Rob Mensching's Blog - page 12

When I worked at Microsoft I used to read about startups on tech blogs and such. The funny thing is I cannot remember reading about any startups' experiences as they were just getting started. Now that it is my turn, I thought I'd try to capture some of the more mundane details about starting a startup. Maybe some of you will find it interesting.

I've felt like I was 36 for the last few years. I don't know how many people I incorrectly told I was 36 before today. More than a few I'm sure. Well, today it is finally true. I am 36. Today was a mostly muted birthday for me because I'm really deep in this new thing. That and the birthday celebration with more family is this weekend. However, today is the actual day and I like to spend a little time to reflect on where I'm at and how I feel. Overall, I think I feel most one thing: I feel alive.

It's been quiet here because I've been really busy. My primary focus is getting the new adventure incorporated and configured. I also took on a few contracts. One of those contracts starts next week in Oslo, Norway. Are you in or near Oslo between February 4th to the 8th? If so, drop me a comment or email me and maybe we can meet up some evening.

Last week I spent a large amount of time talking about my new adventure. Let's kick off this week talking about the WiX Toolset community. We are at the beginning of another major transition and I don't mean my leaving Microsoft. The WiX toolset needs its 5th generation of core developers. Are you the next core WiX toolset developer?

Halo was an integral part of the early days of the WiX Toolset. We started working at about 6:30 PM on Thursdays, took a break at 11:30 PM to play Halo for an hour or so then maybe there was more coding or maybe it was time to call it a night. It's not like that any more. In fact, I was cleaning out my Inbox this morning and came across this comic that Reid sent a couple years ago.

On New Year's Eve I left Microsoft. This year I begin a new adventure. A couple people asked, "Where are you headed?" I am off to create a new company. A company that focuses on setup, deployment and the WiX toolset. I have a few ideas that I want to share with you since I'm curious what you think.

Badass. Next New Year's Eve this is how I'm opening a bottle of champagne.

Today was my last day at Microsoft. After 13.5 years I decided it was time to strike out on my own. I'm starting a new company that builds on my setup expertise to take the WiX Toolset to the next level. I'll talk more about the future tomorrow. On this New Year's Eve, I want to look back and reflect on my tenure at the largest software company in the world.