The Man Who Owns the Internet

Just a Cover Story

I was in Hawaii on a spring family vacation. One of my favourite places. My childhood memory ingrained in me that Hawaii was paradise. We have a family ritual to spend loving time there. Eventually I wish to be a ‘snowbird’ and live in Hawaii for 3 months of the year.

I was about to write to Paul Sloan, the reporter of Business 2.0, that I don’t want to be part of the article he wished to write.

Just then, a new message came in from Paul. He told me he was excited and had just booked his flight to Vancouver.

I paused my email and then decided to delete it and replied to Paul that I would love to host him.

In the ensuing meeting, he asked me so many great questions. I asked him not to write about certain topics like our Cameroon venture, that he was so curious about. I thought it was a great experience and looked forward to a nice article in Business 2.0, my favourite magazine back then. It had inspired me a lot in my early days, hearing how entrepreneurs overcame adversity and came up with novel solutions to obstacles they faced.

Weeks later, Paul called me and asked me to sit down as he had some big news. The chief editor wanted to make our story the cover story. I said, “No, I don’t want to be famous. I just want to have credibility in an inside article.”

Paul said he had more news and to brace myself.

Just Half My Face

He said that my face would be on the cover. 

I asked Paul Sloan if he had written anything bad about me. His response: “Nobody knows you so we introduced the most interesting aspects of you and what you’ve done. Now that people know you, this is where they either lift you up or tear you down.”

I resigned myself to the fact that I would be recognized. I was both happy but also disappointed. Reflective and mind racing. What would this mean for me? For my family? For my future? A turn of events unexpected yet not unanticipated.

Did you ever have the feeling that you would one day matter? That you were destined to do more than what you were doing? That feeling deep in your heart, however buried it might be?

We call that a DREAM. Seemingly like fantasy, just a cloud seen briefly, that fades into the heavens when not acted up, when not believed, when not realized.

Dream and believe. Believe in your dreams. Believe in yourself. Believe in that higher power that brings it all together.

Fame. I want to live forever in Books. TV Interviews. Dragon’s Den. Autographs. Oh no.

Once the magazine came out, the barrage of emails, letters, requests came fast and furious. My response. Ignore them all. My friend even bought many copies of the magazine and asked me to sign them. What? That seemed so odd but in retrospect, makes a lot of sense. Starstruck were the people around me.

TV interviews, major newspapers worldwide including our local newspapers, The Vancouver Sun, The Province, major magazines were all requesting interviews. No replies from me. They printed front page stories based on the cover story anyways.

I received copies of newspapers around the globe that had me on the front page.

But the best part is almost a decade later when I heard the impact my story had on young students and entrepreneurs in India and China. They were inspired to become entrepreneurs. I met them at a domain conference and they had a staff of 50 people.

He said my story had filled most of the front page of India Times and part of the second page. Wow.

The Fear of Success is greater than the Fear of Failure

But why did I neglect all this media attention when most people and companies tried sometimes desperately to attain this moment?

Later on, someone told me about the fear of success is just as real as the fear of failure.

Read the rest of my story at Ham.com along with my life lessons then and now (only a few minutes more but I hope will help you in your life)