Connect with a former colleague

Daniel Folkmanas - VividBrands

One of my favorite things is to connect with former colleagues.

I’ve worked with some amazing talent in the past and always consider it a blessing that I’ve crossed paths with so many high performers (Speaking of high performers, check out this great podcast I just found: High Performance - end commercial).

Today I was treated to a fantastic catching up call with Daniel Folkmanas - Founder of VividBrands. I’m honestly regretting we didn’t record the video call for some legit documentation.

Daniel and I met during my time at Hilti working on a Business Ops team. I’ve admired Daniel’s professional ambition from the start and it was fantastic to hear about him growing his own business.

Below are a few lessons I took from our chat:

Focus. Focus. Focus.

I am usually quite disciplined with my work and never find myself procrastinating on things I don’t like to do.

I am however sometimes guilty of running a little too fast after a new and intriguing opportunity.

Last year, I took a small hurting on a drop shipping venture that did not pan out at all. Daniel and I discussed this and other failures in our professional lives.

The lesson learned: Focus on where you’ve found success and allow your failures to only boost you forward.

Trust your experience

We go through good and bad experiences for a reason. So much of life is a massive data collection exercise but that data is only good if you use it.

Speaking of data, I’m a data freak and can sometimes find myself hyper-analyzing the negatives of a potential step forward. Though as of late, I’ve grown to trust my gut a bit more and trust my previous experiences vs. just focusing on micro-transactions in my own life.

Never stop learning… especially from others

I always harp on this point and it’s why I love to reconnect with people like Daniel.

I learn a lot and get a rush from learning new things. Learning from others through authentic experience exchange is a near euphoric experience for me.

It reminds me of being young and when a friend would share the best cheat codes to our favorite video game. Chats with previous colleagues or connections who have seen success is like that cheat code sharing experience to me. (Side note: I love playing video games - Football Manager 2023 is my current obsession… it’s a dangerous vice).

Looking forward

I’m excited to see future success for Daniel and VividBrands.

I’m excited to know there’s another person cheering on my success from afar.

Going into our call our shared thoughts were how lonely it can be when you building a business by yourself. The highs are certainly high but the lows are incredibly deep defeats. Talking with someone who’s going through the same general experience is both comforting and encouraging.

Here’s to immeasurable success for anyone that I’ve worked with in the past.
So many of you are absolutely brilliant - I hope we continue to cross paths!