1987, I was 19, invited a girl (from the same tech highschool I had just finished) to watch Crocodile Dundee (not a date). Yes I know, this is a 1986 movie, but in the age when movies travelled in reels, releases took time to arrive in Brazil.
Arrived at her home, she was still showering. Her older sister (25 years old, just out of college, a Pharmacist) invited me in for a coffee.
Had a coffee with her and their mother. I was mesmerized by older sister. I had given up dating girls about my age, because too much immature fantasy romance. This girl was independent, bewitchingly intelligent, and beautiful.
I was too intimidated to invite her to join us. In my mind, she would answer “oh, sorry, my fiancee is about to arrive” or something like that, which would have crushed me.
So the younger sister finally shows up and invites her to join. She (thinking I was interested in younger sister) asks me “is that ok?” “YES YES Please!”.
We went out as friends for some months, then dated for 7 years, while I went through college and got a stable job. Married in 1994.
We’re still together, two “kids” (23 year old Nurse degree and 25, 1 year to finish med school).
I did a lot of awesome things in life, but so far the most extraordinary, happened by pure chance, life changing, fortunate, unlock secret ultimate quest event was meeting my wife.
I was invited to Valve’s Game Developers Conference after party. I met Felicia Day and swing danced with her. She’s super fucking cool. During that same GDC, I started interviewing at Riot Games and ended up getting hired by them.
There’s other fun stuff I’ve proactively done, but I think that’s the big one that happened to me
I answered a ringing payphone in an otherwise empty train station. Life goal achieved!
I also spent a week surviving in the wilderness a couple times, slept out for multiple days in below-zero temperatures, built and slept in a snow-dome shelter, and so on, but that’s just life in the Scouts.
And I judged the world’s largest annual scavenger hunt for years.
A woman whose son was supposed to be there waiting for the train. She sounded really annoyed; obviously he wasn’t there.
Wait, what happened when you answered? Did it start the plot of payphone?
Thank you! I was really tempted to try to put moves on her, but I was in a relationship at the time. When I got home and told the story, my girlfriend at the time said she totally would have given me a pass. I have regrets. Of course, I probably would have failed anyway, but it’s fun to think about.
When I lost my virginity it was with two girls at the same time. Life has been going downhill ever since.
Somebody offered to buy the company I founded…and we sold it!
Was a fun experience to go through and now I have a decent nest egg to fall back on in case something else I do doesn’t work out.
It was mostly luck, but the company that bought us still uses the product today, so I guess it was a good deal for all involved.
How old was the company? What industry? How many staff? Much revenue?
I want to get started on something, but there seems to be a well established and well funded competitor operating locally for every bloody idea haha
I feel you, I just started my second venture and it’s a doozy trying to find that sweet spot of new idea and something someone will actually buy/use.
To answer your other questions: about 2 yrs old, healthcare technology, like 4 of us, minimal revenue but growing 20% or so MoM. I would have classified us as an early stage startup. If we didn’t get acquired, we probably would have tried to raise a seed round soon after.
I got to stage dive at a packed concert, like 4 times. There were a bunch of other people doing it and it seemed like the band playing was even encouraging people to, so I just had to squeeze my way to the front of the crowd and climb up on stage to try it myself. It was just as much fun as I imagined. The other people there were really cool about it too and helped jumpers get caught/let down safely
