First Client on Own The Leap

The Third Monday

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The dog and I did the loop at 6:15. I ran the opener the whole way, which I’ve been doing since Thursday, so I’ve been at this five days and I’ve stopped practicing and started pacing. I walked up the driveway and thought: you have now rehearsed this more than you have rehearsed anything in four years. You know the subject line. You know the word in the second paragraph you will change and then change back.

What the Subject Line Is

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I sat down Saturday morning to write the email.

Not to send it. I am aware of the gap between those two things and I have been living in it for two weeks. But I thought: you can at least write a draft. You can open a compose window and see what it says. The calls are not calls you have to make from the office. Start there.

I opened a compose window and typed the name. One of the four non-contingent contacts, someone I have known for 12 years, a relationship I built on my own before I ever worked at this company. She runs operations at a mid-size software company, recently promoted to VP, the kind of role where you are suddenly responsible for renewals at a volume you have never managed before. I know exactly what problem she is having, or going to have. I have watched this problem develop in seven different organizations.

Ready Is Not the Same as Going

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The clearance arrived Tuesday.

Not permission. I know the difference and I keep saying so because I think I need to keep saying it. Legal clearance. The attorney’s opinion, not a guarantee, is that both contingent names fall outside what a court would likely interpret as solicitation under my agreement, provided I reach out after I have actually resigned. The missing exhibit cuts in my favor. I asked eight questions and got answers to seven. The ninth still does not have words.