Orange Hat Activities from One Year Ago

On March 28, 2024, Orange Hat’s founder (and then owner) Shannon Ishizaki and I sat down for coffee to talk about the wild and obviously ridiculous idea of me purchasing Orange Hat. I had a list of questions prepared. Here are some of them:

• Why now?
• Are there publishing opportunities you wish you could pursue?
• What possible growth do you see in the next 3–5 years?
• What’s your vision for where someone else could take Orange Hat?
• Why do you think I’d be a good fit for this role?
• How’s your work-life balance?
• How much travel do you do?
• When are you looking to sell?
• How much time would I need to learn the necessary components of the business?

I think I asked one or two of these, but mostly our conversation was free flowing and open. I barely took any notes! Anyone reading this who knows Shannon won’t be surprised at how the conversation went! She has an exceptional ability to put people at ease and to keep a conversation going. The fact that she and I had had several conversations about work and frustrations with it over the past few months helped too. We’d gone from work acquaintances to friends thanks to those heart to hearts.

Just a few days later, I was writing down publishing tasks, sitting in on calls, and taking stuff down to Blue House Books for them to sell.

Two weeks after, I wrote, “I am structuring things in my mind with a belief that OH is our future. Huge risk—or is it? Nothing else will give me this experience and this potential for success. Excited reactions from so many people. There is huge opp here to build from great network. OH is the path for me! I can’t believe I have reached this conclusion, and also I can’t believe I would even consider something else.”

Today, my reaction is the same. I still can’t quite believe this is real, that this dream came true. Where has the time gone? I’m amazed to be looking back on events from a year ago. Where will we be in another year? I can’t wait to guide us there, just as long as I get to have our authors and our readers along for the journey!