An End and a Beginning

As I sit here writing this, my head is spinning!

About a week ago I found out that the company I am working for is closing its doors in less than a month. This was an unexpected wake up call and a first for me. I’ve spent lots of days at my desk thinking about leaving a job, but this is the first time the job has left me, and to be honest, it’s a bit of a relief.

Jared Sartee moving boxes of bike parts from delivery truck

Unloading parts fresh off the boat from Taiwan

Lately I’ve been wondering what to make of the work I’ve done over the past 13 years of my career. Despite all the ideas I’ve helped bring to life for other people, I haven’t really ever spent any significant time developing things I think deserve to be in the world. For how convenient our lives generally are these days, maybe that’s to be expected. For the most part, I’ve played the game, collected a paycheck and spent my free time doing the things I love with my family and friends. What more could you really ask for?

But now here’s a forced introspection, a breakdown of the autopilot system my life usually trusts and follows every day. What is next? Do I start updating my resume, that record of my past work, in the hopes that someone else asks me to help achieve their future plans, or do I hire myself tomorrow and start to build something new? If you’re reading this now, you already know the answer. I hope you like what we’ve built for you!

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On Quality…

On Quality…

qual·​i·​ty ˈkwä-lə-tē
1. The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something
2. A distinctive attribute or characteristic possessed by someone or something
Most of the time, I think companies use the first definition. I mean, who wouldn’t want a high degree of excellence in the things they buy and use? I love that definition for it’s versatility but it’s just so damn vague.

What’s in a Name?

What’s in a Name?

I don’t mean to narrow my audience too much when I ask if you’ve ever had the pleasure of choosing a name for your child.
If you have, you’ll remember the mountain of stress that comes with writing that final decision on the government form that will (ideally) identify them for the rest of their existence. I say this as a father of two who, along with my partner, had not named Baby Sartee #1 until about a week before the Canadian Government felt it was prudent to start assessing fines to get things moving along.

The Hidden Cost

The Hidden Cost

The ebike boom is in full swing but we haven’t yet had to reckon with the long-term impacts of our purchases and the waste that comes with it. We are learning this lesson as a business at the perfect moment, at a time where we are making key decisions about who to do business with and what to offer our customers. We want to do the least possible harm in bringing electric transportation to our customers.