Aaron Francis

Aaron: https://twitter.com/aarondfrancis
Colleen: https://twitter.com/leenyburger

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Transcript

Aaron

00:00:00 – 00:00:00

Hello, Colleen.

Colleen

00:00:01 – 00:00:02

Hey, Aaron.

Aaron

00:00:02 – 00:00:08

Well, we've almost broken up before, and now we've broken up. It is official.

Colleen

00:00:08 – 00:00:09

Yes. We have.

Aaron

00:00:10 – 00:00:17

Game over. So, lot a lot to talk about here. Where is there anywhere that we could start or do we just start somewhere?

Colleen

00:00:18 – 00:00:23

Yeah. It's kind of a tricky topic. So I feel like we just start somewhere.

Aaron

00:00:23 – 00:00:29

Okay. So the somewhere will be the end. You and I are no longer working together on Hello Query.

Colleen

00:00:29 – 00:00:31

Yes. That's okay. I like it. We're starting from

Aaron

00:00:31 – 00:00:36

the end. Yeah. That is the end. No no reason to bury the leak. Yeah.

Aaron

00:00:36 – 00:00:43

Yeah. So should I guess, now that we know where we're going, we can back up and talk about kinda how we got here.

Colleen

00:00:43 – 00:00:44

Yeah.

Aaron

00:00:44 – 00:01:27

So we've been working on this for, you know, years years years, and it's taken taken twists and turns and, you know, big chunks have been consulting and then no consulting. And, you know, we've been we've been at this for a while. And recently, we did the Hello query pivot out of, like, the refine, you know, drop in component thing. And so for a while, we've just been building at this basically brand new idea that is a, you know, a hosted SaaS. And about a month ago, we started to reach the end of the building of the first phase, but the beginning of, like, the selling and grinding phase.

Aaron

00:01:27 – 00:02:00

And I think I just realized, like, I have been working on this for way too long, and a lot of my enthusiasm and energy has waned for it. And approaching the point where we were gonna have to sell it and support it and add features and maintain uptime. That whole phase, like, was not exciting for me to look forward to. Like, I was kind of dreading that part. And so, you know, it wasn't even like, oh, we're finally almost out of the the grind, and then we'll get to do the fun part.

Aaron

00:02:01 – 00:02:29

For me, it was like, oh, we're almost out of the grind. We get to do the grind for another several years before, like, this thing is able to pay both of our, you know, salaries. And so, you and I had a couple of frank conversations and decided, like, I think we might we might just need to shut this, like, this partnership part down. And now what that means for the product and what you do, I'll let I'll let you talk about. But does that seem does that seem like a good, synopsis of it?

Colleen

00:02:30 – 00:02:48

Yeah. That feels like a good summary. I think when we were when we were trying to figure this out and make this decision, I said to one of my advisors, I said, I hate to walk away right now when we're so close to the finish line. And he said, you're close to the starting line. Like, you're not you're not close to a finish line.

Colleen

00:02:48 – 00:02:50

You're close to a starting line. And I

Aaron

00:02:50 – 00:02:53

think when you told me that, that is what pushed me over the edge.

Colleen

00:02:53 – 00:03:15

Yeah. And I realized, right, we're just we're just stepping up to the starting block here. And you as our CTO and the person writing the code for you to be in the trough of sorrow already before we're starting seemed like a bad place to start with a new business.

Aaron

00:03:15 – 00:03:21

Mhmm. And I think at one point, you also said to me, I think you would be happier if you weren't doing this. And I

Colleen

00:03:22 – 00:03:22

Say that.

Aaron

00:03:22 – 00:03:29

I thought about that for a few days and then came back to you, and I was like, I think you might be right. I think you were super right about that.

Colleen

00:03:30 – 00:03:34

Yeah. So, you know, it sucks, truthfully.

Aaron

00:03:34 – 00:03:35

It sucks. Yeah.

Colleen

00:03:35 – 00:03:44

It sucks. Like, it it it is weird, and I really think at a different time in our lives, we would be a phenomenal partnership.

Aaron

00:03:45 – 00:03:45

Mhmm.

Colleen

00:03:45 – 00:03:54

But I think it's also important to remember when we started working together, you had 0 children, and you're about to have 4 children in a month or 2 months.

Aaron

00:03:54 – 00:03:57

Somehow somehow, I'm about to have 4 children under 3.

Colleen

00:03:57 – 00:04:00

Defies the laws of physics, but Yes.

Aaron

00:04:00 – 00:04:26

Happening. Not natural, truly. Yeah. I think that was another big thing that you and I talked about was, like, what is the next stage of my life going to look like on the on the family front, and how what, like, fits into that, and maintaining critical uptime SaaS and slash building a SaaS slash keeping a full time job and doing a, like, a good job at my full time job. It just the cards, like, it didn't add up.

Aaron

00:04:28 – 00:04:54

And I think, you know, you and I had talked about, like, okay, we could raise more money and then we could go on and do this big, and it just I don't think I don't think my heart was in that road. And so before we, you know, got 5 people using it and relying on it and then turning around and saying, like, wow, we're done with that. I'm glad that we had this, like, come to Jesus moment between the 2 of us.

Colleen

00:04:54 – 00:05:11

Yeah. And I think I mean, I feel like we have just had different levels of intensity approaching this business for a while now. So it's not like this was totally out of nowhere. Mhmm. But I also think that what did I say to you?

Colleen

00:05:11 – 00:05:29

I said to you I was like, if if you don't think this is gonna work, tell me now, not in January, like you just said, when we now we have a little bit of revenue. You're the CTO, and I'm dependent on you completely. I have no other options. And, I think that was a smart decision. Sooner is better.

Colleen

00:05:29 – 00:05:31

If you're gonna break up, life lesson.

Aaron

00:05:32 – 00:05:34

Yeah. Sooner sooner is better. Do it before. Yeah.

Colleen

00:05:34 – 00:05:35

Do it before. Before you get married

Aaron

00:05:35 – 00:05:37

or before you have kids or something like that.

Colleen

00:05:38 – 00:05:47

Right? Yeah. So and to be perfectly frank with with the audience listening who's wondering what's gonna happen, what's gonna happen. Yeah.

Aaron

00:05:47 – 00:05:51

I I I guess it's trash day over there in California. It's trash day. Yeah. I can hear it. That's okay.

Aaron

00:05:51 – 00:05:52

One second.

Colleen

00:05:52 – 00:05:53

I mean, we could just leave this in because

Aaron

00:05:54 – 00:05:55

Yeah. We'll leave it in.

Colleen

00:05:55 – 00:05:57

Just leave it in. It's trash day in California.

Aaron

00:05:57 – 00:05:58

It's trash day.

Colleen

00:05:58 – 00:06:10

I think oh, I was gonna say, I don't actually know what I am going. So I'm sure people are gonna say, what what are you gonna do next? I honestly do not know, And so I cannot speak to that at this time.

Aaron

00:06:10 – 00:06:12

Something great. I'm sure.

Colleen

00:06:12 – 00:06:16

Hopefully, something great. Maybe, you know, maybe that's too much pressure. Maybe just something good.

Aaron

00:06:16 – 00:06:16

Maybe just something good. Maybe just

Colleen

00:06:16 – 00:06:18

something good.

Aaron

00:06:18 – 00:06:36

You you can say that. I will continue to believe it is something great. But, yeah. So next next stages are unclear, for you. I think the only thing that is clear is that you will be doing it without me, which is frankly pretty sad for me.

Aaron

00:06:37 – 00:06:54

I think, you know, we have talked about a lot how this feels. Like it feels like an actual breakup, because we've we've been together for so long, and I think you, you know, we we've talked a bunch and you said at one point like, I keep wanting to text you about these things. And I was like, we broke up. That's why this feels like a real breakup.

Colleen

00:06:54 – 00:06:55

It does.

Aaron

00:06:55 – 00:07:16

You should. You should text me. It does. But it feels like one of those breakups where you are breaking up with someone that you really like because there's a structural problem. Like, you wanna have kids and I don't, or they wanna move to California and you wanna move back to Europe, and it's like, well, I really like you, but this is just not something like that.

Aaron

00:07:17 – 00:07:23

Because I feel like you and I are still on really good terms. It's just the structure just didn't end up working.

Colleen

00:07:23 – 00:07:32

Yeah. I agree with all of that. I think I would try this again with you in 5 to 10 years. And I think you're right. Just structurally, we're we're in different places in our lives.

Colleen

00:07:32 – 00:07:41

We want different things, and we have energy we have energy and and enthusiasm for different things right now.

Aaron

00:07:41 – 00:07:41

Mhmm.

Colleen

00:07:41 – 00:07:47

And that's not bad. It's just a misalignment of goals, really.

Aaron

00:07:47 – 00:07:47

Mhmm.

Colleen

00:07:48 – 00:07:58

So, yeah, I think I think the nice thing about this is we're getting out we're getting out on good terms. That's really good. Right? Because that's always the biggest concern is that you never wanna see that person again.

Aaron

00:07:58 – 00:08:06

Yes. Correct. Yeah. Getting out on good terms is good for both of us. It's good for the business entity.

Aaron

00:08:06 – 00:08:21

It's good for all, you know, tangential and third party relationships. Like, being if this were super contentious, that would just that would be really bad. Like, we're part of the same community. Like, that would be really are like the Yeah. They're still very intertwined.

Aaron

00:08:21 – 00:08:35

Like, I plan I think I'll see you in, like, a month and a few weeks. And, like, it would be really sad and and hurtful if it were different. So, silver lining, I guess. Yeah. So what else?

Aaron

00:08:35 – 00:08:37

Is that it? Is that the ignomius end?

Colleen

00:08:37 – 00:08:41

I think that's it. Our 10 minute update podcast.

Aaron

00:08:41 – 00:08:42

Seriously.

Colleen

00:08:42 – 00:08:43

I got someone else.

Aaron

00:08:43 – 00:08:46

To bring the empire to a close. This feels I know.

Colleen

00:08:46 – 00:08:48

We how long have we been doing

Aaron

00:08:48 – 00:08:48

this? Change.

Colleen

00:08:48 – 00:08:50

I feel like we should, like Yeah.

Aaron

00:08:51 – 00:09:04

Yeah. I feel like we should have a clip show or something where we, you know, play stuff back in black and white and laugh and cry, but ain't nobody got time for that. Okay. So this podcast feed, what do you think? What's gonna happen to it?

Aaron

00:09:04 – 00:09:06

I don't know. Dead.

Colleen

00:09:06 – 00:09:15

I might start a new podcast. I really enjoy podcasting. I haven't done too much about it, but it it is something I enjoy. So should they keep it open? Just keep it for a couple Keep

Aaron

00:09:15 – 00:09:15

it here.

Colleen

00:09:15 – 00:09:16

Keep it here.

Aaron

00:09:16 – 00:09:22

If you if you do a different one, you should come back and drop an episode here pointing Yeah.

Colleen

00:09:22 – 00:09:29

Pointing to a new one. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, keep it on your keep it on your phone. You might hear from me in the next month or so.

Colleen

00:09:30 – 00:09:32

And, yeah, I guess that's it.

Aaron

00:09:34 – 00:09:36

You hang up. No. You hang up.

Colleen

00:09:37 – 00:10:05

You can if you are interested in the future of Colleen and Hello Query, etcetera, etcetera, so on and so forth, you can follow me on Twitter at leanyburger. I will I've kinda been quiet the past couple months because I've been letting Aaron carry the banner of social media, but I will probably reemerge and start and get back on the internets, and do Internet things. So follow me there. DM me there with your thoughts, feelings, problems, etcetera, etcetera.

Aaron

00:10:07 – 00:10:14

Yeah. And if you wanna follow me, erindefrances on Twitter, who knows who knows what's next? But something something is always next.

Colleen

00:10:14 – 00:10:17

So Something is always next. That's right.

Aaron

00:10:17 – 00:10:24

Okay. Well, so long. Thanks for thanks for listening for several years. We'll Wow. See you.

Aaron

00:10:24 – 00:10:31

We'll see you on Twitter, I guess. I don't know how to end, like, how to, like, end it for real for real instead of we'll see you next week.

Colleen

00:10:31 – 00:10:33

Yeah. I don't know. Okay. Be on the Internet.

Aaron

00:10:33 – 00:10:36

See you on the Internet. Be on the Internet. Thanks, y'all. Bye.

The End

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