My desire to drive change and become financially independent
For as long as I can remember, I have always had a keen interest in entrepreneurship, especially since moving to Silicon Valley 14 years ago. My father impressed upon me the idea that you get financial freedom by owning things that increase rapidly in value, like real estate, a piece of a business, intellectual property or similar things. He often said to me, “You need to own equity in something or have skin in the game instead of just selling your time for money” — and he was right all along.
Starting my own company was always the goal, so after spending over a decade working in the corporate world, I decided that I might as well build my own business from the ground up together with Karel, my co-founder, a long time friend of mine who’s a top notch software engineer with mad coding skills.
What are we cooking?
We’re building Gumshoe, a SaaS-enabled marketplace that connects a network of licensed private detectives with individuals and organizations who are looking for private investigation services, while also providing tools for private investigators to manage business tasks like reporting, payments and communications. The platform leverages AI technology to (1) automate repetitive and tedious tasks that private investigators perform by leveraging advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities; and (2) help match customers with the best-suited investigators for their needs and preferences.
What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?
To be a successful entrepreneur you need to be able to effectively collaborate with other people, and you need to be able to sell your ideas. You have to deliver your ideas in a way that makes other people excited and want to join your team (or fund your venture). Above all, you need to have a specialty, you need to be very good in your own wheelhouse, and you need to have the vision to see what others don't see — and that takes creativity and persistence!
Risk tolerance
Adaptability
Problem solving Skills
Creative Thinking
Networking Skills
Time Management
Vision
Communication Skills
Embrace failure
Leadership Skills
Persistence
Confidence
Passionate and Motivated
Financial Literacy
Honesty
Curiosity
Decisiveness
Learn from others
Hardworking
Motivation
Focus
Emotional Intelligence
Resilience
Marketing and Sales Skills
Persuasiveness
Empathy
Decisiveness
Self-Awareness
Optimism
Discipline
The quote corner
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” — Peter Drucker
Spot on!