January 2012
1 post
2011 was a year about people and relationships
2011 was a roller coast of a year for me with a lot of highs and a lot of lows. I guess that’s pretty typical though for a young entrepreneur who is learning on the fly. I had one of the biggest growth years of my life and in the process, as I look back, there are a few things I’ve learned that I’m going to take with me in to this year.
I’ll hit a pretty big personal...
December 2011
5 posts
“Here’s to the crazy ones.. Because the people who are crazy enough to...”
– Apple 1997
Watchit’s growing! #proud
November 2011
1 post
my 48-hour adventure to nicaragua
I just got back from a quick 48-hour weekend trip to Managua, Nicaragua, which is about a 6-hour flight from Los Angeles. So why Nicaragua? Why not!
I’ve become addicted to seeing the world. I love flying. I love traveling. I love going somewhere I’ve never been to and feeling how it influences me (because seeing what’s on this planet will do that to you).
Before I tell you more about this...
October 2011
7 posts
“maybe it’s just the time of year, but i’ve got that extra glow...”
– under the mistletoe
“looking out to the moon on a somewhat chilly night thinking about life....”
– me
September 2011
2 posts
sorry i've been preoccupied with figuring shit out
i feel bad. i’ve sort of ignored jonathaneppers.com (me) for the last few months. i guess you could say this is partly a reflection of all the things going on in my life.
i’m one of those people that has a hard time focusing on any one thing for to long. it’s always been something i’ve struggled with because some things in my life, especially the things i care about the...
August 2011
2 posts
July 2011
3 posts
“when someone says it’s a “win/win” it’s usually not”
– structuring a deal
“focusing is about saying no. and when you say no, you piss people off. but the...”
– steve jobs, 1997
June 2011
5 posts
“i planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway.
and more,...”
– frank sinatra
out of the locker room. gay athletes. →
that’s why a current, major pro athlete needs to come out of the closet. and it will probably happen really soon. a few years ago, this would have been unthinkable.
May 2011
7 posts
hire fast, fire fast →
Trust me: if you know, you know. If you know, do it now. Things don’t get better. Your “Blink” instincts are right.
today, we turned on firststring!
today is a huge day for me because we finally turned on firststring for select high school athletes > check it out!
firststring, in it’s current form, is an aggregator of local, regional and national high school sports content that is indexed in to athlete and team profiles based on location. this is really the early foundation for what will become something that is much bigger over the...
WatchSMILE!
fascinating research presented at TED suggests that the width of your smile can predict your life’s longevity! stunning.
i want to be a navy SEAL
i’m not thinking about joining the seals, but in evaluating how i want to live life and push myself beyond my personal, professional, physical and mental limits, i want to be a seal.
the account i read of a former seal who was a member of seal team six (the team that took out bin laden) on what it takes to become a seal left me speechless and reflective. if you believe you’re worth...
April 2011
4 posts
it can be hard. but the ride is worth it.
you know, the hardest thing in my life is balancing my mind’s insistence that until I achieve my goals, I can’t stop going (and the goals never end, they only get tougher). it’s a double edged sword because while it makes me constantly push myself and shoot for more, it rarely allows me the opportunity to enjoy the moment.
i’ve also come to realize that starting a company,...
how to fail a startup
it’s quite simple. name a successful startup operated by non-programmers or non-product type people? you can’t huh. yea i can’t either.
very successful start-ups core teams look like this:
product visionary (normally the founder/ceo)
hackers (3-5 engineers)
one designer (period)
caveat: one hustler
just mho
“it’s only when the tide goes out do you see who’s swimming naked”
– warren buffet
italy and back. my super duper trip!
I just returned from one of the best experiences I’ve had abroad to date: a quick weekend trip to Italy. The short and sweet story of what Andrew T, Andrew N and I experienced… We left Los Angeles with a short (6 hour) layover in Miami and visited two really good friends, Bert and Laura who let us shower and get a few hours of sleep in their beautiful Miami condo. Our red eye out of LA put us in...
March 2011
6 posts
“i want to give culinary school a shot one day. that way I can cook amazing...”
– me
“excel in fields in which you have the most passion and ability; change the world...”
– extracted as part of a larger essay on students choosing liberal arts vs. engineering degrees written by @vwadhwa.
i’m where i am today because my dad told me the day i enrolled at purdue university to choose to learn about something i loved and was most passionate about and i have excelled...
working for a startup →
best description. ever.
February 2011
6 posts
“adequate performance gets a generous severance package”
– netflix (btw. i love this!)
“i once flexed so hard my shirt ripped in half. i told the shirt this upset me...”
January 2011
8 posts
moving mondays.
not sure about you, but occasionally i read something that resonates with me. today i’ve been so lucky as to come across two phenomenal pieces of work. the first discusses what it’s like to be an entrepreneur vs. a venture capitalist in the words of a man who is both. the second, more abstract but extremely important to me, discusses ‘purpose.’
quick reads that made me...