For the first time in more than 12 years I've accepted a job... and the funny thing is that it just confirmed that I am an entrepreneur.
I was 23 years old when I got out of college. As I landed my first job I didn't realize there were other options besides getting a job working for someone else. The option of being self-employed was there, but it wasn't normal and it didn't strike me.
Not long after starting my first job I began to understand that I wanted to do more. I wanted to decide more. I wanted to build more (which is a curious choice of words since I'm a trained civil engineer and I was working as a construction manager, in a construction company by then). That said, I quit and started my own company. And that has been the story of my life for 12+ years. Start businesses. Build things. Face new challenges. Do it again.
Last year, when Limetree crashed and burned, I was invited to join Premium Minds. I guess I should say I was offered a job, but it felt more like an invitation. Like when a friend invites you to go to her house for dinner.
"Come and join us. We do great stuff. We have fun. It will be great to have you here."
The funny thing is this job offer didn't have a "job" attached.
As I found out, Premium Minds doesn't hire people for a job. Premium Minds invites people to join the gang. And that feels good.
As I "joined the gang", I felt the need to answer the same question several times (many of those times to myself): "What about that entrepreneurial spirit?"
What I learned during these past few months was the spirit does not depend on the ownership... It depends on what you're doing; with whom; and how much you are motivated to do it.
At Premium Minds I found a team of people that share my mindset about some fundamental values:
- be true (to yourself and to others);
- be happy and help others with their happiness;
- be honest (and don't trade it for anything);
- be responsible for what you do, but give others a break on small mistakes you know everybody does.
What I learned was that these values are enough for me to want to build something with these guys, for as long as they want to build something too (and they do!). And if whatever comes out of this is not completely mine, it's ours, and that's even better when you think about it.
That's the reason behind the big challenge we posed to ourselves in 2015: let's build a product together. Let's create something that will make us proud, happy and fulfilled.
This wasn't something completely new at Premium Minds. We do have a creative day every month focused on experimenting and trying different things. We have found it to be very good for both personal development and for morale (people like to do different and funny things).
Now we have a services company deciding to actually build a product. We began with InnovationCast to show us the way forward: what to build; how; and to whom.
We're just beginning and we don't know how it will end. If nothing else I'm sure it will be a great learning experience for everybody involved.
As for myself, this experience has assured me I'm an entrepreneur: I want to build things. I want to change the world. I want to have fun doing it.
I found a place to keep doing it!
