2012 End-of-Year Update: Life, Blogging & 2013

If you take a look past dates on my previous posts (not to mention their content), you’ll notice that this is the first time I’ve posted in a long while. Like my music, my blogging fell victim to the circumstances of a happy life. More specifically:

I’ve been working. Nearly two years ago, I began working at Bullhorn, the global leader in recruitment software, to help launch a new product, Bullhorn Reach, as its marketing manager.

My time at Bullhorn burgeoned my professional experience in sales, marketing and, more generally, how a good business works.

As the platform grew in popularity and we pushed to monetize, I became the product’s first account executive and, ultimately, its evangelist, before becoming the company’s social media evangelist. During my time at Bullhorn, I’m proud to have been mentored by and worked for Art Papas, Bullhorn’s founder and CEO, in addition to working alongside an incredibly talented group of individuals. By the time I departed, Bullhorn Reach was the most widely used social recruiting platform in the world, and Bullhorn was acquired by Vista Equity Partners, after being principally backed by Highland Capital Partners and General Catalyst Partners.

Six months ago (July 2012), I founded Momba, a non-traditional vending company that customizes best-in-class vending machines to give students 24/7 access to things they need in their dorms, with my wife Heather (more on that to come!). We launched our first pilot at Harvard and our second at Westfield State University. In early 2013, we’re launching pilots at Boston University and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, among others. It’s an exciting time for Momba, and I’m eager to continue working relentlessly to bring Momba to the next level!

Loan For Laptop

I’ve been reading more than writing .

"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens" - Jimi Hendrix

I’ve been reading more than I’ve been writing, and when I’ve been writing, it’s been directed toward a business purpose, like blogging for Bullhorn or Momba. Jimi Hendrix once said, “Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” I agree, but think that the thought can be extended: “Knowledge writes, but wisdom reads.” For the last couple years, I’ve been listening and reading a lot, with the understanding that there’s a lot I simply didn’t and don’t know. What have I been listening to or reading?

For one thing, I’ve rediscovered my habits as a news media junkie (except TV; I don’t own one). Throughout the day, you’ll find me intermittently checking a mobile device (phone or tablet) not only to read emails, but also to read what’s going on in the world. My go-to app is Pulse, which brings me a daily stream of new articles and videos from my favorite media outlets. I’ve been spending a lot of time viewing business and entrepreneurship media (like The Harvard Business Review, Inc. and Fast Company), but have also been drawn to happenings in politics, culture and science (after all, innovation is happening everywhere). Beyond the immediate gratification of news-ish media, I’ve been reading a wide variety of books — most recently:A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell, The New Solution Selling by Keith Eades, The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Jim Huling, and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, among others. Broadly speaking, my reading has been focused on self-improvement and developing current and new skills.

I fell in love and got married. Of course, I saved the best for last. Those who know me well will attest that I’m a romantic at heart, and an update on the last couple years of little to no blogging wouldn’t be complete without mention of my wife, Heather Lapham Duque.

Meet Heather, my wife. How a woman like this ended up with a guy like me is beyond me, but I'm happy she did!

As my partner and co-founder of Momba, Heather has been an integral part of my life in more ways than one. I attribute many of the positive changes in my life over the last couple years to my relationship with her, the personal growth afforded by such a loving relationship, and the strength and courage her love helps fuel for me to continue growing, developing and persevering. I won’t delve deeper into the intricacies of our courtship; needless to say, however, she’s been the most important person in my life in recent memory.

2013: New Blog Design

If you haven’t already noticed, I’d like to introduce you to my blog’s new layout and design (and show you what the old one looked like, if you never saw or don’t recall it). Beyond aesthetics, the blog’s new layout and navigation makes it easier to filter by topics of interest. I hope you like it, and happy new year! Here’s to making 2013 the best year of our lives!