Total Rethink

13Connecting Computers to One Another

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

—Peter Drucker

It was the end of the eighties, and Jim Finnegan and I were mulling over what our next move should be over lunch, after getting paid for the Cablevision job.

“Jim,” I said, “the construction business sucks.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, think about it. We have to bid to be given the job, which is hard, then we have to actually do the work, which is a ball-breaker, then we have to fight to get paid and after we get paid, we have to start the whole process over again. We need to find a business that will provide us with recurring revenue, something where once we find a customer, they keep paying us on a regular basis.”

“Agreed,” Jim said, “but what business should that be?” Jim always thought better over food. He is the only person I have known who would buy a pizza to eat while he thought about what he was going to order for lunch. He wasn't fat, just tall and athletic. He was a better student and a better athlete than me. He had a full scholarship to Yale and was going to play basketball there, but he quit the team in his senior year over a dispute with the coach – all he had to do was agree with the coach, but he refused to move on principle – my type of man, a man of integrity. He had also told me he wouldn't apply to Georgetown University, as having one less person for me to compete against would help my chances. That type of honor, his balls, and his thoughtfulness made ...