Turning the page from 2024 to 2025, away from Ambiguity
+ Six key attributes I intend to take into my work in 2025
If I had to summarize the year 2024 in one word, it would be Ambiguity.
Like many of you, I experienced a lot of ambiguity & uncertainty this year, both in my personal and professional life. All of which was set on the backdrop of the global social-political turmoil that drives and is driven by the incessant 24-hour news cycle. Add to that the fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) around “AI” and its impact on humanity and I think you can see why I chose the word “ambiguity.”
Career Direction
One of the biggest areas of uncertainty for me this year was around the direction my career would take heading into 2025. It became increasingly clear over the course of 2024 that something big would be happening with my company Terazo that I co-founded in 2016. This culminated in our acquisition by Zennify in November.
With that settled, I made the decision to step down from my day-to-day role as Terazo’s Chief Innovation Officer, and take a part time Advisor role that will continue into 2025. I’ll stay connected with the team to help on strategic data engineering and AI sales support – especially within the Twilio ecosystem. I also continue to assist with the governance of Terazo’s delivery operations in Costa Rica.
Keeping my backlog full
This Substack is, in part, a response to much of this ambiguity. There are as many posts sitting in near-complete draft status as there are posts that I sent. All of the thinking, writing, and discussions I’ve done have been helped me work out my thoughts about my future direction.
Thankfully, I have found the direction I’ll be going in – or perhaps better said:
I have found the direction I’ll be setting out in, where it leads, we’ll see!
Turning the page to 2025
This Substack will remain a big part of my focus for 2025. I see it staying true to being a meta-discussion about modern work and people’s vocational journeys. I plan to make the nascent Full Backlog podcast a big part of this, aiming to publish at least 24 episodes in 2025.
Professionally, there are a few key attributes I intend to take into my work in 2025:
It must be fun
It must be focused on AI & automation, specifically the impact of AI on individual people’s work, careers, and industries.
It should have a heavy B2C aspect to it
It should be in the area of discretionary consumer spend
I should have a strong local presence in Richmond, VA
If entrepreneurial, I should take a heavy no-code/low-code approach to building it out – mixed with AI & automation, I would like to explore business architectures that maximize revenue per human, in ethical ways
With that in mind, I have an idea for a new venture that I have been exploring and having early conversations with a variety of people around… which I look forward to sharing more about in January…
Gratitude
As we close out 2024, I want to extend massive thanks and gratitude to:
Everyone who has subscribed, read, and recommended this Substack!
The people who took the time to record an episode of the Full Backlog Podcast – my priorities had to shift as the Terazo acquisition deal gained momentum, and I had to set the podcast aside for a bit – I’m excited to pick it back up in early January and get the episodes posted!
Everyone at Terazo, Tercera, and Zennify who worked hard to make that deal happen!
Everyone who has taken the time and energy to listen to my new ideas and give me the honest feedback I need!
Everyone who placed an order on my online holiday pop up gift shop, eszettSHOP!
Last, but certainly not least, my family and friends who have supported me on this rollercoaster of a year!
What about you?
I hope your 2024 is finishing strong, and that you have clarity of direction and purpose heading into the new year.
I invite you to reply to this post and let me know what you’re working on, I’d love to hear about it!
Forward to 2025,
Busse