One More Thing

One more journey.

[onemt]

Adventure Time: San Francisco

After 2 years, Chicago has been an awesome home, but it's time for the next adventure.

10 / 9 - Bye Chicago

10 / 21 - San Francisco

[onemt]

the Balanced Designer

A project where a variety of designers were interviewed to share their stories and insights to the world of design. The Balanced Designer aims to serve as a quick snapshot to guide people interested in learning about design - aspiring designers! The main recurring trends from each interview are aggregated into the snapshot and each one-on-one interview is digitized as well.

Please take a look and share version 1 of the site to people who might be interested - www.thebalanceddesigner.com

[onemt]

3 ways to deal with uncertainty or fear of failure

I had a conversation with my friend Shuying. Both of us concluded our two year banking program to explore things off the beaten path for a little bit. http://shullywolly.tumblr.com/

She asked me a pretty profoundly deep and simultaneously simple question: How do you deal with uncertainty or fear of failure?

Three ways. (slightly repurposed for the blog) 

Way #1 - It doesn't exist. Failure or mistakes are merely experiments we take to continuously improve. As long as we're learning its not really a failure. I try to (sometimes) imagine that no matter what I do -- I can't fail, because there's nothing to truly lose at this stage besides time and passion. I keep these thoughts on top of my mind so that even though externally on paper or otherwise it seems slow, or failing, my mind is in the mindset that its a pause button, while I accumulate the right 'stuff'.  

'Stuff' as in meeting people, getting experience / skills, becoming inspired, such that I can push that idea of failure out of my mind.

Way #2 - Start from the end. I don't know what my immediate or mid stage future holds for me. Its very very uncertain and I can't control it much, especially to the extent that I would KNOW what I'm trying to control... BUT I know that at the end of the day, I WANT to be able to experiment with my ideas and start businesses that solve a problem in an interesting way or bring some sort of social good. I know what my end looks like and to push through the uncertainty I keep looking for 'spots of light' that keep me on the right trajectory irrespective of the specific 'steps'.

'Spots of light' as in people with good insights or mentors, other people with similar ideas or passions, other companies that are doing something great and I want to emulate.

'Steps' as in a specific job or time frame.

Way #3 - Love. Uncertainty and fear of failure are probably not things that can be wholly defeated. But every time I talk to my bestfriend, I feel invigorated to do more, to do better, to succeed. Its not so much that she has high expectations, which she does, but more so she believes in me. She believes that I won't lose, that I won't fail and that regardless of external definitions, she'll still love me at the end of the day as long as I'm honest. 

---

I'm not an expert. I don't have a corporation set up. I'm just sharing my thoughts as I begin my journey. 

How do YOU deal with uncertainty or fear of failure? I'd love to hear. Feel free to tweet me [at] chenac89 or shoot me an email ac.chen1[at]gmail.com!

[onemt]

YC Tech

Y Combinator had their demo day this past week. It has been pretty exciting to see some of the cutting edge tech and ideas being brewed up. 

Some of the startups espouse compelling ideas. Others exemplify some of the trends that are bound to occur in the near to intermediate future. I listed some of the technologies that I think we should all be cognizant of and perhaps take stock in pieces of their tech/idea. 

In no particular order:

1) toutpost - http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/16/toutpost-wants-to-turn-online-debates-into-shopping-advice/

Helping to make your shopping design via yes/no debate format -- crowdsourcing opinions...

2) Butter - http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/30/sergey-brins-younger-brother-co-founds-a-startup-of-his-own/

Essentially putting menu's on tablets, scale this! Minimizing the work of waiters and improving the workflow in restaurants.

3) Estimote - http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/16/estimote-creator-talks-about-building-an-os-for-the-physical-world/

A device that can be placed in traditional brick & mortar stores that will not only help collect information on shoppers but push out notifications to shoppers. A lot of recent trends in discovering user behavior via smartphones.

4) LocalOn - http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/09/localon-launch/

"Small businesses are getting pitched by 20 startups a day"

Focusing on the SMB segment makes sense if you are anyone besides an enterprise player. Offers to bring small businesses online through a suite of tools that help with web hosting, marketing, social analytics, and even ecommerce. 

5) Reebee - http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/01/reebee-launches-to-provide-a-bridge-for-bargain-hunters-moving-from-paper-to-digital-flyers/

Bringing paper ads and flyers and translating them into something usable and digital / portable. Search through those ads and find what you want

6) Panorama Education - http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/15/panorama-education-wants-to-make-polling-parents-students-and-teachers-easier-for-educators/

Polling for parents, students and teachers to empower and help educators understand their ecosystem and make the right design. Think visually beautiful infographic-esque reports through surveying - specially tailors for schools. Its so deceptively simple - its brilliant. 

We have all this data but its "hard" to use it.

These companies are all doing interesting things and taking stabs at solving unique problems at this stage of our generation: crowding sourcing intelligence, mobile information access, small business explosion, understanding user behaviors, streamlining workflow, and improving education!

Best of luck, I'm excited to see you all killing it. 

[onemt]

Upside Purchases

Why do people like buying things? I'm sure there are many reasons, but ultimately buyers will always try to optimize for the highest utility. I personally like seeing my dollar go a long way, either in terms of how durable the product is (i.e. think macbook pro) or the residual benefits (i.e. think work productivity with the macbook pro). I know that the product will last a long time and continue to give me positive benefits down the road.

I recently thought of the concept of an upside purchase. I define it as a purchase in which you buy the product or service not only for its direct utility but also for potential future upside. The idea is most directly related to stocks (equity), which can increase in value over time.

I recently funded the Nava water-filter bottle with $35 to get one standard bottle with one filter. I bought into the idea early on, but they were already on track to hit the original $50,000 goal. Over the next couple of weeks and months, I received a lot of good news via email (and one not so good but oh-so-common). The Nava water bottle kept hitting and surpassing its funding goals and with each tier surpassed I was entitled to receive more goodies! Ultimately they raised $261,677 over a 31 day period and I am destined to receive: my original order + Mesa sports straw + two extra filters. 

I only expected to get a water bottle, I was THRILLED to be getting more on top of that for the same price. All because other people thought what I thought -- Nava had a neat idea. Each time the funding tier was surpassed, my same dollars could yield a lot more than what I bargained for and I didn't have to do a thing!

This upside is unique to Kickstarter and similar crowdfunding platforms. But it is something that traditional eCommerce players cannot do and is why I enjoy ‘shopping’ on Kickstarter. Despite knowing that sometimes (usually) delays with receiving my reward(s), the additional upside that comes with my contribution is worth the delayed gratification. The upside purchase is one that I am not only passionate about once, but continuously because I know that down the road my purchase can be more than what I expected.

More products and services should be upside purchases – consumers will be much happier and loyal to you!

[alexdschiff]

It’s an exciting time to be in the business of helping people get organized. 2013, especially this summer, has seen huge news across the consumer productivity software market:

-Astrid, 4M users, $400,000 in funding in 2011 led by Google Ventures. Acquired by Yahoo and shut down.

...

[onemt]

Learning, Again

Isn't it funny how many people associate learning and education with school? I've always enjoyed learning growing up and never really thought that "I can't do that" or "I don't know how to do this" simply because I always knew I could learn, no matter how 'difficult'. 

However, I believe somewhere along the way in my roughly 17 years of schooling, I probably lost my way. Perhaps you did too? Learning, instead of personal edification became learning to pass and jump the next hurdle. It was less about how can we use these tools to solve problems and more about how can we qualify for these tools to get a job or to get credits. 

As I'm realigning myself for self-edification, I'm looking to gain skills that will help me unlock some of the ideas that are locked in my mind and give them a physical (digital) form. Towards that end I am currently enrolled or will be enrolled in the following:

1) Coursera - Startup Engineering https://class.coursera.org/startup-001/class/index 

2) Skillshare - Defining an Minimum Viable Product http://www.skillshare.com/Minimum-Viable-Product-Launch-Your-Startup-Idea-for-Less-than-1000/514516183/ 

3) Skillshare - Teach Yourself to Code: One Month Rails http://www.skillshare.com/Teach-Yourself-to-Code-One-Month-Rails/1289605848

With these courses, I hope to be able to build out some "simple" web apps that I have been thinking about!

[onemt]

Curiously

A group of my education minded friends and I recently launched a new website, Curiously. It was and still as (as we are quite early) working with a talented developer, designer and other strong operators - rather than just other investment banking professionals!

Its a community blog with the intention to promote, share, and discuss perspectives on education and education innovation broadly. Less current news and more so the fundamental challenges and potential solutions in education. 

You don't have to be a teacher, a student, an entrepreneur, or an investor to contribute! You just have to believe that education is an important part of our world and be curious enough to want to make the status quo even better. I welcome anyone to please check it out and let me know your thoughts --- or better yet comment or join the community!

http://curiously.us 

[onemt]

Transitions

I leave investment banking in less than one month.

It's both an exciting and trying time. Unbelievable that for the majority of our early life we are on a "path" and follow it - sometimes blindly, sometimes with complete conviction. But there comes a time where there's no true road, no real direction and its all up to you. 

What's the first step in a directionless path?

Despite how morbid the thought might be, I think one question that could be of use for course guidance would be...What could you say for your life if you were just gone tomorrow? 

In the Fall of 2012, I had a perspective, if not life, changing experience. I had spent some time in the hospital and realized just how temperamental life is and its true brevity. I am glad for all the countless fortunes I have been blessed with: my parents, my brother, my family, my friends, my opportunities and the ability to get up every day and have many things to smile about. I am lucky. 

Steve Jobs' words have never been more applicable: 

“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.  Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.  No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”

I don't know what my next job will be with certainty. But I know that whatever I do next and thereafter will propel me in a direction that helps me answer my important question. What can I say for my life once I'm gone? I made a positive impact on other people's lives daily. I contributed to society in some shape or form in technology, in education, in universal tolerance and acceptance. 

Towards that end, I'm igniting my curiosity. Stay tuned for more developments, I promise things are in the work!

[onemt]

Hacking Venture Capital

Every year a VC will come across hundreds if not thousands of in & out bound pitches and potential investment ideas. These ideas are dynamic and constantly shifting, some for the better and others not so much. Venture firms should aim to quantifiably track and keep engaged with as many entrepreneurs as practical and effective. The data VCs are able to mine is valuable and can be put to use for both entrepreneurs and investors. One of the projects I want to tackle is a system to quantifiably engage with start-ups. This idea extends beyond the traditional social media and pitch track log with 2 additional goals: 

Stay up-to-date with milestones occurring in different start-ups and pivots (minimize loss data)

A database that tracks ideas being developed and the progress being achieved at regular checkpoints

This is a large task, but can definitely be broken down to manageable steps: 

[onemt]

Dropbox Take Over

Dropbox is on its way to a monumental turning point in its history and cloud computing in general. Dropbox has not only stayed relevant despite a sea of ‘competitors’ and Google, but is clearly pushing towards the next frontier with its recent acquisition of Mailbox.I envision Dropbox becoming THE global cloud platform for all Internet users – where each device they interact with can instantly become their own computer...

Imagine your next 'computer' not being a physical construct but a collection of data and software.

[melissajoykong]

Be amazed by the life you have, where you are, and what’s in store. There’s nothing better than the gratitude that comes along with allowing yourself to be amazed, by things big and small.

[onemt]

I'm at a turning point in my life and thoughts. This video was thought provoking and candid. Not everyone can be Chris Sacca, but everyone can be happy. I recommend taking 28 minutes and get inspired.

[detroitsomething]

“The Michigan alumni are like illuminati, man. Hooked up on all levels.”

[onemt]

Go blue!

[christinacaci]

“I’ve never made it through a complete MOOC,” Thrun confessed.

Udacity’s Sebastian Thrun On the Future of Education (via cacioppo)

MOOCs are a wonderful medium for passing knowledge at scale and cheap. But I think the current state of affairs is less disruptive than I thought it would be. Instead of focusing on prime skills or a new method for knowledge consumption, it feels we are building a large database of courses that simply transcribe the physical classroom medium to a digital one without much changes inbetween. 

[onemt]

[onemt]

An Education to Learn, Only to Relearn and Rethink