MY LIFE PORTFOLIO
WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT? Eulogy Don’t take life so seriously, no one gets out alive. A simple phrase and as funny as it may sound full of wisdom. Those were words Daniel lived by. Now that we lay him to rest we know he will be focusing in answering all the mysteries only solvable in the after life like: Is there wifi in heaven? if there is, is it faster than google fiber? is it free? if it isn’t what is heavens currency? Is God right handed or left handed? How fast can you fly? Can you fly any faster? Can you use your halo ring as a cup holder? Every mystery as enigmatic as the other. Before dying Daniel requested that he’s funeral had to be kept lighthearted and as cheerful as possible, a close reflection of how he lived life, if he’s request is not fulfilled the threat of being haunted at nights is real. Don’t take life so seriously… Was life a joke for him? Not at all, Daniel just had a way of enjoying life in which foolishness was as important as seriousness. How is that possible? Taking life seriously was not equivalent to being dull and boring, to him life was a fun ordeal even when presented with difficulties. That’s not to say he was always a ray of sunshine. He had he’s demons and struggled through life with them. He never really was able to free himself from them but eventually learned to control them. Even as he felt beaten by them at one point in his life he took it upon himself not to be defined by them. Even when he had a life motto that reflected the contrary he was a responsible and hard worker, he enjoyed his work and always tried to be in a place where he would never feel suffocated by his professional life. He had his goals set and thrived to achieve them. Even when he failed in some he would not be defeated, he would always move forward. Things for which we will always remember him by was his sense of humor, his charisma, his passion towards the things he liked, his ambition in life and his love for those that surrounded him. He would always try to be happy or at least project happiness, even when that feeling did not come from inside, he felt as if he appeared happy it would set a cheerful tone for those around him and that would be a reassuring feeling for him. He was a great friend, he would always try to be there for those who needed one. Even though he was not the best son and brother at times, he loved his parents and his sisters to the very core. He was a loving “partner’’ you could see his face light up when he was beside his partner (still girlfriend hoping for something more) he loved her even more than life itself. Daniel you’ve lived a restless life it is time now for your eternal rest.
Defining my Fear have a a sure thing but so far my father has pushed me into the family business, intriguing business and I would like to continue my father’s legacy in it. So far II’vedoit ishadnotanalmost 5 years under his wing learning the ropes and I like it. Regardless of that, I
ventured myself into an entrepreneurial path 4 years ago consisting of social media at first later it migrated into a creative agency working in advertising and branding for companies. I consider myself as creative as I am logical, so far I’ve had to jobs in completely different industries, and enjoyed them both I know at some point I will have to commit fully to one of them and that means leaving the other behind. As up right now I have no idea which one I wish to pursue or if both at all. Advertising and branding hold a great joy for me it’s something that has no routine and lets my brain work in crazy ways. Yet advertising is a saturated market and I find myself and the company in a really uncomfortable situation within the competition. I am caught in the middle of freelancers that are cheap but have little effectiveness to their clients and the big advertising companies who are renowned and have large clientele but are expensive. Regarding the other business I think I would never have considered getting into that type of business if it weren’t for my father. At this point I find myself in the crossroads of a really big decision and know that either one I take will have benefits and repercussions. The worst things that could happen for me is due to my lack of knowledge of the financial world I will burn my fathers business to the ground or at some point finding out I don’t enjoy it. In the case of the other business it might burn me to the ground or leave me broke.
RIP Some happy years, of happy birth, were spent by me with friends on earth. Altho I’m gone to worlds unknown, I hope to meet you all again. Here lays Daniel Kachler Loving Son Brother Husband Father Friend 1989-20??
YOUR FEAR
STRATEGY TO MITIGATE RISK
WAY BACK TO STATUS QUO
Failing in a business.
Before taking any decision I must weigh my options and seek help from those I consider mentors. My father is someone that could lead me in the right path.
As an entrepreneur one must be able to adapt to adversities, failure being one of them. Being an entrepreneur means I should be able to get back on track even if it means starting a new venture.
Having to start all-over not knowing if I still have time to start over.
One of the best ways I can avoid this is knowing when to cash in my chips. If at any point I see that failure is inevitable but I am able to for see it I must step back before hitting the ground. Avoid at all cost going back to zero.
There is no good or bad time for failure obviously its better for it to come at a point when you still have the energy, resources and time to rebuild. Ventures have risen from people that most would consider beyond their prime its not about timing its about having the right attitude towards a bad situation.
Hating my job
I’ve enjoyed my two jobs so far for very distinct reasons and I know the moment I have to choose one I must consider which I will really enjoy the most from a logical and emotional point of view.
There might be 2 reasons to hate my job its getting out of me more than I am getting out of it or I just don’t enjoy the day to day work. In the first case I must find a new path in the second case if its producing enough I must make my money work for me and find more time to enjoy outside the office doing what I like (4 hour work week)
Passing up on other life projects for not including them in my options.
Consider the cost of opportunity of those projects I have on paper and don’t dismiss them the moment I have to choose my calling.
If some of those projects are still viable, if I reach a point where my money is working for me it might be possible to develop them.
Losing control of myself
Having bipolar disorder it is really easy for me to lose control and that has serious repercussions on all aspects of my life. I must be able to stay in control by being aware of the signs of the next episode.
If there is an episode I must seek the appropriate help and get back on the horse as soon as possible.
PLANING FOR FINANCIAL FREEDOM
Bucket List • Fly a plane to a different continent. • See the northern lights. • Cave diving. • Be in Alaska for a long period (longer than a month or at least a month). • Create one thing that leaves an eternal legacy. • See a tornado. • Learn to play the piano. • Live a EDM festival. • Do a dessert race (dune buggy or motorcycle). • Surf in Hawaii
Succes Story When I first entered the university even though my stay was not long there as an assignment we where given the task of developing a method for helping each other as a class to succeed in the course of our four years. I proposed a virtual collaboration platform that would allow students to interact and help each other. Even though it had high praises it was denied since it was just on paper and not a developed project. I proposed to have the system ready in a week. Using an open source platform and various APIs I was able to create a platform that would allow students to share documents (.jpg, .docx, .doc, .xls, .ppt and .pdf), have a collective calendar that will allow us to have all our assignments listed by date and send reminders to your smart phone, contacts, blog and a chat room that system was used throughout the 4 year period my class mates took to graduate.
Markatable Skills • Being convincing. • Problem solving. • Good at reading people. • If I don’t know how to do something I will figure it out. • Fast learner. • Extremely punctual.
Choosing your role models Inspiring Story Words Failed Him found this story truly inspiring. I always have been a fan of Cinderella stories and underdogs, but something I truly appreciate from Tom Harken is the fact that he chose not to be an underdog to the eyes of others. His struggles were real yet intimate. He chose to go about life with a problem that he never allowed to define him and keep it to himself in a way that his merits would be as humane as any other’s achievements. He did not play the pity card and the fact that he rose to the top keeping his challenge in utter secrecy makes it even more amazing. Sometimes we are willing to over glorif y ones achievements based on the fact that the person has a disadvantage, something I don’t see as wrong it just may seem a little condescending at times and it takes merit away from the actual achievement. Tom was able to get to the top and later revealed his challenge, the fact that no one knew about his problem just adds upon his success
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Least Inspiring She Gave New Shape to the Shoe Business his story I find does not posses enough to be powerful or striking to me. Yes she had success, yes it took a lot to start the business in that industry against the big guys and yes I can appreciate the fact that she found an opportunity in a problem few people saw. But still for some reason I did not feel much after reading this story. I probably found it a bit distasteful that at some point she used the fact she was abused to capitalize on the business and found a bit ridiculous the fact that she sent a finished product to retailers without first seeing the end product. That is not a set back that’s a bad mistake. It’s not that I don’t feel positive feelings towards her accomplishments. Believe me I do anybody who is capable of finding success in the business world deserves my respect, but I still can’t actually put my finger on why is it that this story had little to no effect on me, it really just might be that I feel the other stories cast a bigger
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HOW DO I TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG? Ethical Framework
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find virtue ethics to be my appropriate framework. I think freedom is a powerful right. I need to believe that it is inalienable and that I will be able to live about with that freedom. I also understand my freedom ends where the other person’s freedom starts. I think this framework sounds satisfying enough the moment it talks about its goal being: leading a good life. That is a goal I constantly strive for. It may sound selfish to have as a goal to lead a good life, it might sound like my surroundings don’t concern me; yet I do find that for me to lead a good life I must look for those that are around me to live one as well. Its a balance thing. I guess one way of seeing it is a Star Wars metaphor, if there is a disturbance in the force it can be felt. That is how I see life in some sense. I want to think that the decisions I make are reflections of my moral fiber, even when I’ve made some questionable ones admitting them and accepting the repercussions are what might make a lapse of bad judgement still a way for me to project my virtues.
Greed
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think the distribution of my supply of gasoline is really up to me, as a business man I must look at it as a case of supply and demand. I would be willing to inflate prices on the gas instead of bidding it. I don’t want to generate chaos due to a bidding war but I would inflate costs, first because I don’t know when I will be selling fuel again. I want to have a cushion in my income. Second if the price is higher buyers will limit themselves to buy only to satisfy necessities as opposed to just taking the product for granted. It’s very different for a doctor to have to go to work than a teenager
with disposable income to want to go for a joy ride. I want to know even while I am satisfying my needs my decisions are still leading to a grater good.
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f those a re t business he wages they wo w u probably f ith them that wou ld be receiving I w ld basicall o eel bad be y be subs uld definitely not cause aft I would fe e id go r iz el obliged a to walk aw ll something is bet ing a slave camp. into ter than n I would ay since I ot would be profiting hing but ethically out of unf air trades . his more, at t n e v e d n e con ions a se condit re is an actual slav t of o h t r e d n e righ at the eople u ss with p g about the fact th inciples which is th d I just e in s u b o er go int somethin one of my main pr this is going on an rs. would nev feel obliged to do t es one aware tha al it violat uld them pris point I wo not only is unethic r of business if I am e people that hold as th matte n. That ger just a myself I am as bad centratio n lo o n is it to This freedom. on them and keep k c a turn my b
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THE MODEL EMPLOYEE
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hen it comes to business we often find ourselves in situation where our emotions come into play in certain decisions. If we invest to much of our emotions and let them mix with our oper-
ations we will suffer the consequences. We must keep everything in perspective, in this case we are talking about turning a business into a charity. If someone can not keep up with the curve it is not our responsibility to subsidize that person. A business is a trade, for me to be able to generate an economical value in someones life I must be getting something back in return. Keeping that person employed might only be a way of sponsoring my sleep since probably I won’t feel guilt if I keep that person but at the same time I would be creating an unfair situation for the rest of the company and even more I could be jeopardizing the greater good. I feel the appropriate decision is to fire that person.
I Would Nevermm • I would never steal. • I would never betray the trust of a loved one. • I would never make promises I can’t keep. • I would never cheat or cut corners in life. • I would never jeopardize someones freedom for my own benefit. Boundries I Might be Tempted to Cross • I might be tempted to betray my ethics to turn a quick profit. • I might be tempted to cheat he government under the pretext that they cheat all the time. • I might be tempted to let someone behind in my road to success even when that person helped me along the way. • I might be tempted to abstain myself from helping someone in need even when I have the means to help. • I might be tempted to let the means justify the end.
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mazingly enough I found one of the circles that needs the most improvement is my family and probably my girlfriend. I guess I grow used to being with them Which circle (physically and/or emotionally) thus making us less needs the most sensitive to them. I am lead to think that just because I talk with them for improvement a while I am building the relationship while all I am doing is just keeping up with the social pleastlantries that go along with having a relationship and being part of a family. Sometimes that lack of sensitivity leads to a certain level of detachment.
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’ve had that struggle before, sometimes I become self absorbed in my professional life and I lose touch with the people that surround me. I think it has to do in part with my ambition and in another sense that work keeps me grounded I am not antisocial in any way sometimes I feel that my social and interpersonal life can Life and get in the way of my goals. To find that balance I think I need to see my interpersonal life as part of entrepreneurial my entrepreneur development, pursuit setting goals in all aspects of my life, even goals as small as having a meaningful conversation with my mom once a week or spending time with my younger sister with whom I’ve lost touch a bit once a month, or even focusing on really engaging in a conversation with my girlfriend at an emotional level even though we talk every day.
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he relationship I would like Relationship to improve the most is that needs with my mom I think with improvement school and work and social engagements its been a really long time since I’ve actually spent quality time with her.
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I have a great network, I really hold it as a great asset for me. I know a lot of people in diverse industries with different positions. I’ve been able to rub elbows with some of the great CEOs in Guatemala I hold strong connections with managers in different departments of different companies. It is a network so complete that usually if I want to get to a company I will always know someone that can lead me to the right people. Loose ties were the connections that I found more challenging to complete. I guess I do have people in my network that can be considered loose ties, Just think I’ve never really approached them. In these cases its a matter of time and place. I usually don’t like to talk about business or similar subjects unless I am aware that is going to be the conversation, I like to be approached by digital methods of communication, I like them to be straight to the point. I hate it when people are ambiguos on what they want or need, when they say I just have this project… as if I was going to steal an idea or I am not trustworthy of their project. I like it when people are concise and I know that a connection will be mutually beneficial for the person that wants the connection and the one I am connecting them to. One screw up and they will never in their lifes get help out of me.
INTERVIEW WITH ABE KLEINFELD It’s been a long journey for you to get where you are what steps did you take to get here? Even as I see education as something secondary to skills, I think some aspects of life and some professional trades require to learn some skills that just can’t be learnt as you go. Skills like leadership, being decisive, sales, among others are skills that come natural to many; but for my profession and the various aspects I had to go through to get where I am required an under grad in business and a graduate degree in computer science. Now that you’ve told me about that path tell me what have you done professionally and what are you doing now? Having gone to Stanford and being based in Palo Alto, entrepreneurial life comes natural I’ve founded 3 software companies all three went public and I cashed out always a while after their IPOs. I’ve been a CEO on another software company and a cyber security firm. I remain a board member in all 5 companies. In 2013 I announced my retirement from the security firm, and was able to spend 14 whole months as a retiree. After those 14 months neither my wife nor I could stand me so I decided to have a go at building one last company and
founded my own cyber security firm on which I serve as CEO and chairman of the board. You’ve been really vague with company names can you name me the companies? Not all of them are worth mentioning but among them are Odesta Systems, nCircle Inc. and now GridGain.
All your companies revolve around computer science. At what point did you know that was what you were going to do for the rest of your life? I guess since I decided to study computer science. Even though we didn’t have a broad idea or vision of what computer science would amount to I always had a gut feeling that was the future. I was surrounded by people and peers that had the same vision for the computer industry. I think those are the people that have shaped it. It wasn’t so much about predicting the future it was mostly about creating it. Even so I had no idea how big the industry would be at the time I was just a hippie jumping not on a capitalist wagon but a revolutionary one.
How much is in the tank before the next retirement? I think their will be no retirements probably just sabbaticals or downsizing in my position in the company. Who knows, right now I’m just too aware of the fact that I cannot be passive in life I need to be really active. I think you are what most would call a workaholic. Does that affect you in your personal life? Not at all I have no kids in respect to family I am happily married and that is as far as it goes. With my wife we get to rip the benefits of my labor. We love doing excursions in California and surrounding states and enjoy time together. I also get to have all the toys I want and so does she. Is their time for hobbies in your personal life? Of course. I love photography and I don’t know if you can call it a hobby but I love all my toys and gadgets. Lately I got into drones and have had a blast with them even after loosing one already. So I know you work long hours and you are obviously not retiring any time soon, you say you can downsize in your position at the company, but wouldn’t you prefer to work less hours kind of part time? Wont you burn out? I think you are calling me old. Not at all I just think that if you considered retirement once is either age which isn’t your case or you just have reached a point where you have accomplished enough to take it easy.
Ok just checking. I have considered less hours in fact I have reduced my work hours. I think I am just afraid people will eventually figure out I’m really not that important in the company. But you are the CEO and president… [Laughs] I know right now I have reduced my hours to a point where I am working in a I am needed basis. We have this fucked up culture where we will go all day feeding ourselves the idea that we are busy when in reality we are not we just want to seem like we are because that is the idea society has of a job. Ok changing the subject a little bit. What has been you biggest ethical dilemma in your professional career so far? Mmmmmm… Not really, no. I think to have an ethical dilemma we must question are ethics. I have many aspects in my life as a business that do not allow me to question my ethics. One is that I am in charge of so many people’s jobs infringing on my ethics might lead to serious repercussions. Second in the aspect of company trading I must keep a really strict code of ethics. When you are selling a company or doing an IPO there is so much money on the table and so easy to take it it’s insane. But there are rules and breaking them for wanting to be a greedy bastard, those ten seconds of greed can give you up to 25 years in prison. Third I work in cyber security, the keyword here is security if you doubt your ethics at any point in a professional aspect don’t even think about working any type of security. A bad lapse of judgement in ethic terms can not cost you a client it can cost you the whole company.
I’ve seen it many times before. Can you tell me your definition of a calling? Ummm like right now Skyping? Are you serious? Ummmmmm… hard one I will have to get back to you on that one. Ok this subject might come as a little odd and out of nowhere but can you remember a time when you where courageous in your professional life? That question is a little cheesy isn’t it? I guess, but any answer? Not that I can think off right now Ok so obviously you have stuff to do because your answers are just getting worse. Last question. How do you want to be remembered, for what reasons and by who? I think legacy is a little over rated nevertheless I guess the thought of it comes natural to everyone. I think I would like to be remembered for my personality I like to think of myself as an easygoing, nice, humorous, right and fair. I would also like to pass on my hardworking persona to people who have worked with me and may eventually refer me as a mentor. I think I want to be remembered by my loved ones, friends, colleges and peers, but also I think I want to be remembered by my family: your father (depending on who goes first), your mom, you and your sisters, and Jan Marie (his wife). Thank you Abe great insights.
You are welcome talk to you soon.