The Interlude

So today we embark on a journey to Asia in search of inspiration and opportunities. I am looking forward to adding a few new stamps to the passport. The time has come to put in motion all the planning and work that’s been taking place this past year. I have no idea what is ahead of me. All I can do is pray for strength, guidance, and believe in myself. I won’t lie. I am starting to feel nervous. The unknown that lies ahead is starting to rustle the butterflies in my stomach…  It is stronger than ever.  I can’t tell if that nauseating feeling is coming from the fear of facing the genesis of what can potentially be the biggest challenge of any project I’ve undertaken, or the turbulence from this plane ride. By the way, Cathay Pacific has the worst seats of any plane I have ever been on, and that goes for the C-130’s we used to fly on as kids traveling with fam. The agony of these ill designed seats are only justified by the insanely good on-demand movie selections.

My plane is somewhere over the Pacific on its way to Hong Kong where Mark, Barry, and I will spend a few days getting acquainted with the city. It is my first time so I am pretty excited to explore HK and Kowloon. After a few days there we’ll transcend beyond the borders of China in search of factories. It will be the farthest I have traveled away from home. This trip will be all about learning the manufacturing trade from beginning to end. After hearing all the warnings and first hand experiences from other friends I could not help feel a little discouraged, but I will finally get to see it for myself. I don’t know what we’ll end up encountering; they never covered any of this in any of my classes.  I don’t anticipate manufacturing to be a glamorous industry, especially in China, so I just have to prepare myself mentally.

This will be the longest I’ll be away from you and your Mom. It has only been less than a day and I am already missing you terribly. I’m not looking forward to it, but I think Video Skype and Facetime should hold me over. And as much as I hate being away for so long, this trip is essential. Anyway, you are too young to even notice that I’m gone, but I know your Mom isn’t too happy. But this is the biggest milestone yet, for me and as a company. What we’re about to accomplish in the next ten days can push the company forward a great deal. But first we need to cross this gap; between more than a years worth of planning, designing and working… and the realization of the potential the company can manifest into reality in the next few months.

This is the interlude… and I’m doing all of this for you.

Dad.