A month in the life… September 2022
A year ago, I was heartbroken and unhappy with where everything in my life stood. Even my dog was overweight! So I made a resolution to do things differently in 2022. Do the same thing, get the same results. And staying in my little bubble, with all my creature comforts was not going to change much. The ultimate goal was to get my startup funded. I was broke and in-debt. So step number one was to network. There is nothing less appealing to this introverted homebody than to do the thing that used to give me panic attacks at Ivey.
With all the COVID restrictions and testing still in place, I started flying out to Boston and staying with my sister. I’m really glad I got do some of this travel with my dog at first to ease the anxiety of leaving home. Even for those who have known me for years, know how widely I’ve traveled, and have never seen me cry, would be surprised at how much I cry when I need to get on a plane and leave my bed and dog behind. I’m really glad bloob got to fly with me to ease me back into the frequent flyer life. (Ironically, there is nothing more grounding for me than leaving home and travelling).
Since July I haven’t been in any place for longer than 2 weeks.
I’ve been journaling to help process everything as a lot of stuff has been happening, and it wasn’t until I was flying from Seattle to Denver that I was able to look back at everything that’s happened in the last month.
Here are some snippets from the last month (ish):
August 29: I did not win my first pitch competition. I really wanted the money for my ever growing legal tab. However, it was very special because I had the support of my friends from FIRST in the crowd. Mom had to man the booth. I made a couple founder friends, so I still got something out of it. And I had the happiest booth out of anyone.
September 1: I’ve been booked for a commercial! The gig pays more than I would have gotten from the pitch competition.
September 6: I’m done my shift at Anthro and I am getting my nails done at the salon next door. The other client just turned 4 and is getting her toes done for her first day of JK. The lady fucks up my nails, and I wish production let me do my own nails. I get a parking ticket on my car. My secret “free” parking spot has been found out after 8 years. This might be a sign that it’s time to quit…
September 8: Someone on set says “the Queen died” and silence sweeps through the room as everyone takes in the news on their phone.
September 9: I am driving through Toronto at a speed of 0.05km/h trying to digest the random call I got from someone named Denise who works at AWS. The phone rang in the middle of a conversation I was having with another founder about accelerators.
Steph (the best skate coach ever) asks me if I feel ready to drop-in at the bowl at the skate park and I say no. My head is in a helmet but my mind is elsewhere. Glou is teetering on the edge of being accepted/rejected into the AWS Impact Accelerator.
September 10: I’m driving through upstate New York and there is the strangest dead, bloody, bug booger on my windshield. It’s relatively large. I stare at it for many hours.
September 11: I’m in Boston. Eryn is about to fly to Lisbon. We’re on a call with Denise, the managing director of the AWS Impact Accelerator and she’s asking some HARD questions that I don’t have answers to. I am convinced the call is not going well when she says “Well I can’t wait to meet you in a couple weeks in Seattle.” We got in to the AWS impact accelerator! It’s the first yes I’ve gotten after years of nos.
September 12: Max’s first day at Glou! (He’s our first hire!)
September 13: I’m in the middle of a writing a job description for hiring an engineering lead and it feels like a creative writing exercise.
September 17: I jump off a sailboat, run to the club office for a pen and paper, and I have a phone interview on the dock. I end the phone call with 2% battery left on my phone. The call went so well I’m nervous for the other shoe to drop. As I put on my seatbelt I realize I’m still wearing my life jacket.
September 21: I have barely come off the adrenaline from a great second investor meeting when I have to hop on technical screening call with Jamie (FIRST friend and developer extraordinaire) – he gives me the green light on Glou’s potential employee #2.
September 22: I forgot it was my mom’s birthday yesterday.
September 28: I’m hurtling through the sky in a metal tube and getting job contracts drafted up through the miracle of in-flight internet. I meet Max for the first time in person!
September 27: I’m on my second meeting of the morning overlooking a vineyard. It’s the first time the whole Glou team is interacting with each other. One of our AWS mentors asks why each person on the call decided to work with me and it is the most special moment so far in my whole start-up journey.
September 28: I’m doubling back to the hotel room to grab the berries my dad got for me from “Crazy Joe’s”. The only container I can find is a paper cup in the recycling bin. A third investor meeting is arranged as I’m doing my nails in a WeWork in SF. The now-washed berries are still untouched.
September 29: I learned two things; 1) Napa has like no cell service 2) my flight to Seattle has been canceled.
