

The Dependable: Chan Hsu

Remember the good’ol days at UCLA when Yu-kai and I would stay up late building Future Delivery?  How does it feel to finally be on the startup side?  I can’t tell you how glad I am to have you on the team to lead so many different projects.  I am 100% confident in your abilities and am very impressed by how much you’ve learned in such a short amount of time.  I’ll make sure peanuts turn into walnuts bro

The Next Big Thing: Ryan Lavery

I’ve dubbed you ‘the next big thing’ because you are full of so much potential.  Whether it’s research, client meetings, ideas, strategy, you got all your bases covered and you learn ridiculously fast.  At your age, all I was thinking about was getting good grades, partying at school, and hopefully landing an internship with a finance firm.  Though you’re young, time is your enemy, and right now is your best opportunity to turn what you love into a business.  I expect big things from you in 2010

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Merry Christmas everyone!!!  Much love and respect