Human Connection

It’s been a busy month!

My June started with some great family time. We had a graduation celebration followed immediately by the annual family fishing trip in Northern, MN. (Quick PSA - if you’ve never visited Minnesota in the Summer, you are missing out!)

I flew from there to Chicago for a Big Band board meeting. I love connecting with our investors who are great at challenging our thinking and/or pushing us when needed. We also have some new, extended team members who it was great to see in person for the first time. I also got to see a cousin and college roommate while there. I love blending life and work when traveling. 

The next week was a trip to Denver to connect with the SaaS Academy group. My friend and partner in Big Band, Dan Martell, has been running this community for ambitious SaaS Founders who want to challenge themselves to grow both personally and professionally. Below are pictures of me rappelling off of a 450 foot building. Reader, I do not like heights! It’s good that this angle did not capture the fear in my eyes. But, as Dan says, “Life begins at the edge!” Though I was terrified, I felt quite proud to have conquered that fear and challenged myself.

The next week, the whole Big Band crew flew to Philadelphia. This trip was a banger! We got to spend time with the Workzone leadership team (one of our portfolio companies), doing a quarterly business review. We also got to meet Val, our new VP of Customer Success for that business. The team is rocking in business and really fun to hang out with. 

We also got to spend a couple of days with a company that is considering selling to us. I can’t share any details yet (obviously), but this is a group of stars! I love their teamwork and culture and can’t wait to share more once they are (hopefully) part of the Band. 

The whirlwind hasn’t stopped, but I’ve shifted gears. I’m writing this from a plane to FL, where I’ll be spending a week at the beach with my extended family. 30 people across 3 generations in a big house together. We’ve been doing this trip for a while, and I know I’ll come back refreshed and with a whole new batch of great memories. 

Happy Canada Day to our friends up North. And Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans. I hope everyone reading this can enjoy a bit of the life and work joy and IRL experiences that I’ve had in the last 30 days. 

Onward!

Kevin McArdle

THE PLAYLIST (What We're Watching, Reading, and Listening to)

• Searcher Cody Agee breaks down the Stanford 2024 Search Fund Study

• The Knowledge Project - Shane Parrish sits down with Brent Beshore to discuss private equity, how to hire (and fire) CEOs and much more

• The Science of Hitting - “The most important part of hitting is waiting for the right pitch.” - Ted Williams. Warren Buffett distills down on how having an opinion on a few things creates an enormous advantage

Join The Band

We’re building our database with the best leaders and operators out there. If you know exceptionally talented people that may one day want to work with us, please have them get in touch with us at [email protected] or fill out the form on our Connect page.

• WorkZone is hiring a Digital Marketing Manager! If you or anyone you know are interested, feel free to apply directly through LinkedIn here.

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