Back in 2010, I wrote a blog titled "100 Country Rollerblades and Red Bull Tour". It was the start of a travel story and a manifestation to reach all four corners of the planet. For those of you in marketing, that blog went viral and spent several years on Page 1 of Google SEO for both keywords Rollerblades and Red Bull!
In my first 35 years, I had traveled to 9 countries. It would take 16 more years to reach the next 91! It also included seeing all 7 continents, 7 wonders of the world, 50 States (only missing New Mexico now), and 10 Canadian Provinces.
Since 2014, it has also included traveling with two children to all 7 continents including Antarctica. I should also mention that Michelle and I work full-time in demanding jobs and only 3-4 weeks per year are available to travel.
Having a sense of adventure and love for travel is different than reaching a target that only a few thousand people in history have achieved. It was actually inspired by the Bucket List movie from 2007 with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It reinforced the perils of waiting to retirement to really start living. Life tends to get in the way of living with families and careers take over most of our focus.
On the topic of personal bucket lists, here are 4 others beyond this 100 travel goal.
Why 100 countries? Simple. I wanted it to be remarkable, challenging, but yet attainable. Knowing that out of 193 countries recognized by the United Nations (Vatican City makes 194) dozens of countries are in perpetual war (civil or otherwise), new threats pop up every few months, and a large number are small islands spread around the world, I chose a round number representing half the world.
Here is how the 100 looks on a map:
(This is an iPhone app called Been if you want to create your own travel map)
A bit more complicated than just 100 countries...
Being an industry analyst means there is more to planning travel than just a round number. I downloaded all 193 countries and sorted them by land mass and population. In terms of targeting where to go next, we tend to look at size and global importance of the destination.
While 100 countries represents 52% of the world's countries, it represents 79% of the world's population and 71% of the land mass. Seeing where 8 out of 10 people live (8.1 billion and counting) is a pretty cool achievement!
1. North America (1972-80) - living in Canada and the United States, and travelling several times to Mexico allowed me to complete the continent (and a ton of land mass) early in life.
2. UK & France (1996)
3. Portugal & Spain driving tour (2002)
4. Bahamas, Cuba via vacations (2003-04)
5. Greece (2008) - including Athens, Mykonos and Santorini.
6. 13-country driving & rollerblade tour across Europe starting in Germany, then circling through Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Poland & Czech Republic (2008)
7. China (2009) - including rollerblading through Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong & Macau.
8. Italy (2009) - trip with my mom.
9. South America tour - including rollerblading through Argentina, Uruguay & Brazil - both Rio and Sao Paulo (2010)
11. 7-country South Africa driving and rollerblade tour - Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique & Swaziland (2010)
12. 5-country Scandinavian tour with Michelle (first trip together!) - Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway & Finland (2011)
13. 7-country SE Asia tour with Michelle - Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines & Singapore (2011)
14. 7-country ex-USSR tour with Michelle - Russia (both Moscow & St. Petersburg), Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania (2012)
15. Down-under driving tour with Michelle - Australia & New Zealand (2012)
16. "Wonders of the world" honeymoon with Michelle! - Morocco, Egypt (Cairo & Luxor), Sri Lanka, India (Mumbai, Delhi, & Taj Mahal) & Nepal (Mount Everest) (2013)
17. Asia tour with Michelle and Brooklyn on Mount Fuji for her first birthday - including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea (2015)
18. A very long drive through the entire countries of Ireland, England, Scotland with Michelle, Brooklyn, and Cali, tracing my family roots back to Nottinghamshire, England and Inverness, Scotland. (2016)
19. A beautiful tour down under to Australia and to the South Pacific to Thailand, Indonesia, Vanuatu, and Fiji with Michelle, Brooklyn, and Cali. (2017)
20. A panoramic cruise to the Panama Canal with stops in Aruba, Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica with Michelle, Brooklyn, and Cali. (2017)
21. As part of Michelle's MBA from Manhattan College we visited multiple parts of Peru including Machu Picchu and the Amazon rainforest with Brooklyn, and Cali. (2018)
22. An epic 15-country journey on the way to Australia for a speech, including new country visits to Monaco, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Palestine. (2019)
23. Covid stalled our travel for a couple of years but we picked up again by hitting my 7th wonder of the world - Chichen Itza in Mexico (2022). The other 6 were the Taj Mahal (2013), the Colosseum (2009), Machu Picchu (2017), Christ the Redeemer (2010), Petra (2019), and the Great Wall of China (2009).
24. We also hit the Bahamas (Atlantis) in 2022 and then finished the year in epic fashion with an adventure to Antarctica - our 7th continent! We saw Chile and landed in Argentina after the cruise to a newly minted World Cup in soccer. Messi was the world champion and months later would soon land in Miami to play! (2022)
25. We hit the ground running in 2023 with a spring break cruise through the Caribbean - hitting new countries of Honduras and Belize. During summer break we also took an epic cruise to the North Pole (kinda) - Alaska! (2023)
26. The Taylor Swift European driving adventure through London, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris. Also included Disney Paris, Harry Potter show in London, and staying at the majestic Port Lympne Reserve "Lion Lodge" in England. (2024)
27. The ultimate 7-country safari through Africa via Qatar, including gorilla trekking in Uganda, quick trips across the borders of Rwanda and Congo, then safaris through the Serengeti in Tanzania and Masai Mara in Kenya, and finishing with country #100 in Madagascar! (2024)
Where next?
As I mentioned earlier, many countries of the world are off-limits to travel due to safety. This can change often as we learned the day we landed in Egypt during the Arab Spring. Here are some thoughts...
- Eastern Caribbean cruise - Dominican Republic, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Lucia, Barbados, St Vincent, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago & Aruba.
- Second SE Asia tour - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar & Laos
- Western Africa tour
- ex-USSR "Stan" tour
Even though the Middle East and much of Africa have been in a constant state of turmoil for centuries, I do hope in my lifetime to see these countries.
The next generation of travel will also involve sailing the blue ocean on a catamaran. More on that here.
Ending the journey at 194 countries isn't a specific goal but it would be a happy coincidence!
My Life Story - Have you ever thought about the impact of big decisions that you made in your life? How about the small ones or the ones made for you? How would have your life turned out if things went the other way?
My Love Story - Michelle and met on October 15, 2010 in a serendipitous way. We were both part of a charity in Raleigh, NC and one night at a dinner struck up a conversation about many things - including our love of travel.
My Housing Story - After 13 moves and stops in three Canadian Provinces and three U.S. States, here is my journey in pictures from the Northwest to the Southeast of North America.
My Car Story - I have the dubious honor of getting speeding tickets on all 6 driveable continents - lucky that there are no cars in Antarctica! Did I ever tell you the time I passed the Polizia in Italy with my mom?
My Nautical Story - I am pretty sure the love of water started in 1972 when I was six weeks old and my grandparents Bob and Dona McBain retired to Shuswap, British Columbia, Canada, and built a log cabin.
My Crazy MBA Story - In the summer of 2017, while climbing Machu Picchu, Peru as part of my wife Michelle’s International MBA from Manhattan College, I thought – why not me?
My Hockey Story - As long as I can remember, I have been playing hockey. Over four and a half decades and thousands of games later, I still lace them up a couple times a week, year-round.
My Cycling Story - When the Covid-19 pandemic first took hold in March 2020 we responded quickly as a family - including strict stay at home orders and no outside contact until we could get a handle on the risks. My attention now turned to exercise - and biking across North America (virtually).
My Retirement Story - I have no interest in disconnecting fully from the work that makes me so fulfilled. I could never see myself in bingo-playing retired life. I want to stay curious, engaged, and adding value past the (very specific) date in 2034 that I am aiming for.
My Christmas Story - Whether traveling to see family, or going to Disney or Hawaii, or simply staying home - the season is packed with memories of family and friends.
My Music Story - My favorite music can be best defined as sad / emotional / multi-level slow music. Oddly, it is opposite of my worldview - which is normally overly-positive and optimistic.
My Movie Story - Oddly enough, I think Pretty Woman made me very interested in business. I named my cat Austin Powers - oh, and yes, "Danger" is his middle name. Our current dog is named August Rush (Auggie Doggy). Movies such as Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Forrest Gump, & National Lampoon's Vacation have become soundtracks to my life.
I received a milestone reminder today from my retirement countdown clock (yes, I have one of those!) that 4,000 days remain until I retire from full-time work.
A common question I get is why that (very specific) date of September 1, 2034? Simple answer: Our youngest of four daughters, Cali, is off to a college dorm making us empty nesters on that date.
I will be 62 years old and ready to split my time between some large bucket list items and part-time, project-based work on my chosen schedule. It will also be my 40th anniversary of work in the technology channel!
I have no interest in disconnecting fully from the work that makes me so fulfilled. I could never see myself in bingo-playing retired life. I want to stay curious, engaged, and adding value (perhaps as the old industry curmudgeon shaking his fist at the clouds!).
Several large bucket list items are calling -
1. Finish travel to 100 countries
This one will be accomplished in the next couple of years (well before retirement) as we are already at 90+. A trip to Serbia with my oldest girls (who are half Serbian on their mother's side) in a few weeks and an incredible safari in 2024 through multiple countries in Eastern Africa will pretty much get us there.
Since Covid, we have knocked off our 7th continent (Antarctica) and 7th wonder of the world. More on the travel story here.
What about seeing the remaining 93 countries in the world? I am glad you asked...
2. Sail the blue ocean
After power boating through most of the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. and Canada, we want to leave land behind us and take the ~22 day journey over to the Rock Of Gibraltar. This bucket list item will take a decade of planning and execution. More on our nautical stories here.
Michelle does not want to sail for weeks in the middle of nowhere on a used vessel (and I don't blame her!). We are actively saving up for a new sailing catamaran stock full of all the latest technology possible. From sustainability to navigation to full broadband internet 24/7 - we are watching innovation closely in ship building. Right now, the strongest contender is the Leopard 50:
This is not a small endeavor - if we enjoy the trip over the ocean (and are still on speaking terms) the plan would be to keep going on a circumnavigation that will take many years to complete. Flying home for holidays and extended stretches of time with no time constraints would be the objective.
Gaining all of our certifications, licenses, and captain training over the next 4,000 days will be fun.
3. Own a Ferrari
This one is the least complicated of the bucket list items. As the girls become older teenagers, the timing will be right to go to a two-seater sports car in Florida. My sister had bought me the "Justification for higher education" poster for me back in the day and the last remaining car in the garage that I haven't owned is a Ferrari:
For more about my car and motorcycle journey check out here.
4. Play hockey into my 90s
I have played ice hockey consistently since the age of 3 or 4 and I have always watched those senior 90+ leagues in Canada and Northern U.S. States with admiration (and amazement!). The great thing about hockey is that it is a fluid exercise that doesn't jar the knees or joints like other sports allowing for better longevity.
That is Mark Sertich who played the game he loved until 99 years old! Check out my hockey story here.
5. Retire with 8-figures
I remember walking into my local credit union bank when I was 11 years old after just receiving my first paycheck for delivering flyers around the neighborhood. There was a poster on the wall that (in big writing) said "Do you want to be a millionaire?"
I spent the next 30 minutes reading all of the small print - it was explaining the power of compound interest. It was instructing me to put $50 a month into a savings account and promising that when I turned 65, I would have a million dollars. That day I deposited the first $50. When I upgraded to a paper route I bumped it to $100 per month. When I started pumping gas I put it up to $150.
When I got my internship at IBM in university, I kept raising the monthly number even higher. Michelle is great with money and owned a few houses and had her own sizable 401K from her years working at Cisco.
While my entrepreneurial journey at ChannelEyes didn't end with us getting rich - it gave me the experiences and tools to help other entrepreneurs on their journey. Having the wherewithal to keep renting out our homes in Raleigh and investing/saving as aggressively as we can (while traveling the world and living for today) is paying off slowly but surely.
_________
Turning 50 years old last year - or "half time" as I like to call it - inevitably turned my focus forward. What would the third and fourth quarters of life look like?
Only a few thousand people have travelled to over a hundred countries. (The Travelers Century Club has 1,400 members as an example).
Fewer people have ever self-navigated across an ocean or circumnavigated. (Estimates that a few hundred boats are attempting the feat at any one time).
Perhaps more bucket list items will pop up over time. These are the ones I have been manifesting as long as I can remember.
My Life Story - Have you ever thought about the impact of big decisions that you made in your life? How about the small ones or the ones made for you? How would have your life turned out if things went the other way?
My Love Story - Michelle and met on October 15, 2010 in a serendipitous way. We were both part of a charity in Raleigh, NC and one night at a dinner struck up a conversation about many things - including our love of travel.
My Housing Story - After 13 moves and stops in three Canadian Provinces and three U.S. States, here is my journey in pictures from the Northwest to the Southeast of North America.
My Car Story - I have the dubious honor of getting speeding tickets on all 6 driveable continents - lucky that there are no cars in Antarctica! Did I ever tell you the time I passed the Polizia in Italy with my mom?
My Travel Story - The story started with a "Rollerblades and Red Bull" journey to 100 countries. It is now expanding in every direction after hitting 7 continents and the 7 wonders of the world (most with kids in tow).
My Nautical Story - I am pretty sure the love of water started in 1972 when I was six weeks old and my grandparents Bob and Dona McBain retired to Shuswap, British Columbia, Canada, and built a log cabin.
My Crazy MBA Story - In the summer of 2017, while climbing Machu Picchu, Peru as part of my wife Michelle’s International MBA from Manhattan College, I thought – why not me?
My Hockey Story - As long as I can remember, I have been playing hockey. Over four and a half decades and thousands of games later, I still lace them up a couple times a week, year-round.
My Cycling Story - When the Covid-19 pandemic first took hold in March 2020 we responded quickly as a family - including strict stay at home orders and no outside contact until we could get a handle on the risks. My attention now turned to exercise - and biking across North America (virtually).
My Christmas Story - Whether traveling to see family, or going to Disney or Hawaii, or simply staying home - the season is packed with memories of family and friends.
My Music Story - My favorite music can be best defined as sad / emotional / multi-level slow music. Oddly, it is opposite of my worldview - which is normally overly-positive and optimistic.
My Movie Story - Oddly enough, I think Pretty Woman made me very interested in business. I named my cat Austin Powers - oh, and yes, "Danger" is his middle name. Our current dog is named August Rush (Auggie Doggy). Movies such as Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Forrest Gump, & National Lampoon's Vacation have become soundtracks to my life.
My work as an industry analyst for channels, partnerships, alliances, and ecosystems resides over on the Canalys blog as well as on my LinkedIn Newsletter.
For a family that loves to travel, the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging. A few years of a staycation has now been replaced with adventure once again!
We were able to get away to Cancun and the Bahamas in 2022. A personal milestone was made in Mexico when we visited Chichen Itza - completing my tour of the 7 wonders of the world. The other 6 were the Taj Mahal (2013), the Colosseum (2009), Machu Picchu (2017), Christ the Redeemer (2010), Petra (2019), and the Great Wall of China (2009).
"At the brim of the well where the Wise Men of the Water Live. This is what Chichen Itza means in Maya. Chichen Itza was one of the most important city-states in pre-Hispanic America and is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico today. The Chichen Itza Pyramid or El Castillo is the most astonishing Mayan Ruin or building inside the Archaeological Site."
Antarctica Voyage
We finished the year in epic fashion with an adventure to Antarctica - our 7th continent!
The backstory is that we were going to go in 2013 when Michelle was pregnant with Brooklyn. There is only a 3-4 week window of the year (Christmas time) that you can sail to the South Pole and, at the time, the only way we could do it was on a Russian frigate. Definitely not consumer friendly. As fate would have it, we decided against the trip and that specific ship got stuck in the ice. Brooklyn could have been born in Antarctica under a Russian flag!
Fast forward a number of years and we booked the trip to depart in 2020. A couple of Covid-cancellations later we reconfirmed a December 2022 date and prepared for departure.
We booked three days to explore Santiago, Chile on the front end of the 16-night cruise and then three days in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the tail end.
The weather created some challenges on the voyage with a couple of missed ports and some itinerary changes, but Captain McBain (yes, no joke, from Calgary, Canada as well just like me!) navigated us safely through treacherous waters. He reminded us that weeks prior someone was killed on a large cruise ship through the Drake Passage by a rogue wave.
Every day in Antarctica was a new adventure. Everywhere you looked was like a postcard. I have seen many glaciers growing up in Canada, but nothing like this!
This was more than a bucket list check - it was life changing. The Russian frigate trip was $10k per person. This new option of luxury cruises (we took Princess) was closer to $2k per person and we could sit in the hot tub and eat steak and lobster every night.
We were all smiles as we went from 85 degree summer weather in Chile and swimming in the pool to having a snowball fight on the same deck a few days later!
Strongly recommended for everyone looking for an epic adventure!
Now, we are in the 90+ country range and looking forward to trips through Central America and Alaska later in 2023.
Have you ever thought about the impact of big decisions that
you made in your life? How about the small ones or the ones made for you? How
would have your life turned out if things went the other way?
A movie that has always fascinated me is the Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher. The movie was good (not great) but the
concept is mind-blowing.
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect says that a small
change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large
differences in a later state. The concept was formulated by Edward Lorenz, and
uses a metaphorical example of a hurricane being influenced by the flapping of
the wings of a distant butterfly.
Thus, a very small change in initial conditions can create a
significantly different outcome.
Another similar and equally fascinating concept in science
fiction is parallel universes or multiverses. Star Trek TNG had an episode
called Parallels where every decision and possible outcome create multiple
parallel dimensions. Thus, your life would have millions of permutations based
on every decision you have ever made (or was made for you). You could be
President of the United States or a bum on the street, depending on chance.
Today I talked about those moments in my life in front of
MBA students at the Lally School of Management, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(RPI) in Troy, NY. I came up with 11 pivotal times in my life that got me to
where I am today:
1982 - My mom lugs home an Apple IIe computer
As a computer teacher at a small Jewish school in Calgary, my mom regularly carried home a heavy computer, screen and disk drives, introducing her inquisitive 10 year old son to computers. Instead of playing games, I learned BASIC and built a Quicken type financial tracking software that manages every dollar I earned at my paper route and every dollar I spent (normally Slurpees and Hockey Cards at 7-Eleven).
This small flap of butterfly wings created a future I couldn't imagine...
1987 - Five years later, a hit movie called Top Gun changes everything
Watching Tom Cruise pop a wheelie on that Ninja 900 (chasing a girl) as a jet takes off in the background had a monumental effect on an impressionable 15 year old kid, 6 months away from getting his drivers license.
I did the research (this was before the internet remember!) and figured out that the bike would cost $4,000. That finance program I built years back detailed for me exactly how to make it happen.
That frugal 6 months, combined with achieving a clear goal had a huge impact on my life from that day forward. Cutting out alcohol, smoking, drugs (or anything else frivolous) allowed me to get that motorcycle, build an executive home at 22 years old and get a new cherry red Mercedes a few years later.
That is the reason I don't drink alcohol today - plain and simple.
1994 – IBM Intern and resident Futurist
My dad strongly encouraged me to pursue an internship in my final year of college and I was lucky to have Cargill and IBM come knocking. Working a tech call center seemed to be a better option than a meat processing plant, and my career was officially launched.
Two stories stick out in those early days.
I walked in my first day expecting to work on spreadsheets tracking call center rep performance – it was January and IBM had just sold a boat load of Aptiva home computers. Canadian customers bought NHL Hockey ’94 in large numbers as well. Problem was, after spending over $3,000 and having the family open up the computer on Christmas morning – the game wouldn’t run! After waiting on hold for over 60 minutes the customers were livid! The stress was felt in the office and instead of working on spreadsheets, I picked up the phone. I took over 50 calls that day and everyday after. My boss met me for the first time a week later and was shocked - and pleasantly surprised - that I was the top rep in productivity as measured on the spreadsheet I didn’t work on.
Even in the first few weeks of that internship I could see myself contributing more. IBM at the time was a technology juggernaut employing over 10% of all world PHD grads in math, computers and science. They had just proven that Teleportation (Star Trek style) was possible, were building the computer called Deep Blue that would be the first to beat a grandmaster at Chess (Gary Kasparov never got over it) and evolve into Jeapardy champion Watson, and were demo’ing a new personal area network that used the bodies natural electricity and could transfer data by just shaking someone’s hand.
Problem was, there were no evangelists that could talk to business audiences, students and go on TV. I jumped on the opportunity and became the resident IBM futurist. According to the World Future Society, I was the only one they knew of that had lifestreamed my life from the beginning – using that financial tracking software, combined with the fact that I was scanning all my documents and storing all of my pictures in digital format.
Every day of my life was documented; financially, documents and pictures – and it still is today!
1996 – The Winnipeg Place Mat
When IBM promoted and moved me to Manitoba to be a sales rep it was a big deal. Most IBMers before me had to wait 5 or 6 years to ever get a chance in front of a customer, and even then as a junior assistant. Here I was, 24 years old (looking more like 14) trying to manage an entire IBM Territory for the PC division.
Knowing I wasn’t the most extroverted relationship salesperson, I went the transactional route. I spent hours in the library and on the road documenting EVERY customer in the region. It became a massive color-coded spreadsheet called the Manitoba Unfortunate 500. I even took my family on a trip driving thousands of miles through the Northern townships and peeking inside each window on main street to see what kind of computers they used. The spreadsheet grew to dozens of columns with absolutely every piece of competitive and contact info I could get my hands on.
I would print the spreadsheet on a large sheet of paper and then laminate it – becoming affectionately known as the “place mat”.
This place mat drove my activity every day and a few years later I was recognized for having the largest IBM market share of any Territory in the world – almost 7 out of 10 computers bought in Manitoba in 1998 were IBM!
2000– The Knowledge Worker Index
IBM had moved me to Country Headquarters in Toronto and I was now a National Sales Manager. I was able to replicate the place mats for all 10 Territories and because of the mass quantity of prospects, a new scoring and propensity system needed to be developed.
After looking at thousands of our current customers, I built an algorithm that predicted how many knowledge workers (and thus computers) every company in Canada would buy in a given year. This predictive model was picked up by other divisions and the same methodology was being used to predict server, software and services sales.
2007– The Channel Dashboard
I was now handling Lenovo Channel sales for North and South America, and the challenges were that much larger in size and scope. Like many times before, I used a data approach to tie together over 30 systems including financial, product, inventory, distributors, programs and historicals.
Instead of being data jockeys for partners, the channel reps could now have all information on one screen and start spending their time driving more strategic discussions with partners.
2009– Moving to the United States and channeling Paul Revere
Lenovo moved me to World-wide Headquarters in Raleigh, N.C. and I was now faced with the biggest challenge yet. How do I run an SMB business for a company that ignored the market for decades with someone brand new to the country?
In the Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell illustrates the story with Paul Revere and the Midnight Ride. Revere was possibly the best connected person in Boston on April 18, 1775. When he was alerted to the impending British attack on the armory at Concord, he successfully alerted and armed much of the Boston countryside. I used the exact same approach for finding connectors, gaining endorsements, and taking the IT Industry in the US by storm.
This is a longer story and maybe one of the most interesting times of my professional life. I go into more detail here:
I ran into a great connector in my travels by the name of Jeremy Epstein. He had an e-book that compared the future of marketing to a dandelion and it made total sense.
After traveling for 6 months straight on the Paul Revere journey, I needed to make an impact on the 30 or so communities that I became a part of. The problem was that communication preferences were changing with social media and almost 30 newer marketing vehicles. The simple math was 30 x 30 = 900 new touch points and the plan was to cover them all!
2011– Give up corporate life, become an Entrepreneur!
One of the top super-connectors I met on the Paul Revere journey was Bob Godgart. He is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of 5 successful businesses.
Bob was just transitioning his fourth company Autotask and I decided to jump on the chance to build ChannelEyes with him and two other great co-founders, Dave Geoghegan and Shari Godgart. The first couple of years were a blast – building the first social, mobile and big data solutions for vendors to better communicate, enable and drive sales with partners.
2015– Become a CEO – fulfill a life dream
As we entered 2015, ChannelEyes was transitioning into a larger company. Having successfully raised millions in venture capital investment, ChannelEyes is now readying its breakthrough product called OPTYX – the first sales workflow product on the planet made for indirect sellers.
2017– Becoming an industry curmudgeon – bring it all together
On a trip to Miami with my daughter, Danica, for spring break a couple of interesting things happened.
One, is a major snowstorm hit our home in Upstate New York, and Michelle was at home stranded with the driveway snowed in. All flights were cancelled for at least a week and we needed to get home! We rented a car and drove 24 straight hours home without sleeping.
Two, on that long car ride (around Virginia), I had a conference call with a company I was advising called Channel Mechanics in Ireland. It was a 4 hour call and I had trouble hearing and communicating effectively - but tried my best. After the call, two representatives from Forrester phoned me - one a sales rep who was on the call, and the other a Vice President and Research Director who was leading the call - both with praise for my contribution and an offer of employment. A few months later, in June of 2017, I joined Forrester as a Principal Analyst of Channels, Partnerships, Alliances, and Ecosystems globally.
In early 2022, it was time to take my analyst work to the next level - joining Canalys - the world's largest research firm laser focused on channels, partnerships, and ecosystems. Waking up each day with over 120 colleagues around the world thinking about indirect channels is amazing and the company culture is like family.
Now back to the Butterfly Effect.
If my mom didn’t bring home that Apple IIe computer when I was 10, I may never have got the job at IBM. If I didn’t write that Quicken program, I may never have been inclined to think in new ways during my sales and marketing career. If I didn’t apply the Paul Revere strategy I may never have met Bob and started a new company. The permutations and combinations of what-if scenarios is mind numbing.
Life hasn’t been without its disappointments. At one point I thought I could play in the NHL until I was cut in 1989. I went through a painful divorce in 2001. I thought I would be a lifer at IBM until Lenovo came along and moved my cheese in 2005.
I do know this. Getting cut at hockey refocused my efforts and led me straight into college. Getting divorced taught me life lessons that I apply to my wonderful marriage with the love of my life Michelle and 4 wonderful daughters (Danica – 1997, Mila – 1999, Brooklyn – 2014, and Cali - 2015). Leaving IBM/Lenovo put me in a wonderful position to create something meaningful.
For a moment, I wish I could flip parallel universes to see what my life would be like – although I would make 100% sure I could get back to this one because it is truly blessed.
I wouldn’t change a thing...the butterflies have led me to the right place.
My Love Story - Michelle and met on October 15, 2010 in a serendipitous way. We were both part of a charity in Raleigh, NC and one night at a dinner struck up a conversation about many things - including our love of travel.
My Housing Story - After 13 moves and stops in three Canadian Provinces and three U.S. States, here is my journey in pictures from the Northwest to the Southeast of North America.
My Car Story - I have the dubious honor of getting speeding tickets on all 6 driveable continents - lucky that there are no cars in Antarctica! Did I ever tell you the time I passed the Polizia in Italy with my mom?
My Travel Story - The story started with a "Rollerblades and Red Bull" journey to 100 countries. It is now expanding in every direction after hitting 7 continents and the 7 wonders of the world (most with kids in tow).
My Nautical Story - I am pretty sure the love of water started in 1972 when I was six weeks old and my grandparents Bob and Dona McBain retired to Shuswap, British Columbia, Canada, and built a log cabin.
My Crazy MBA Story - In the summer of 2017, while climbing Machu Picchu, Peru as part of my wife Michelle’s International MBA from Manhattan College, I thought – why not me?
My Hockey Story - As long as I can remember, I have been playing hockey. Over four and a half decades and thousands of games later, I still lace them up a couple times a week, year-round.
My Cycling Story - When the Covid-19 pandemic first took hold in March 2020 we responded quickly as a family - including strict stay at home orders and no outside contact until we could get a handle on the risks. My attention now turned to exercise - and biking across North America (virtually).
My Retirement Story - I have no interest in disconnecting fully from the work that makes me so fulfilled. I could never see myself in bingo-playing retired life. I want to stay curious, engaged, and adding value past the (very specific) date in 2034 that I am aiming for.
My Christmas Story - Whether traveling to see family, or going to Disney or Hawaii, or simply staying home - the season is packed with memories of family and friends.
My Music Story - My favorite music can be best defined as sad / emotional / multi-level slow music. Oddly, it is opposite of my worldview - which is normally overly-positive and optimistic.
My Movie Story - Oddly enough, I think Pretty Woman made me very interested in business. I named my cat Austin Powers - oh, and yes, "Danger" is his middle name. Our current dog is named August Rush (Auggie Doggy). Movies such as Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Forrest Gump, & National Lampoon's Vacation have become soundtracks to my life.
