Reason Behind the Madness

And the headache begins---how does one small asian girl move all her worldly possessions from Denmark to USA?

It seems just yesterday(well actually just 10 short months ago) that I made the big leap across the pond from Chicago to Copenhagen, but now I'm leaping again from Copenhagen to San Francisco.

My zigzag journey around the world has been exciting, hectic and unpredictable. Who would have thought that going to business school in Denmark would lead me back to USA in less than a year?

A little under three months ago - I literally canceled my flight to London the day before I was flying and bought a ticket at the airport 2 hours before my flight and flew to San Francisco for Makers Faire San Mateo. I packed one suitcase and thought I was staying only 5 days. Due to the fact that I bought the ticket so last minute, I had the worst ticket possible where I had to transfer in London and then sleep a night in JFK New York Airport(scary o.o) before driving directly to Makerfaire San Mateo with suitcase in tow.

Looking back, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, now its been almost 3 months and Im still in San Francisco and have now put a deposit down on an room in the "lower Nob Hill"(aka the Tender Nob).

Hmmm but was this move so unpredicted? While at first glance- it seems like I am just randomly moving around the world, but digging a bit deeper there is logic in this madness. Denmark is a great place for entrepreneurship, especially for young companies. There is a lot of energy and the ecosystem has been really coming together and gaining momentum. There are many accelerators and office spaces that do not take equity or money from young startups, plus there are many government grants and programs available to startups. So yes, Denmark is a great place to start a business!

So why move to San Francisco? Well as a lesson learned from Kickstarter---network, Network, NETWORK! It goes without saying that the Bay Area is the epicenter of the startup/high tech industry. Where else can you find so many talented, driven and ambitious people and companies all focused on entrepreneurship and the "next big thing". The speed at which things happen here is just mind-boggling, there really are no words to explain this except that you have to live it to understand it. Since finishing up Chicago Tech Week and Makerfaire Kansas City two weeks ago, I have just been getting a preliminary glimpse of the life here in San Francisco- I am seriously learning by doing here, because almost everyone I run into is somehow involved in the tech industry, whether, they be a VC, designer, media, engineer, lawyer, etc. Startups are the norm here- I always knew that was the case, I just didn't realize what that meant until now....and I LOVE it. In two weeks here, I have experienced/learned/done more than I could imagined.

So I guess my decision was made for me- career comes first and I have to follow opportunity. A piece of my heart will always be in Scandinavia, and I know I will find a way to return to this beautiful place. But for now - San Francisco is where I need to be.

My life: Wuhan > Dallas > Baltimore > Chicago > Stockholm > Copenhagen > San Francisco.
Ok, Im ready :)

-Ran - A Nomad on the Move