EnTrends [ahn-trends]

Taking a Look at How Modern Entrepreneurs Work & Live!

Original Article: http://www.entrends.com/zweave.htm

Q: What are some of the milestones and successes that Zweave has had in the past ten years?

A: When Zweave started ten years ago, the business and IT landscape were very different then now. 2000 was the dot-com boom and bust. Soon after we had 9/11, and recently the economy's weakening has had a huge impact on entrepreneurial prospects. Early in our launch, we were able to raise some capital and attract talent. This lead us to four years of success working with the DoD, where we won 8 SBIR grants. This work seeded the company to the tune of $2.5 million. With this success, we raised additional angel capital and were able to build software at a time where new models were emerging, like SaaS (software as a service).

Have there been any negative experiences or failures/lessons that you learned from?

A: Zweave had ambitious plans to be a niche player in a technology space that had giants. Our model was to be the Salesforce.com of Product Lifecycle Management software for the consumer products industry. We were very early in the game and developed the space. I don't recommend either!

Our business model stayed too close to enterprise software for too long, because investors and the market kept pushing us to get recognizable, name brand customers, to prove ourselves. Most VC's would say they did not want to be in enterprise software. They were right on. Without very deep pockets going head-to-head with folks like PTC, SAP and Dassault was not in the cards. Ultimately going after the long tail-SMB's was a much better approach. But by the time we were ready to go to market with that product, the economy was a huge problem and we had boot-strapped for a very long time. Ten years is a long time to be a "start up". Today, we are focusing on repositioning the brand and the products and services to accommodate our personal goals and needs, versus chasing the market. In some ways, it seems like a defeat. In other ways, it is very liberating to start over again.

Q: Are you and Leah still working together?

A: Leah and I worked together for the first three years. When we brought in new management, it did not work out, and Leah was pushed out. This was a very difficult time, as you can imagine. I am happy to say that we all have scars from this but lived through it, only to have learned important lessons on loyalty, working with family, group dynamics etc. If I could do it over, well... you know how that goes. But actually, I would chose Leah over any other partner, something I did not do at the time..

Q: Do you make decisions differently now days, or pursue different business ventures, than you did ten years ago?

A: Yes - absolutely. I have learned many a lesson from the last ten years. My decision-making today includes three tenets that my dad taught me. I use them when I evaluate people and ideas. They are:

1.) What you see is what you get. This one is subtle because you really need to be asking yourself, and the other person (or situation), the right questions. It’s like that dating advice - watch how a person treats the waiter to see how they really are.

2.) Actions speak louder then words. I love this one because, if you really listen to people, and see their actions over a short period of time, you really can see if they are for real. You would be surprised that, more often then not, people speak a big game and really don’t deliver. Most of the time we lie to ourselves to rationalize what we want, even when we don’t see it there.

3.) What are you pretending not to know? This one is key to getting to the bottom of things. You can’t lie to yourself. You probably have a gut feeling, and you might not be trusting it..

Q: What are your latest professional endeavors?

A: My new entrepreneurial philosophy is still in the, “Is this the right philosophy phase?" I am not 100% sure, but it goes like this:

• Small projects versus big ones
• Incubate ideas with smart people. Share up front percentage and see what they put into it.
• Don’t be the driver, unless you want to be responsible for everything. Let others lead you to see if they are leaders.
• Work on more then one idea at a time.
• In business (not in life), “Don’t date or get married.” Just have fun with your friends. By this, I mean that partnerships and business relationships are just like marriages - they usually end up with differences, problems and divorce, whereas good friends stick around because the relationship is not about building something together. It is about enjoying each other.
  

So, I have developed a digital marketing agency with a good friend called WYSWYG, LLC (www.wyswygllc.com) (Thanks dad – borrowed the name). It stands for, drum roll, "What Ya See, What Ya Get.” We do everything from branding, design, web, applications and social media, and focus on start-ups. I love doing this for my companies, and think I have a lot to offer others in this type of discipline. I am also incubating a social media marketing app idea, working on an e-commerce made-to-order home interior product line, and consulting and mentoring young entrepreneurs. It’s not supposed to sound like a lot. Actually, it’s supposed to sound like it is tapping into what I am good at and what I like doing, and if success ensues, then it's a win-win!

Q: What are your future goals and ambitions today?

A: I look at how I spend my time, and the quality of one or two types of days that I have, and I ask myself: “If that’s all I get, will I be happy?” The answer is coming to me, or at least I am searching for it. It’s like that old commercial for jelly, where the guy says in a quivering voice, “You can’t get there from here..." And I agree – I should probably not dole out advice until I figure it out for myself. All I know for sure, is that there is no job security in being an entrepreneur. Seemingly, there is none in the corporate world either. So the catch at my age, 46, is to find a balance in what you do and what you get back emotionally and financially.

Q: How has your lifestyle changed personally in the last 10 years? Leah's?

A: My kids are grown up. My Daughter is a junior in college next year, and my son a senior in high school. It’s hard to remember the years where it was a lot more complicated, working and raising a family. Seemingly, as an almost empty nester, I am pretty sure that I will need to find a way to channel those hours spent juggling everyone else’s life, and mine, into something different.

I am remarried, living in the suburbs, and my husband is a super smart guy who knows how to make life interesting every day. I am hoping for more time to enjoy being, and not doing.

Leah is the most amazing mom. She has so many things going on. She ended up involved in real estate, continues to be a sculptor (www.leahpoller.com), and runs a prestigious Italian branding firm's NY office. On the side, she dances the Salsa!