Journaled on Thursday, 8th of August 2024 | Santo Cristo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 32 degrees, very hot, sunny and blue skies.
So it’s Thursday, and yesterday I may have had one of the most important meetings of my life.
The meeting with Alex was fairly simple, with him clearing up all my questions and doubts, but it made one thing clear to me: he is honest, hard-working, skilled in his field, and willing to work to change his life.
I have liked him since our first contact. We got off to a good start, and even though money is involved and I am very conservative, wary and suspicious when it comes to spending money with others, he has always given me a sense of transparency, which is obviously good.
Alex is doing his best as a professional to make sure everything goes smoothly, and I want to do my best too. Still, I have a little insecurity about whether I have the right skills to develop a project like ‘Teahogui’.
What I tell myself is that whatever I lack now, I will learn. We are essentially giving birth to a new creation, and with nurturing, work and love it will grow, develop and in some ways mutate, and we will change along with it.
I know I barely have all the skills to take on such a responsibility, but more importantly, I am willing to learn, adapt, and become a better professional version of myself.
I am almost 60. This may be the last time in this life I get the chance to do something really impressive professionally, something that could be a real professional realisation for me. I’m not just talking about money. I’m talking about building something big and beautiful that makes money by bringing people together.
Putting people together, helping them realise their dreams, and getting paid for it is probably one of the best jobs in the world.
Think of a teacher looking to teach; a host who wants to welcome people into their home to help with the family income, which is so hard to make ends meet on nowadays; or someone who knows their region well and wants to make a little extra money showing people around the places and spots.
These are just the most basic examples, and there are hundreds of thousands of variations. At ‘Teahogui’ we connect the person who wants to learn with the person who wants to teach, host, assist or instruct.
The possibilities are endless, and it is up to us to do it right: professionally, ethically, and in the simplest, most transparent way, because simplicity and transparency are the keys to this project’s success.
Behind the front page of the site there may be a force 10 interaction of resources and infrastructure, but the front page itself has to be a sea of calm and positivity, where the end user, a possible future client, can navigate with precision, tranquillity and no complications.
The ultimate test for navigation will be me, as I am very critical of anything too complicated. If I find the site too complex, too slow, or with too many layers between me and where I want to go, then something is wrong and it will have to change.
Obviously our first version won’t be our best; it’s a matter of evolving and fine-tuning with each new version. But what we plan now will have enormous consequences, to the point of deciding whether ‘Teahogui’ succeeds or fails.
Its embryonic blueprint, with its characteristics and values, has to be on the right track from the start, or there could be serious problems down the line.
As for money, it obviously matters. ‘Teahogui’ has to be profitable. Every business needs to make a profit, because if not, it is a charity, and a charity, unfortunately, is for the poor.
Personally, I don’t need much wealth to be happy. Even a lavish lifestyle isn’t that different from a normal one day to day. What makes the difference is travel, and the standard at which you can travel.
If, in my old age, my daughters and I can enjoy a better quality of life and travel well thanks to my work on ‘Teahogui’, then I will already be a wealthy and realised man.
The next six months are going to have extreme highs and lows, a roller coaster ride, and I honestly don’t know where it will take Alex and me. All I want is to create something very special for others, to be part of it and help make it a success, with many stories of people improving their lives because of us, both the clients and the suppliers: the teacher, the instructor, the one with a skill and the willingness to share it.
I am very grateful to have Alex come into my life and to begin such an exciting project, not just for me but for him and for all the future people our venture will touch.
Tomorrow I need to transfer 4000 Reais to his account.
Be kind and be happy. If you cannot be happy, still be kind, but never be naïve.
In bed by 11 p.m.
Thank you
Thank you for reading. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
