The Discipline of Building a Business That Lasts

So, in getting Rockport started, I know what my experience was, but the challenges of just capital structure and getting a business started, I would tell people I wasn't smart enough to run a traditional Silicon Valley business model. I had to run more of a traditional P&L. I'm a huge fan of bootstrapping. I obviously learned it from Rick, and we were blessed in that he had success, in some of the earlier companies he'd founded. So, we certainly had a nice starting spot.

But regardless of that, he's always been a believer in that you have to build a fundamentally sustainable business along the entire path. You may be willing to invest more at certain periods, because you see opportunity, but it's not the go big or go home or huge cash burn or worrying about a cash zero date. We find that those kinds of thought processes just aren’t in our DNA. For us, it's more of build a sustainable business, deliver it for clients, invest rationally when you see opportunity, think long term, don't think quarter to quarter, you know, don't think about, you know, rate of return because it took you four years versus six years.

It's much more, can you build a sustainable, powerful business over time that delivers and do it in the right way so that you sleep well at night. If you do all those things, you'll get the financial and also the good night's sleep, which, I don't know, to me, that matters a lot.