Isaac Nyangolo’s Post

I turned 40 today. Just over 10 years ago, I quit employment for the second-last time. I'd mentally signed out two years before but needed to make some personal goals and do great work to earn great references for business school. I didn't need the MBA, but it would be a good alibi to the "Why are you leaving?" question and a cowardly way to defer facing up to the "What do I really want to do next?" And then about Feb or March 2014, the last of Sloan, HBS, and GSB said no, and I couldn't defer the "what next" question any longer. So I quit. The plan was to take a bus and train to Zim and back and spend the next 6-12 months searching for clarity. The trip didn't happen but clarity came sooner than I'd expected - in a little over a month. It washed over me like an epiphany. Yes, I had loved the blank slate and the creative space. We were solving a super-nuanced and intricate problem and each next day was different from the previous one. And then structure came, and the joie de vivre drained away, like air out a punctured tire. There was no life. I was turning 30 and I told myself that if that's how I felt at 30, then I'd regret it if I didn't do anything, and felt that way at 40. I could try and chart my own path and if at 40 I was beaten, I'd come back into employment, tail tucked in (yes, I thought that vividly!), and do my share in any hum-drum job I'd sign up for. Well, I'm glad to report that I'm not tucking my tail yet, but boy has it been such a ride! I still earn less than I did 10 years ago, got a lot of paper wealth which can't buy that house or plot, car-less (my employment-era car written-off in a work-related accident that, thankfully, left my colleague with only minor bruising), have had to borrow for rent, reschedule credit card debt, had candid conversations with KRA ;-), run the office from my house for years, then lived in the office another couple years, owed years-long debt and work hours I didn't think my body can still take. But each day is different from the previous, we're doing great work redefining what EdTech means in low-resource environments, I have a great team and an amazing co-founder, Erick Oude, who still fight with me each day. Super angels, investors, and partners batting for us each day. And, to top it off, the thousands of schools, tens of thousands of teachers, and millions of parents and students who give us millions of reasons to wake up each next day with the enthusiasm to figure out "what next?" What more could one ask for as they embark on the next 10 years? #zeraki #beextraordinary! Addendum: Special mention to Eva, Bryan, Christine, and Edwin, without whom the journey wouldn't even have started! #beextraordinary!

“It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.” Incredibly fortunate to fight with Team Zeraki. They fight as hell! #TeamZeraki #beextraordinary!