Day 1

Day 1

For those of you who know Jeff Bezos and Amazon lore, you will know the expression ‘Day 1’. It is more of a mantra than an expression. The meaning I take from it is that you should approach doing business with the same passion and energy on an average day as you do on your first day of a new adventure. The reason: Business success is temporary.

I’ve had more-than-temporary success. In 2000, when faced with three job offers, I chose the one with the foggiest path and a lot less money than some other jobs: MVI in Harvard Square, Greater Boston. At that time, I did not fully comprehend that MVI was owned by WPP, at times the world’s largest “Mad Men” agency, based in London, UK. I had no idea that my journey would mean spending nearly 12 years living and working in London and traveling all over the place from there, including to Greece in 2004 to propose to Branka and eventually get married (in four ceremonies over the years).

Yesterday, the more-than-temporary success came to an end. MVI became part of Kantar, and Kantar was sold by WPP to private equity a year ago. Unlike other industries, we at Kantar were under no illusions that 2020 would be a year of upheaval for many of ourselves and our colleagues when the clock struck 00:00 on January 1, 2020. After a long period of review, I left my job at Kantar UK, meaning as of October 14, 2020, I’m self-employed.

Don’t worry: I'm saying goodbye to a nice warm chair in a safe big city international office but I’m in good shape financially, emotionally, and from a ‘Day 1 mentality’. So, please celebrate this news with me as I see it in a positive light.

I know that there are many less fortunate souls out there right now and that my problems are first world problems. By first world problems, for example, I now need to find some pretty awesome health insurance that would cover an international globetrotter. I also need to remember to vote, by absentee ballot, for elected officials in the Great State of Maine. Nobody could be more fortunate than a registered Maine voter who can vote by absentee ballot. I truly believe that having been in many many other places in the world.

Fellow Mainers, Fellow Americans, Fellow Global Citizens: I hope that our elected officials will do a better job taking care of the souls who need help than they have so far in 2020. I also hope that whoever wins in 2020 will approach their jobs as if it were Day 1. I know I will be doing so from today and onward. 

Much love to everyone.