A Letter to Minutes Solutions

Dear Minutes Solutions,

I find it unique and maybe a little unorthodox to address a letter to an entire company and not just an individual. Most letters intend to express feelings to someone. But in this case I feel it fitting and almost necessary to address it to something. Something that so many critical people have been an integral part of. There is a lot to say so feel free to skim through the following paragraphs to get the “Cliff Notes” but for those that enjoy mindless literature, you are welcome to keep reading.

Minutes Solutions started from a boring idea. An idea that Noah had and one that I couldn’t conceptualize initially; “take the notes for board meetings?”…. Maybe I was too young, maybe I had never been on a board. In a world saturated with flashing lights and bountiful rhythms, maybe I just couldn’t see what Noah saw. Maybe it wasn’t sexy enough for me to understand as a twenty something. But for someone I respected, trusted, and knew for so long, my ears were open. As nebulous as this idea seemed in the moment, I was in the right place at the right time. I was tired of bureaucracy, I was tired of mindless leadership, I was disenchanted with corporations putting profits over people, so I listened and engaged. Soon thereafter I felt like the two of us could do something different. We believed we could build a company that shattered the confines in which we had become so institutionalized. We believed we could turn a small concept into a successful story; that was the beginning.

But it also wasn’t. The beginning started on a hockey rink somewhere in North Toronto, the way I assume many Canadian success stories start. The place we learn to win and lose, the place we learn to accept criticism and build on our mistakes. The same place where camaraderie trumps complacency and “winning” means more than a surplus on a scoreboard. Noah and I were linemates on a minor hockey team where we learned to respect our team, our goals, and most importantly ourselves. Fast forward almost 10 years and by chance alone we found ourselves attending the same university almost 2000 kilometers from where we first exchanged handshakes, hugs, and humbling defeats. There are some people who don’t believe in fate and although I often find myself on the fence, something felt like this was more than a coincidence. Our friendship morphed into days and nights of us thinking of a company that we could envision ourselves working for. We couldn’t find it, so we decided to create it….

We founded this company on a basis that would provide value to our clients, while creating a work environment in which our counterparts could thrive in. In many ways we have succeeded, in many ways we have failed. Starting a company is much more difficult than I could have imagined, it is also much more inspirational than I assumed. We had an idea, but an idea is just a goal without a deadline, so cue the next chapter. It seemed easy; sell the service, hire the right people, sell the service again, hire more of the right people. In theory it’s foolproof. In practise, it is a gauntlet of making mistakes and hopefully being astute enough to learn from them. We learned from a lot from our early mistakes - we are still learning. The Socratic aphorism of “the more you see the less you know” could not be more resoundingly true when growing a business. Every day is a lesson. I feel that is true in any endeavour of life we put our emotion and effort into. It is up to us however, to decide whether or not we see the lesson and learn from it.

As I write this I am preparing for my next chapter. I make that statement with equally as much “bitter” as “sweet”. In the last two years I moved to a different province, I started a family and my priorities shifted. I was once told that life has chapters and although I never envisioned my life as a book per se, I see how true it is now. We evolve personally and professionally every day, whether we feel it or not. And in many cases a new chapter can only begin when another one ends.

My next chapter involves you, Minutes Solutions. But my value to you is no longer in the day-to-day as it once was. There are many intelligent people within the organization who can take this concept and execute it a lot better than I now can. The “sweet” is that I accept and truly believe that. The “bitter” is getting used to the metaphorical idea of “hanging them up” and walking away from a role that I spent almost a decade doing.

It's not over, though. This company is still my baby in a way, but no longer the one I need to nurture daily. So I pass that torch to my incumbents. I am still a partner, an advocate, and a supporter who will always believe in the vision and growth that Noah and I had from day one. I will still be involved in the day-to-day for months to come, especially committed to the transition and training of the new hires taking over my role. In saying that, I would like to thank the whole team who has and is continuing to realize a once amorphous and humble dream that has been brought to where it is today (I certainly overuse the word thank you here, so brace yourself).

Erin and Aislinn: You covered me whenever I needed you, and you were able to polish my rigid transitions from concept to execution, for that I will always be in debt to you. You were the originals, and you battled just as hard as we did. Thank you.

Michelle: You took two unpolished businessmen and turned us into articulate communicators. I will forever give you credit for teaching me the Oxford Comma. Thanks for having my back and being one of the most valuable and responsive teachers I’ve ever had. I may never have said that before, so I’m saying it now.

Leanne: Your presence immediately alleviated me from the overwhelming task of making our clients feel “heard”. It was a tall order, and you continue to do it seamlessly with remarkable integrity. The last year has been a ride and I couldn’t have chosen a better teammate to navigate it with.

Noah: You took a concept that I was completely unfamiliar with and allowed me to truly see the purpose. I admire your ability to lead, and you pushed my boundaries toward something that was worth believing in. I leave this company in your hands with complete faith and fortitude. I couldn’t have done this with anyone else.

To our clients; thank you for believing in us. Thank you for putting your trust in us. Thank you for the critical feedback and the ideas that allowed us to grow and get us to where we are today. For so many of our successes, we have you to thank.

To our advocates and partners; I thank you too, and I hope you continue to trust and believe in us. I assure you that you are in good hands.

To all of the Minutes Solutions staff, past and present, this is a raw expression of gratitude for everything that you taught me and helped us achieve. For showing up every day and taking this idea and continually executing it with the utmost decorum – thank you. A thousand times thank you.

To all of Minutes Solutions and what you have become; I hope, I truly hope, that I have had a fraction of the influence and impact on you that you have had on me. You have grown my confidence to places I could have never imagined. You have also shattered it at times, but I suppose that’s love. We grow in discomfort, we reflect in despair, and we understand that purpose requires pursuit. But if I could change anything, I wouldn’t. I hope that I have allowed you to grow too.

Although in many ways this is goodbye, I will employ one of the most overused platitudes ever and call it a “see you later” instead. Your “crawl” is now a “walk” and I trust you will continue….I will too. We are exactly where we need to be.

Your founder,

Marko. S. Lindhe-Dominguez