My FON story, A new beginning
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The other day someone commented to me that my first posts on FON were very passionate and seemed like I truly believed in the movement. Then he asked me if it was just marketing? The question annoyed me then but the more I think about it the more upset I become. Anyone who has read my book, reads my blog regularly or knows me personally knows that I mean what I say. I make business and life decisions based on values even if it means challenging the Japanese government or leaving FON. I believe there is a right and wrong way to live your life, to run a business and treat those around you.
When you read what I write you don’t have to agree with what I say, but you should know that what I say comes directly from my gut. I’m entirely accountable for what I say here and in person to you but more importantly to myself. When I was growing up we had a saying “My word is my bond.†Many of the things that motivate me don’t motivate others simple because they value things differently. But keeping your word should be universal. When I make a commitment to you as a friend or business partner I will do whatever it takes to keep it. If I fail to keep a commitment, which happens sometimes, it pains me greatly and I try to make amends. Now I will make this simple. I don’t work with or make commitments to companies and people I don’t believe in.
For friends and causes I truly believe in I will sacrifice everything. My first three months at FON I worked for free. Not because I thought I would get rich, but because I believed in the cause. In the end commitments were broken and I was asked to move to California, away from my family. I had to make a tough decision. While I know the company will be a success I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice everything, especially my family and friends here in New York. Not now, not for this cause. So I left.
Now I will go back to managing my security company and building gatherat.com and I will enjoy every day of it. I have learned from this experience that what I love is compassionate technology. Social innovation that is built to give people opportunity. This is why I’m building gather at. Now some people will think I was crazy to leave FON just because I didn’t want to move, some people will think sacrificing money for values is ridiculous and thats fine. But this is who I am. Now if you came to my blog to follow my journey with FON, its over and you can leave. But if you are interested in compassionate technology and social innovation stay because I’m just getting started.
In the coming months I will tour around the world and around America meeting people in person to promote this new idea of compassionate technology. Gather at could become a complete failure but failing while pursuing what we believe in takes greater strength of character than chasing the next big thing. When we realize this and decide to live our lives by these rules success is just around the corner.
Where I come from, you don’t judge someone based on the company they work for or what company of the moment they are promoting. You judge their trustworthiness by what they’ve spent their life doing. A man dedicates his life to building companies that are socially innovative- thats a man you want to believe in even when you think he’s wrong. You don’t have to agree with all of my decisions but my motivation behind those decisions will always be clear. If you feel the way I feel, I’m asking for your support.
Even if I landed here because you were involved in FON, I’ll stay.