My third week at Kikori has been just as memorable as the previous two. I truly feel as though I am an equally valued member of the team, which is an aspect of the job I had not anticipated. The main tasks for this week have been funneled towards fundraising and developing a Pilot Program for the app. I can now speak in a fairly eloquent manner about the details of initiating a Kickstarter campaign - in relation to their percentage of taxable income, necessary promotional content to enhance the likelihood of success, and appropriate tertiary levels for the organization and development of reward and contribution systems. Furthermore, I drafted financial models in anticipation of future revenue streams. The models are summarized by a dashboard broken up by 2020 targets, actuals, and deltas for our budget to actuals, cash flow summary, and our profit and loss summary. These models are paired with graphs to help further visualization of these specific analytics. Additionally, supplemental sheets have been prepared which progress into further details of metrics, revenues, expenses, and hiring plans build off of a “base-case” and “worst-case” estimation.
My anticipation for the launch of our Kickstarter campaign and Pilot Program is met with the realization that actual revenue streams will soon become a commonality among the team. The thought of all of the hard work and dedication since Kikori’s inception finally come to fruition is not only satisfying but rewarding for all of the individuals who have aided this process along the way. The traction that I envision is incredibly substantial and thrilling to attempt to comprehend. My thirst for the start-up ecosystem has only been further dramatized after this increased exposure. I look forward to the next eventful few weeks and the world of hectic yet exciting metamorphosis of the company as we know it today.
This week, one particular moment stood out to me. I was fortunate enough to attend an advisor meeting with Kendra in downtown Portsmouth at a coffee shop (with outdoor seating). Aside from the beauty of going to a coffee shop, a luxury I had never quite appreciated prior to the pandemic, I felt particularly fortuitous to have been granted the opportunity to observe as two very accomplished individuals discussed the future of Kikori along with tangible goals set in place to reach this vision. A unique moment that caught me off guard, was the advisor’s comment in relation to our preceding meeting. He stated, “It was the first time I had ever been the only male in a meeting. I was surrounded by a group of powerful and intelligent women, it was awesome.” His account sparked a deep train of thoughts and allowed me to consider the uniqueness of Kikori and the dynamic of my situation. It is incredibly rare to work for a female CEO and even more so when the company falls within the technology industry.
Up until this moment, I have never had a female boss, let alone an entire team of female superiors. I call in to a weekly meeting with a group of successful and admirable women and never considered the gravity of this instance. It is unclear where I will end up career-wise in the coming years, however this has a strong capability to be one of the few times I find myself in this position - or potentially the only time. Going forward, I will actively cherish this space and look towards seeking roles of similar situations or engage equal representation in the work place.
