Challenge your Assumptions

/ Alec / 1 Comment

Anytime you move your world goes upside down for awhile. Combine that with some 30 hour flights to Vietnam and you get a chance to reflect on the particulars of how you got where you are.

We all make assumptions. A recent major assumption for me was that I was going to live and build companies in Vermont for the rest of my life. Vermont was the place I always loved coming home to. Then came along a change at gun point where I need to move. I researched, fretted, and made the move to New Hampshire. I hate moving it is a colossal time suck you just don’t get back.

But over the last few weeks I kept getting surprised. Daily. I have been confronted that many of my cherished assumptions have been wrong.

Assumption: Vermont was the perfect place for me to live

I still love VT and always will as it is a special place. But the facts of my move are starting to pile up in the most disturbing ways:

  • My cost of living is significantly less: Housing, utilities, food, insurance, eating out
  • I live near the ocean which I’m liking more than the lake
  • I pay less in taxes (both property and overall)
  • I now live near two airports with better (direct) and cheaper flight options
  • I can walk to the train from my house and be in Boston in a little over an hour where I can see a game, visit museums, or grab some great food. Which I have done way more than I thought I would.
  • I’ve been to a lot more good concerts in NH/Boston then I went to in VT
  • People are ridiculously friendly. As in the NYC’er in me needs to pinch myself regularly. You should taste the handmade chocolates my neighbors brought me if you need proof.
  • My shopping options are better. Two Home Depots, Lowes, Target, Trader Joes, and real outlets across the river in Maine (I’ll admit I’ve been to the Crate Barrel twice already).
  • There is a lot more tech and software related people to grab a meal with.

I could keep going but you get the point and I’m not saying NH is perfect. Far from it. Here I was bummed I need to make the move from VT to NH. Boy was I wrong. Really wrong. The kind of wrong where you lie away at night and go, “What other assumptions have I made that are totally wrong”.

The move has been refreshing in the most unexpected ways. More importantly it has challenged me to go look at my personal assumptions and go test them. Test them rigorously. It is funny because in both marketing and software development we do this regularly. I guess I have not applied this as well to my personal life. So, if you happen by to grab a meal in Portsmouth/Boston come ready to work with me on those assumptions. As I for one have a lot more work to do but that’s why the 30 hour flight home from Vietnam is so useful.

Moving to NH

/ Alec / 1 Comment

Moving is always a bitter-sweet decision. I love VT but after twelve years in Vermont it is time for new adventures.

The move was forced on me by the Vermont’s recent decision to pass a Cloud Tax.  As most things I doubt our legislators fully understand the wheels they have set in motion but that is a story for another post. As a serial entrepreneur I’ve been fortunate to be part of four high growth companies during my time in VT. Collectively they added some 200+ jobs to the Vermont economy.

I learned early on that VT was a different place when I lived and worked in the Mad River Valley and Don Mayer of Small Dog was denied the ability to keep his business open late a few extra days a year.

For years my love of the people, place, entrepreneurial spirit, great food, and endless outdoor escapes kept me from properly looking at the facts of running a business here in Vermont.

Data points I came to consider:

But we LOVE Vermont. I know I always will too. But it became crystal clear to me talking and listening to our politicians that my love of place was blinding me from the true costs of doing business here.

I started my research by comparing NY, NV, MA, and NH to Vermont.

 I was surprised by what I found. Even Massachusetts was a better place to do business than VT.  Then you start looking at the softer factors. Good Universities, strong Tech community, hospital ratings, cost of housing, access to airports, tax credits, business laws, and cost of living. The facts start to pile up and burst most of my preconceived notions.

So, I’m moving to New Hampshire against my will at first but as I dig in I keep getting pleasantly surprised. Both the State of NH and the local NH tech community has been incredibly supportive.

As of July I will return to being an out of state visitor to the Green Mt. state and a joyful resident of NH. I will always love VT but I encourage fellow Vermonters to take a look at the numbers and ask if we can’t do better on some areas than NY, MA, and NH how the hell is VT going to compete with China and India?  The game has gone global and we need all the advantages we can get.