The Revolt That Launched My 3rd Startup

Your boss fires you in an office full of gasoline vapors. Your response? Light some fireworks!

Groove Meets Jerk

It’s 1986 and I’m nine months into my first—and last—real job in Hawaii at MicroWares. I’d landed there after two failed startups (Down to My Last Dollar), and settled into a happy groove. I was delivering—coding software, taking care of customers, grooving with my co-worker Danny, a solid guy, local Hawaii Japanese Samurai vibe—hard worker, simple, good friend. Everything was great, except for one thing: my boss, Sam. Clouds were rolling in. Sam was a jerk—brilliant programmer, sure, from a rich family, huge ego, thought he was God’s gift. He mistreated Danny, and that irked me—really, really, really got under my skin. I can’t stand injustice; it’s a flaw, maybe, but I’d fight back.

Tension Simmers Hot

Sam’s ego wasn’t just talk—he was smart, no denying it, but it made him a jerk. Everyone in town knew it; I found that out later. His partner, Marcus, was the opposite—good guy, balanced, technically sharp, other flaws (like the rest of us), but no jerk streak. They ran MicroWares together, but things weren’t right between them. I sensed friction boiling over into our regular days—something off, not just Sam being a prick to me or Danny. It was bigger. I’d show up, do my job, but the vibe was souring. Nine months in, I was still loving the work—except for Sam—and I could feel the cracks spreading.

Fired Outta Nowhere

Then it hit—one regular day, outta the blue, Sam stormed over to my desk, pissed. “Get your stuff! You’re fired!” he barked. I can’t recall why right now and there’s a good chance my ego is blocking that memory—not to mention it was nearly 40 years ago as I write this. Let’s say it was my fault; I won’t pretend I was perfect. But one thing’s for sure: I wasn’t being fired due to lack of performance. Customers loved me; I wasn’t slacking. Maybe it tied to Marcus, their conflict simmering, but I couldn’t pin it. I was mad—this SOB!—so, instead of grabbing my stuff and bolting, I went to Marcus. “Hey, Sam just fired me,” I said. “I think it’s about you.” That lit the fuse.

Explosion Breaks Loose

Boom—it blew up. Whatever was brewing between Sam and Marcus erupted right there. Sam’s full of himself, thinking little of Marcus, and I’d just tossed a match. Before I walked out, I leaned into Marcus. “Hey, how about we break off? Start our own company—ditch this guy?” Marcus didn’t blink. “Let’s do it,” he said. Man, here we go! I rushed to Danny, “Marcus and I are starting something—we’re done with Sam. Join us!” Danny grinned, “I’m in.” The revolt was on—me, Marcus, Danny, breaking free from that SOB.

Sealing the Deal At the Beachpark - Where Else?

We left MicroWares that day—me fired, Marcus and Danny jumping ship a few days later. We made a plan to meet up, hashed it out at Ala Moana Beach Park—under a tree, warm Hawaiian sun beating down. Marcus drafted a partnership agreement; we signed it right there. Brainstormed a name—we worked with Xenix, that Unix system, so we tossed around “Zen,” landed on “XenTec.” Marcus added “Software Engineering”—bam, XenTec Software Engineering was born. Took our customers with us—mine, Marcus’s—sick of Sam’s crap. We were off and running.

Mad Yet Fearless

Inside, I was a mess of feelings. Mad first—Sam’s high makamaka behavior trashed my groove, a job I enjoyed. Then fearless—I’d failed twice before, hit rock bottom (Down to My Last Dollar), so this? Nothing, right? No fear of the abyss. And excited—man, what an opportunity! Sam and Marcus were already infighting, ready to split; my firing just cracked it open. I seized it—no cowering, no job-hunting BS again. That stress? I’d done it, hated it. This was my shot to choose my destiny, not play victim.

Either Lose A Job Or Start A Company

Getting fired could’ve sunk me—back to hunting jobs, stressing out, tail between my legs. No way I’d let that happen—never, never, never. It was take control or crumble. I’d either grab this chance—revolt, start XenTec—or flop again like the last two. Sam’s move pushed me to the edge; I had to act fast, fearless, or lose it all. No overthinking, no plan—just a moment to dive in and shape my life. I wasn’t about to let that guy win.

Revolt Pays Off

That day launched XenTec—my third company became my first financial success. Lasted six years, made real money. Me, Marcus, Danny—we pulled it off, fearless and fast. No business plan, no strategy—just a revolt against Sam’s crap, a pitch in the heat of it, and we ran. Turned out Marcus was gold; Danny too—worked like hell. We were the biggest SCO Xenix reseller in Hawaii for a while (Ed - coming soon: The Day I Learned to Sell vibes). That’s feral—diving into the abyss, no fear, just action.

The Lesson: Make the Leap With No Fear

Here’s what it taught me, the feral entrepreneur takeaway—look to the future, no fear. You can’t hesitate; leap when it’s there. I wasn’t prepared—not really—but my flops had prepped me. Been to my last dollar, failed twice—I wasn’t scared of broke or bust. Seized the moment—no crying, no waiting days to rethink. Fired, I pitched Marcus within hours, flipped it into XenTec. That’s it—don’t fear the abyss, use what life throws, act now and the result could be better than you could have ever imagined—that’s how this leap turned out for me.