Series of coincidences or a well-laid out plan?
Today Gabriel started as an intern with Cirkled in. While sitting in interns’ orientation, I started thinking about how a person, studying marketing in Portland, Oregon, end up in a conference room in Kirkland, Washington, almost 200 miles away, working with Cirkled in. How? Sequence of events is a sequence on coincidences that are hard to explain for a scientist like me. It all started with one text message. Same text message that also got us an offer of $200K finding for Cirkled in.
And I have been wondering if it was all a series of whole bunch of coincidences or a well laid out plan by some super power? Or are we in a reality show like teh movie “Truman Show”?
Being a science person, I find it hard to explain, but the more I think about it, more I think there is something bigger than you and I. What would you call this sequence? A series of coincidences or a well laid out plan? Or are we living in a computer simulation game?
It’s a beautiful world, mesmerizing and with all the secrets it holds, we’ll never know the intricate details of its internal machine.
Few months ago, a friend texted me if I’d be willing to help him on his pitch at an event — PitchFest NW. He had been selected and since this was one of the biggest event in Oregon, he wanted to get some pitch practice done. Just to clarify, I’m no pitch coach. The only reason he reached out to me was because I have been giving pitches for the last 3 years. Of course, I said yes and didn’t think much about it.
Few days later, coincidentally, another friend asked if I was going to PitchFest NW. My answer to him was no but somehow made me go to Pitch Fest website.
Of course, due date had long passed but coincidentally, there was a message “Sorry. You missed the due date, but if you think we should talk to you, fill out this application”. Coincidentally, or maybe me being me, taking every shot I get, I filled out the application. Few weeks later, we got an email saying we got selected as one of the 75 companies to pitch during 1st week of April. It was a great feeling of validation. Soon, I also got an email offering a training session that only had 8 sessions on the day before the final pitch event. Coincidentally, I was on my computer when that email came, and I was able to get a spot in that session.
But then the same 1st week of April, we also got offered a very important meeting overseas. Initially I chose the oversees meeting over PitchFest. Since I have been giving pitches for 3 years, if I missed one, no big deal. But I didn’t want to miss this critical meeting oversees. Additionally, I was also bummed that 1st week of April was my kids’ spring break and birthdays that I will be missing no matter what meeting I attend.
So, I didn’t think that I would be going to this pitch event and parked this in the back of my mind.
Coincidentally, my overseas meeting got pushed out by few weeks and suddenly this week became available. But it still conflicted with spring break. So, we all, as a family decided to go just to get a change of scenery for them while I pitch there. But my husband started a new job on that very week’s Monday, meaning we won’t be able to go as a family.
Coincidentally, my sister was in between the jobs and was visiting us and we all decided to go together. There was lot of back and forth on whether kids wanted to go just to sit in another hotel or Airbnb. Night before the travel day, kids said no, and I decided to go alone. Though I was debating the whole thing. Should I just not go? Weather was also terrible, grey, rainy and cold. In the morning, I dragged myself, got ready and ready to leave at around 8 am for a 4-hour drive. My husband insisted that I should take kids and my sister. Long story short, few hours later, we all were in the car driving in low visibility while my sister tried to find an AirBnB to stay. All along I haven’t even started on my 5 min pitch and I have no idea what would I say. But the confidence was there that I would pick up in no time.
We arrived in time for the pitch session which was awesome! The coach insisted that I slow down in my pitch and make it more heart winning not just mind winning. It was great advice, but I had no time to rewrite my whole pitch. After the pitch practice, we checked in to our Airbnb that my sister had finalized during that time. We went for dinner and had the most amazing Mexican restaurant host. After coming back, I started working on my pitch and decided to use coach’s recommendation. But this also meant few hours of pitch rewriting. I pulled my older daughter in, who had turned 15 just the day before and who has been instrumental in everything I have written in last 3 years from blogs to Press Releases, into this rewriting exercise. She gave me guidance on using light words and keeping it really short. By the time I was done, it was almost midnight.
Next morning, my pitch was at 10:45am and I thought we could leave for Seattle after that. Because there was no way I would get selected for top 5, out of 75. After my pitch, one of the investors texted me that we should connect. But we missed each other at lunch break. BTW — night before when I was working on my pitch, I looked through the list of judges and found that I already knew few people. I asked my younger daughter, who just turned 12 few days ago and who has been my administrator for the last 3 years, to send emails to these 6 people. Few I knew well, and few were just acquaintances, or should I say I had been sending them emails with almost no response or interest.
This text message was from someone in the latter group who coincidentally happened to be in the same room where I pitched. And oh coincidentally, my pitching got moved from another room to this room sometime during this whole process.
After my pitch, I came back to the Airbnb. We went for lunch and then to the Nike store. Being in Portland, we had to go visit that. We decide to hang around till next day since we had already paid for Airbnb. I went to the opening party while kids watched a movie. Coincidentally, that investor had to miss the evening party as he had other engagements, but we texted and decided to meet next morning. Next morning, when we met, he mentioned that he liked my pitch, energy and the fact that I even sent an email day. At that moment, in my mind, I was saying — “Thank you Prakshi!”. If my daughter was not with me, those emails wouldn’t have gone out since I was busy rewriting the pitch.
Semifinalists were to be announced at 10:45am 2nd day. We checkout from our Airbnb, packed everything and went to the pitch venue, assuming we’ll leave at 10:50am. Because there was no way we’ll get selected. Why? Because the 4 industry pillars mentioned in the program guide were very specific and Cirkled in didn’t fit anywhere. I sat in the back of the room when they were about to announce the semifinalists. Guy sitting next to me (named Gabriel) asked me if I was nervous. I shrugged my shoulder and said “nah”.
Coincidentally, our name was announced — as one of the top 5 selected! I couldn’t believe it. It was awesome but also meant that I’ll be there till 4:30pm and I had kids and my sister with me. I high fived with the guy who has talked to me and went back stage. It was time to improvise the pitch. After the debrief for the final pitch on big stage, I found a room where we all camped — I with three other power females — my sister and 2 daughters! And we started working on refining and practicing the pitch. Again, my older daughter stepped up to the challenge and gave me coaching on everything — basically what the pitch coach had given me. My younger daughter and sister ran around arranging things like food, car parking etc. I was expecting too much from these young individuals, not only just being trapped in that building with me for next 6 hours but also help me prepare. And they not only delivered on that, they performed exceptionally well. My pitch was scheduled for 2 pm. During pitch practice, at 1:26 pm, I realized that I don’t have remote clicker for advancing the slides. And I didn’t want to get stuck behind podium on this big stage. So, the hunt for clicker started. No one had one.
Coincidentally, in the morning, I had sat next to an electrician who worked at that building.
So I found him and asked for clicker. He didn’t have one but offered to talk to a nearby book store. Coincidentally, book store had one for purchase, but it was at least 15 min away. Meaning I didn’t have time to go but electrician offered to go buy it for me! I gave him the money and poor guy ran both ways. Came back in time but guess what — no batteries in the clicker.
But did I mention that coincidentally, he was an electrician? He found an AAA battery and clicker worked.
After that it was a smooth sailing, till the end where we needed up on the stage as close 2nd winner with the biggest check written at the event. And Gabriel who reached out afterwards and ended up joining us as summer intern yesterday.
So, was it a coincidence that my friend texted me about coaching him on his pitch? Or that I applied even though due date had passed? Or that my overseas meeting got postponed? Or that I happened to be on my computer when pitch coaching sign up email came? Or that my sister happened to be in between job and in town that very week? Or that my acquaintance happened to be in the room where I pitched? Or that I sat next to an electrician in the morning when I ended up needing him in the afternoon?
It all seemed like execution of a computer program, written by a nerd who wanted to have fun with the code. Or like a movie with action, suspense, emotions and thrill and with a happy ending.
Is this all a series of coincidences or some super power is just running a well laid out plan? I don’t know but I’m mesmerized.