Day 3: Choices and County Fairs: Ashland, VA to Mineral, VA

40 miles (64 km) – Total so far: 178 miles (286 km) Last night, as I rolled into the campground I met three fellow bike tourers. John, from Peoria and a married couple from Switzerland, Ruedi & Heida. We all headed out to a Pizza Hut for dinner. Where I proceeded to convince them toContinue reading “Day 3: Choices and County Fairs: Ashland, VA to Mineral, VA”

Day 2: Battlefields and Bailing Weight: Jamestown, VA to Ashland,VA

63 miles (101 km) – Total so far: 138 miles (222 km) Camping the first night after a strenuous ride was great. I slept soundly and woke up with only minor soreness. As I mussed about with getting my stuff all organized and packed away I thought again, ‘I’ve got too much crap’. Less stuffContinue reading “Day 2: Battlefields and Bailing Weight: Jamestown, VA to Ashland,VA”

Day 1- Atlantic Dip and Across Rivers: Virginia Beach to Jamestown

Virginia Day 1- Jamestown, VA Day 2- Ashland, VA Day 3- Mineral, VA Day 4- Afton, VA Day 5- Vesuvius, VA Day 6- Natural Bridge, VA Day 7- Christianburg, VA Day 8- Wytheville, VA Day 10- Rosedale, VA Day 11- Duffield, VA Day 12- Cumberland National Park, VA Day 1- Atlantic Dip and Across Rivers:Continue reading “Day 1- Atlantic Dip and Across Rivers: Virginia Beach to Jamestown”

Day 0: The incredible adventures of getting a recumbent bike to VA Beach

Getting a ‘bent 1,000 miles and setup at the end of the day is a beast. The adventure started yesterday with an early cab ride to O’hare to pick up a minivan. Fortunately they upgraded my minivan to a large 8 passenger. Which turns out to be critically valuable because the bike just barely fit.Continue reading “Day 0: The incredible adventures of getting a recumbent bike to VA Beach”

Equipment list: Optimizing function, weight, and comfort instead of cost

This original equipment list post has been replaced by my final equipment list and a section on what changed.  Check out the new list here: Final Equipment List     ————————————Original Post Below ——————————–     I’m combining a minimalist mentality with an ultralight backpacking gear outlook. I’ve based my purchases on three criteria: function,Continue reading “Equipment list: Optimizing function, weight, and comfort instead of cost”

What and Why?: A trip from East to West across the US and the reasons for the journey

Me I’m quitting my job and riding my bike from Virginia to California! Straw Man Wow. Sounds amazing. But what are you trying to accomplish with this trip? Me I have three goals for this trip: First, I hope to spend a lot of time in reflection, contemplation, and prayer about the direction of the next stage ofContinue reading “What and Why?: A trip from East to West across the US and the reasons for the journey”

From 1 to 50 employees. The early days at GrubHub

Bootstrapping my business from 1 to 5,000 employees has been a wild ride.  The nature of the business has changed a lot.  As it has, I’ve had to stay on my toes to adapt to the new realities.  There have been shifts in the nature of my work as I’ve needed to raise my ownContinue reading “From 1 to 50 employees. The early days at GrubHub”

After $81 million in investment, some things are the same & some things are different

Well, it’s high time I share some of what I’ve learned over the last year, 81 million million dollars, and 200ish additional employees. And here it is: some things are different; some things are the same.

Opportunity vs Focus is the key struggle of the entrepreneur

Simplicity is necessary for excellent execution. Excellent execution is necessary for bringing a product to market. The flash of insight that starts the ball rolling is the critical big bang, but that same insight adds complexity, which is anathema to excellent execution.