Spent the week in Bogota with some of our FF team.
My objective, for at least the last two trips, could be summed up simply.
Where is Fountain Forward with our technology/ops, where do we plan on going in the next quarter, and what does 12-24 months look like.
I absolutely loved spending time with these people. They’re honest, hungry, and caring.
A new change this last quarter since I was last in Colombia is Angie taking over as Director of Operations, which I’m quite pleased about.
She has been tasked with unearthing a lot and getting things more organized for the future. Tough task, but she is doing very well.
More to come.
Now, as for our technology and game plan.
We have invested a lot of time and money, and I’ve seen great leadership from Sam. With that said, we’re about to test the market big time.
I don’t really know if they want our product or not. They have liked our previous version in the past, but never at scale.
I’ll be announcing our next steps today.
Behind that move is a lot more technology being built to help our current clients.
Most important in the short term is attribution. Full throttle on that objective. It is a great challenge to our director of product, and it’s one that I’m looking forward to working with him on.
On Thursday, I received a phone call that, in many ways, could pave the future for us in the Automotive space.
There is a very real chance that we could lose a big chunk of our clients in the event that we do not become approved by a certain manufacturer. In general, this is something we have always been against, but we may very well be caught between a rock and a hard place.
On the negative side, we could lose 25% to 30% of our business over the next couple of months. On the other hand, we could grow from this.
My biggest fear is I don’t currently have a way to guarantee us a spot with this manufacturer, and I don’t have a contact there. I also do NOT want to.
I don’t like how they do business because it’s not in the best interest of the dealer.
I’m not overly anxious about it, but I am thinking about it a good amount.
I have not felt this way in a while. A massive chunk of our business is at risk.
I’m not going to worry about the things I cannot control; however, there is a lot I can control, and I think we need a little luck.
Maybe a lot of luck.
I’ll be digging in this week because time is ticking.
Now, some real love from this past week.
Special shoutout to Sam for bringing Andres along for dinner. You should be so proud of yourself and the people you surround yourself with. If you’re reading this, I forgive you for letting Andres leave to follow his dream lol.
But seriously, super cool to have him, and I’m excited to see how we can continue working together!
Next, my man Sebastian dedicated his entire week to Fountain Forward and especially me. I love hanging out with this guy, and I become a better human every time I see him.
I’m excited to come back real soon.
To finish, I wanted to mention one of my favorite things this past week.
A walk with my friend, Henry.
We don’t talk that much, and we don’t work directly together that often, but we both are on similar journeys.
He helps me, I help him; it’s good shit.
On this walk, we discussed life, how we’re carrying ourselves, and how we desire to see and enjoy the world. It was very fruitful for me. It made me feel a lot of joy.
Sometimes when I feel a lot of joy, I swing the other way later on…
On Sunday, I was delayed at the airport and feeling a little anxious. I was judging how good a time I had the past week and felt like I didn’t deserve it.
Feeling very heavy in many ways.
There’s a poem I saw a few years ago that I remade, and I felt like it reflected how I feel.
“I am both the strongest and the weakest person that I have ever known.
I can overcome storms, weather tragedy, and surmount pain.
But I am haunted by my own shadow— replaying every step, measuring every impact,
weighing how my choices land on others.
I ruminate on doing my absolute best, straining to give my all, even when others look at me and believe I am doing the opposite.
It leaves me questioning everything, wondering why I am here, and searching for my true purpose on this earth.
It is a quiet sickness in my soul that I cannot seem to shake, following me through the dark, demanding to know who I am.
And yet—who would I even be without it?”
– SJ