Reflecting

I am compelled to write - so that’s what I am doing. I feel like now is a good time to look back at what I’ve done the last year & what I’d like to be doing in the next few.

Basically, for the past year, I’ve worked at a startup called Lead Log. I no longer work there, due to a dis alignment of interests with the company. During my time there, I almost, single-handedly created a web application called dashboard. dashboard (lowercase d) is a lead management software - conceptualized by Esteban Gonzalez a well intentioned individual with a web design studio called Design2Success.

dashboard taught me a good deal about database & application design - but it’s not what I learned about programming or even what I learned on the job, that I believe was the most beneficial about the past year.

The most important aspect of working for dashboard for me - was the people side of things - in and out of work I have interacted with perhaps the most people I’ve ever dealt with in my entire life. Again, in the past year, I think I’ve met & interacted with more people than the sum of my entire life!

I started a mobile applications company & co-founded a lifestyle blog in my spare time at Lead Log (not on the job, for the sake of clarity). I’ve never attended college so this may be part of the reason I had not interacted with many people prior to this year.

So what have I learned? Well, I learned that people are often predictable; they often do the opposite or only part of what they say they are going to do & usually blame short comings on you. (Now, again, for clarity, I am not specifically referring to the people at Lead Log - they are a very nice set of people.) I’ve also learned that people obsess over themselves entirely too much & can often take themselves too seriously, something I hope to never do.

With my new found knowledge, I’ve come to understand the importance of contracts & agreements and the need to be extremely explicit when reaching an agreement. This isn’t to say I want to be hard to work with, but is to say attention to every detail is extremely important - because without it, you are left with either a wide open gray area or a set of commitments you are unable to meet.

In regards to the way people becoming self-obsessive or legends in their own mind - I have not figured my way around it, in some cases it is beneficial to everyone, because confidence can beget confidence. On the other hand, I personally don’t enjoy it when I have to work with someone who is too far over the edge & attempts to micro-manage or have autonomous rule over any & every detail of a collaborative project.

So - that was the past year. It was an interesting one to say the very least. Now, what’s next?

Well - I am currently employed at a new company in Miami Beach. It is satisfactory & hope to remain there for a good time.

What are my plans for the future though? Well I’ve been procrastinating on delivering applications from my mobile company, Mobuilt. That is something I sincerely want to devote more time to, in the near future.

Also, I am still working on my blog, Limitemagazine.com - we are working on several exciting things; we want to bring several new experiences to our users and I am very excited about the potential these new mediums can bring into Limite!

One other thing brewing is a potential partnership with my long time best friend, Diego. There is not much to say about that yet - but more details are coming soon!

Cheers!
Auston