It’s been almost two years since we made the decision to close Codesign, and the ten months that followed — navigating the actual shutdown — were some of the most challenging of my career. The weight of disappointment, loss and responsibility was immense.
There were employees who had trusted me with their careers, customers who relied on the tools we built, and investors — including myself — who believed deeply in the vision. Closing a company isn’t just an operational process; it’s the unwinding of a dream. Even so, we worked hard to make the transition as smooth as possible: our team all moved on to great roles, and we released a free version of the product that many customers still use today.
Since then, the focus has been on moving forward — finding my footing again, getting back into the job market, and figuring out what comes next. I’ve taken on some consulting and advisory work along the way, but the search for a full-time role has been a journey in itself, with all the ups and downs that come with being a founder trying to fit into more traditional boxes.
Over the past year, I’ve sent countless job applications, had interviews and calls, and received plenty of polite rejections. What I’ve learned is that being a CEO or founder doesn’t always fit neatly into the boxes recruiters and hiring managers look for.
I’m a generalist by nature — spanning business, product, finance, and operations — and my approach has always been rooted in understanding customers and solving problems. Yet when applying for a Product Manager role, for example, I don’t tick the “X years of experience” box, even though I’ve effectively lived and breathed those responsibilities for years.
It’s a strange position to be in — to have broad skills and deep experience, but to find that they don’t translate easily into traditional job descriptions. It’s humbling, and if I’m honest, mentally tough.
Running has been my outlet. This year, I’ve run more kilometres than ever before — not for medals, but for sanity. It’s become a moving meditation of sorts, a reminder that progress isn’t always measured in outcomes, but in the simple act of keeping going.
In between the job hunt and the running shoes, I’ve been exploring new ideas — tinkering with tools and applications that I believe can make a difference. A couple of those are starting to take shape, and I’ll share more about them soon.
For now, I [try to] remind myself daily that success and failure are both temporary — it’s the courage to continue that really counts.
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