Retrospective 2008 – Is MetaGeek a Hardware or a Software Company?

In early 2008 MetaGeek had grown to a handful of people. We were selling Wi-Spy 2.4x, which was the first Wi-Spy that we had custom designed for us. This was still 2.4 GHz only, but with much better resolution than the original Wi-Spy, which was a wireless mouse dongle with custom firmware. We were working with a consultant on a dual-band Wi-Spy, but that was still a year away from production (at the time we thought we were less than six months from production, but you know how those things go… new hardware designs take time to get the kinks worked out).

While I was the company owner, in my day-to-day work I mostly acted like a software engineer. Brian managed all of the hardware designs and worked with the consultants while I managed and coded software designs. My mom handled the book keeping and Wen handled shipping, receiving, kitting, and everything else dealing with physical inventory. We had just brought Steve Johnson on board and Steve was definitely accustomed to more processes and discipline than MetaGeek had at the time.

In February 2008 Brian, Steve, and I had a lengthy meeting… I think it actually covered parts of multiple days, hashing out whether MetaGeek’s future was as a software company focused on the Wi-Fi RF bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, or a hardware company focused on spectrum analysis for a variety of RF bands. At the time the answer was not clear and we envisioned a lot of potential down either path.

While I could see the opportunities for creating spectrum analyzers for different markets, I am a software geek and always leaned toward creating value with software. But, even as the company founder and owner, in 2008 I hadn’t learned how to lead yet. So, my quiet, “let’s get along” nature wanted consensus rather than me being the “boss” and making a clear decision. Because I didn’t make a clear decision, this hardware vs software company discussion would repeat itself over the course of the next few years.

Advice For My Younger Self

Take input from everyone, be curious and ask questions. Understand why some people on the team see tremendous value in focusing on hardware. Listen to my inner voice, what is my passion, what kind of company do I want MetaGeek to be? Then when I had my answer, create a clear vision for MetaGeek and share it over and over with the team so that everyone is understands what my vision for the company is.