A Year In Review

Writing is always the first thing that gives, whether we’re having a bumper month or a ton of trouble with our architecture and product - it seems as though there is always an excuse not to write about it...

This was definitely the case last year, where I published a grand total of zero posts. I write as much for ‘future me’ as anyone else and I don’t want to look back on 2014 in a decades time and ask myself - “wait, what the hell happened that year?!”. In fact, a lot went on...

Sqwiggle

This deserves (and will get) a post or two for itself, needless to say it was a year far from smooth sailing and chock full of events.

I feel as though we experienced the entire startup lifecycle several times over from the post-raising hiring spree, a traction plateau and a trip through the infamous ‘valley of death’... much more to come on this.

Personal

On a personal level, 2014 was my most travelled year so far, and almost none of it planned more than a month in advance. It's fantastic having our company set up in a way that makes this possible...

• January - Starting the year with a week in New York
• February - Lake Tahoe for our first company retreat
• March - My first SXSW experience in Austin, Texas
• April - Two weeks in Berlin checking out the scene
• May - Back to England for two weeks sorting out visa
• June - Moved back to San Francisco
• September - Two weeks in Beijing and Hong Kong
• November - Exploring Los Angeles for a quick break
• December - A long weekend in Seoul for a speaking slot and christmas in England

At the beginning of summer I finally regained my H1B visa and moved back to San Francisco on a more permanent basis, found a room, bought some furniture and a bike.

It’s nice to have somewhere to call home for the first time in 3 years.