It has been 7 years since I fled my day job and launched my consulting company Hammock Facilitation. What an amazing ride it has been!  Feeling deep gratitude this morning for the colleagues, friends and family who have supported me over this seven years of growth. And of course, thankful for all the clients who let Hammock Facilitation be part of their growth.  #bestbossever #dowhatyoulove #lovewhatyoudo

It was with considerable pride I attended an ACOA announcement (https://www.canada.ca/en/atlantic-canada-opportunities/news/2019/04/nova-scotia-health-authority-making-strides-in-improving-orthopaedic-diagnostics-treatment.html) last week for $2 million in funding for the clinical deployment of new orthopaedic tools from Emovi Technologies, Kinduct Technologies, and our very own OrthoMX Technologies.  OrthoMX, and my co-founder Dr. Michael Dunbar, have been collaborating with Emovi and Kinduct for almost 7 years and to see our collective dedication and persistence gain traction and move into clinical care is delightful.  But even more meaningful is the promise of a single sign on solution for pre and post orthopaedic care that includes our InStride app, Emovi’s KneeKG diagnostic and is seamlessly delivered through Kinduct’s Clinic portal.  Check out our innovations at www.instrideweb.com; www.emovi.ca and www.kinduct.com.  You can also follow these three Canadian companies on Twitter: @orthomx, @knee_kg and @kinduct.

A few times a year, I have the distinct pleasure of bringing together a subset of the Hammock Facilitation network for a meal.  And while good food and good humor abound, what I like the most is hearing the commonalities across different companies, different sectors, from vastly different style entrepreneurs.  At our most recent dinner the talk turned to what we need. As start ups, as entrepreneurs, as companies seeking financing or as companies positioning ourselves for acquisition. And I was surprised to hear a resonating, consistent message for all the institutions and agencies that are dabbling in supporting SME commercialization. We, the entrepreneurs, the ones with actual skin in the game, who’s mortgages don’t get paid if the companies aren’t funded, want one thing.  Stand Aside. Stop obstructing. Stop asking us to tie our development programs in knots to fit your narrowly construed definition of  ‘research’. Stop superimposing what worked for the last company you had in your portfolio onto our completely dissimilar business case. Stop asking med tech to be IT in it’s deliverables and timelines. Stop asking Pharma to be med tech.  Let us be.
 
Sure, some of us will fail. But let’s not have those failures because our ‘supporters’ encumbered us to the point of handcuffs, restricting our flexibility to the point of immobility.
 

My attention was drawn recently to the Jim Rohn quote “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”.   It triggered a brief trip down memory lane  to the innovative scientists (Greg Beatch, Michael Walker) at Cardiome where I started my career; the eight years with UBC UILO rock stars (David Jones, Mario Kasapi, Brett Sharp to name a few); and then to my Hammock portfolio.   The challenge and joy of Hammock is that my days are split between client commitments and founder roles; so while I can predict with some certainty where I will be on most Tues, Wed and Thurs mornings, it’s not the same group of five I’m with on Mondays  or Fridays.   My Jim Rohn average changes daily.
 
Still, just as my retrospective reminded me of the fantastic peers from my formative career years; it also highlighted a current group as well. I was asked at a dinner party what made my work so much fun (because apparently I radiate fun!).  And my answer was the people I spend my days with. Sure the products are inspiring, the downstream potential exciting, but in the here and now, it’s the teams. Thus I acknowledge Jim Rohn’s insight.  And I acknowledge my FIVAmed co-founders: Ben Garvey,  Alastair Trower and Orlando Hung; each one working so hard at their day job and still maintaining passion and energy for FIVAmed.; they make a potent average.