Derek Kreunen was the head boy of Mondeor High who started the innovative Ixchange around the time Moneyweb began back in 1997. Even though he now lives in the USA, we’ve kept in contact on and off ever since. His letter after hearing of my departure from Moneyweb deserves a wider audience. It inspires me. Hopefully you too.
Hi Alec,
I saw your announcement on Facebook.
I still remember when you started the company and our conversations at our offices with you researching having your own financial website. Thank you for all the years at Moneyweb providing us with informed, relevant and trustworthy insight into South Africa’s financial world. You leave having built Moneyweb to be one of the icons of South African industry. An enormous achievement and one that you would have hardly believed all those years ago when we chatted about your new venture.
From personal experience I know how tough it is, when something like that happens, to not feel emotional about it and the symptoms of shock that is a natural response. With time, there is the realization that it is also a wonderful opportunity to start the next chapter of your life that you would not have necessarily pursued without this opportunity.
If we could have a cup of coffee together I would share with you my experience of life after FrontRange (Ixchange). After launching and growing FrontRange in South Africa in the exciting and tumultuous tech years from 1996 to 2006, my next challenge was to see if I can do it again, only this time time stepping up to compete here in the US in the “majors” – in the most exciting market in the world for a software company like ours: JustEnough (www.justenough.com).
Also, to do it this time without the easy money that comes from a rabid stock price to sell to investors i.e. by instead, building the company from the ground up brick-by-brick. It has not been easy and has taken every ounce of our focus and energy but it has also been enormously exciting and rewarding. I’m sure your next venture will be the same because of who you are and where we both come from.
You will also remember the interview you published that you had with Jannie Mouton and how his experience worked out for him.
As Steve Jobs said at his famous Stanford Commencement Address:
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path; and that will make all the difference.”
Regards
Derek
