One of my favorite movie scenes is from the 2008 film, August. In the film, we follow the main character as he embarks on the process of launching a company in the pre-9/11 month of August. As you can imagine, things went utterly to shit following the demolition of the WTC. You can view the […]
One lesson I’ve learned in my life is that the art of creating things can be a hair-pulling process. Before any great work is written, there are countless moments spent by the writer, staring at a blank screen. The same applies for a piece of art. There can be a good amount of hair pulling […]
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received was from my mentor, Nate. He once told me: ”Aaron, if you can solve somebody’s pain, you can make a product.” Learning this lesson early in my days as an entrepreneur, I had a compass for identifying pain-points in the industry. As a result, I […]
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” George Orwell, Animal Farm (1945) Recently, congresswoman Katie Porter had a riveting back-and-forth with JP Morgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon, regarding pay disparity to Chase employees. She cited an example of a single mother, living in California, who found herself in a monthly […]
“Have I gone mad? I’m afraid so, but let me tell you something, the best people usualy are.” It seems like only yesterday that I sat on a wooden chair in Ohio; seated at Cracker Barrel with my brother, sister, and Mother. During breakfast, my Mom pulled out a handful of family photos. It was […]
Of the six children in the Plaat family, there is one for which I am especially thankful; my big brother, Steve, who happens to have a birthday today. Over the years, Steve has been a rock of support for me. The first Plaat child to leave the state of Ohio, I followed him to California […]
I have to admit, this blog has been long overdue. For many years, I’ve bottled up these words; afraid to speak them, for fear of backlash, judgement, and retribution from loved ones. My concerns are well-founded. Sometimes, you learn what to say and what to hold back in order to advance the ‘better good’ of […]
A traditional figure in Indonesian culture is the Garuda; a mythical bird, often seen carrying a serpent in its’ talons. Carrying the serpent in the talons is representative of the power it has over the serpent. For most of my life, I was raised in a world of fear. Underneath all of the salvation the […]
Ancient Egyptians believed you were asked a series of 42 questions (link) upon entering the Hall of Judgement; the location one travels to upon their death. These questions determined whether or not an individual would pass on to be reborn in the fields of Amenti – where the broken fragments of their soul could be […]
As a follow-up to my previous blog, I’d like to share a poem I recently received from a friend of mine, Peter, who lives on the streets of Portland. Daily, Peter stands outside of Whole Foods, located in the Pearl District, and sells Street Roots newspapers to provide for his daily needs. On an average […]