As an engineer I am proud of all the products I helped develop. As an entrepreneur I am proud of the companies I helped build, the jobs I created, and the technology I delivered. After the sale of Future Domain, Adaptec continued producing some of our products up until 1998, which is a long time in the technology business. One of their most successful software businesses for CD-ROM software was based on Future Domain technology.
Most of the people who worked for Future Domain went on to be Adaptec employees, others had moved on to other technology companies. Most former Future Domain employees I have met over the last 20 years speak fondly of their days at the company.
I made mistakes, I was hit by health problems I had no control over, but I was still successful. Why? Not giving up is a big part of it. I often see people give up at the first sign of trouble. I ran into trouble on many levels, but I did not give up, I moved forward. I made mistakes. There is no problem with making mistakes as long as you learn from them and move on. You cannot keep doing the same unsuccessful thing and expect a different result. I kept the company focused most of the time, and when needed I refocused our mission and moved forward.
Some people who worked for me did not perform as I expected. I took responsibility, made the needed changes and moved on. If you consume yourself looking for a scapegoat you will never succeed. You have to really take responsibility, be honest with yourself, and surround yourself with others who do the same. I guess that is the most important lesson I learned on the Future Domain journey.
The End.