The First Step is Down

The First Step is Down

In Principles by Ray Dalio he states there are three phases of life:

1.)???Learning

2.)???Doing

3.)???Teaching

Standing on top of my professional Summit?in 2019, I was surrounded by an amazing team (The Rockstars), a great organization (TEEX),?and a supportive family. Only a Fool would believe the reached their Summit all on the own. There are so many people that helped me reach this point of my career. At 35, my learning phase was coming to an end. It was time to "Do." I had to get off this Summit.?

The First Step is down. After all the joy and security of this accomplishment, I had to leave it behind. The first step is the hardest.

Mom Pause: I have four dependents at home. Leaving a paycheck that cashes like clockwork, healthcare, the support network, and working relationships absolutely would not have been possible without the support of my wife. You need to understand that ?I would pitch my wife 10 business ideas a year, on average. She never said, “You should quit your job and go start that idea,” until I pitched her on these new Summits. I was passionate about pursuing Public Safety, Defense Innovation, and Safe & Secure Cities. There is actually a video about how and why I set out for these new Summits. One day in 2019, she finally confirmed, “I think now is the time to try your technology development venture.” I never seconded guessed her or asked, “Are you sure?” I didn’t want her to change her mind.

So, I had to figure out how to get off that Summit. The new Summits I sought were straight in front of me. I had to make a new trail. After discussing with my team and deciding who was going back down the mountain the way we came up and who was setting out on their own, I was ready to take the first step.

It took me 11.5 years to reach the Summit and roughly six months to get off the mountain. Every day I could hear this voice in my head calling from the top of my Dream Job Summit: ”Hey, Caleb, your Dream Job is up here!!!”

Everyday. Every morning. Every afternoon. Everyday.

As I moved down the mountain, my momentum began to carry me down to the bottom where vegetation grows thick, vines with sharp thorns scatter the landscape, and the undergrowth is so thick, at times, you can barely move forward. It felt like the mountain was trying to claim me for its own, and I was not going to get off the mountain.

OBSERVATIONS About going downhill:

Shortly after writing the first draft of this entry, I took my family camping along the Guadalupe River near New Braunfels, Texas. To get down to the river you had to go down a steep slope. It immediately hit me that when going up steep inclines we lean in, lean forward and even have access to are hands for finding steady rocks to brace the climb. Going down the slope, you are leaning back, and if the slope is too steep you might have to turn around and go down backwards. It is harder to go down steep slopes. Next time you are outdoors, find a slope and experience this for yourself.

A few months back, I was at an annual golf outing with my brothers and cousins, The Crispy Tall Boys. I noticed every time the choice was between a ball on the green that putted uphill versus downhill, by a large margin the preference was always to putt uphill. Because, when you are putting down hill, if you miss the chance that the ball will gain momentum and roll past the hole is typically greater than putting up a slope.

When Going Downhill:

I am writing this at the 3-year mark of making up my mind, I was leaving my dream job and setting out for new Summits. Many times, I have experienced downhill momentum move me past my goals. Downhill momentum begins to mount and other events seem to pile on. I started hiring team members and fundraising in January 2020, on Friday, March 13, 2020 we had to shut our office down and work remotely. Being a startup, I made very large inventory purchases with cash, due to COVID and Supply Chain disruptions we had funds tied up for 6-9 months. Even though, we have been extremely fortunate to have a growing demand for our portfolio of technologies and services through COVID. The pace of this growth has created a constant strain on cashflows.

December 18, 2021 to the date of this post has without question been the hardest months I have ever dealt with. The darkness that we have worked through these past months have motivated me to get this post out. We have been blessed beyond measure, but one of my favorite quotes is, "The teacher never talks during the test." I firmly believe you will only be given as much as you can bear. Just be mindful you are capable of bearing multiples beyond what makes you uncomfortable. More on these downhill struggles in later posts.

As I neared the bottom of the mountain, I managed to find a co-founder on the way down that was coming off his own Summit. We shared similar visions; his skills complemented my skills. Besides, I had been working with startups for over a decade and associated with an Angel Network for six years. I believed everyone needed a co-founder to be viable, fundable, durable, and survivable.

Even after coming down the mountain together, hosting initial client meetings and attending a few industry conferences together, about 45 days into our new venture, it was determined our partnership was not going to be mutually enjoyable. The Summits he sought were in human performance and consumer product goods not necessarily public safety and defense technologies. So, we agreed to part ways and head out on our own.

It was a mutual split, but it did take some unwinding of company legal documents, bank accounts, and URL domains. I took my first step down; almost lost my footing, fought through the constant calls back from the top, and made it down from the Summit of my Dream Job and found myself “Lost in the Wilderness with Lost People.”

#PublicSafety #DefenseInnovation #AMERICANMADEINTHEBRAZOSVALLEY