Five years and five months ago I got laid off. I wasn’t too worried about my pending job search because I had “done all the right things.” I knew I was hot stuff (with my MBA, Spanish almost-fluency, IT systems background, etc.), and knew companies would be falling all over themselves to hire ME.
In a call to my dad (Dave Alba) he said “I’ll expect you to be out of work for at least six months,” as he was thinking about how to help me through this ordeal.
“SIX MONTHS? NO WAY, NOT ME,” I thought.
He was right… I wasn’t hot stuff, and no one was anxious to bring me on board, much less return phone calls or emails.
My dad was my first investor in JibberJobber. I remember a conversation where he said “okay, I don’t understand what JibberJobber is, or how it works. Just tell me, how much money do you want, and where do you want it sent?” (NOTE: He’s not wealthy, and “how much” didn’t mean “how many millions.” I realize how blessed I was to have a dad who could say that… I’m not bragging but I want to show his faith in me, and my vision, from the beginning.)
Fast forward five years later… today my dad joins the JibberJobber team!
He’ll focus on a few things:
Sales of a new product we launched last summer,Account management with this productSome other stuff(how come I don’t tell all here? Because my competition reads my blog… and shortly after I announce stuff I see them emulating what I’m doing… so I have to keep some things under wraps)
Here’s a little about my dad:
Dave Alba had an amazing, successful career with the FBI. After rising to senior executive management at the FBI, he retired and worked for a security guard company for the last ten years. He has very strong work ethic that was instilled in him as a young boy growing up on a farm in Pecos, Texas (thank you abuela and abuelo for NOT naming him Bill! Otherwise, my dad would have been Pecos Bill :s).
If you would have asked me ten, even five, years ago if my dad could work with me, the answer would have been NO WAY. He was, as far as I understood, a government worker. There is a different mindset in private industry, especially in a small startup.
But the last 10 years have proved to be a rich opportunity for him to learn all-things P&L. He was responsible for a sizable region spanning Houston to Corpus Christi, and became intimately familiar with sales, account management, operations, managing budgets, etc.
He’s been trained to work for me.
I’m more excited, though, about his work ethic and all the things the stereotypical baby boomer would bring to the table. I’ve watched him deal with his prior employers with a high level of integrity. He is the quintessential company-man… he gives an honest effort to do his job right, and strives to take care of his company and those he works with.
He told me he was getting ready for his successor in his next company. He said something like “I’ve been in situations where I was the new guy and given a big mess to sort out – I’m working in getting everything ready for the new guy so he doesn’t have a big mess to deal with.” I loved that… he didn’t have to, but he worked very, very hard for someone else.
That’s my dad.
Aside from all that stuff above, I’m most excited because this is, for me, a fairy tale. The chance to work with my own dad? I never could have that before (you can’t take your son to work like his dad took him to work on the farm :p).
Now, though, our professional worlds meet in a cool, fun place.
He’s joining me on my journey to change the world, one mind, and one career, at a time.
Please welcome with me, Dave Alba, newest member of the JibberJobber team!
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