I arrived early. Being my own boss now allows flexibility at times. 

The bar hasn’t changed much- same lighting and creaky booths. It’s surreal being back here after all this time, in the place where Netpoint first took shape. 

 

As I slide into the booth, I see him- me, my younger self from 25 years ago. Bright-eyed, full of ambition, and tired. Even from this distance I notice he’s gripping a smudged napkin, scrawled with notes like it holds the future.

 

And it did. He just didn’t know it yet- but I do. 

 

He sits down and carefully lays the napkin on the table. At the very top it says: Netpoint Consulting Group. I smile. Netpoint took a different path than I had imagined, evolving from a group of partners into what it is today. 

 

“Twenty-five years? So we made it?” He asks excitedly. 

 

“We did. But we didn’t just survive- we built something real, despite a lot of twists and turns.”

 

My younger self tilts his head at that. “Twists and turns? I always wanted to work with technology, to make things more efficient. That’s still what we do, right?”

 

“At its core, yes. But the way we built the business? That didn’t go according to plan. Remember how we thought it would be a partnership, like a law firm for tech?”

 

“Yeah… I wasn’t supposed to do it alone.” He responds slowly. 

 

“But you did. The co-worker, whose handwriting is also on that napkin, wasn’t ready to make the commitment.”

 

“Sounds stressful.”

 

“It was. You juggled teaching, consulting, and starting a family. It was messy and exhausting, but you kept pushing!” 

I smile as I see him starting to get overwhelmed. “But you weren’t really alone- your wife and family will be your biggest cheerleaders through the next twenty-five years.”

 

He smiles at this. I knew he would. 

 

“Sounds like it was a struggle for a while trying to get Netpoint going.” He pauses, “What was the hardest part- I want to be ready.”

 

“2004. You take a full time IT position. Netpoint faded to the background and almost disappeared.” 

 

His eyes drop to the napkin, covered in excitedly scrawled ideas. “Why’d I let it fade?” He sounds disappointed. 

 

“Netpoint wasn’t making enough to sustain itself. You’ll spend year keeping it on the back burner while you gain new experience and build skills.”

 

His expression shifts. “New skills to take Netpoint to the next step?” 

 

I nod. “Exactly. And in 2011, you go all in- no more side jobs, no more distractions.”

 

“Wow! Eleven years of getting it going. Was that the hardest part?”

 

I exhale. “No,” I admit. “The hardest part was the stress it put on your relationships.” 

 

He nodded slowly. “Our decisions affect more than just us. Its a new direction for them, too.”

 

“And you know what?” I point to the napkin full of ideas. “Those ideas will go on to impact even more than just your family. Today, ten families depend on the decisions we make.”

 

His eyes widen. “That’s a huge responsibility.”

 

I nod. “It is.”

 

“If our choices affect so many lives… how did you know when it was stable? That Netpoint was going to last?”

 

“2020. The year no business owner could’ve predicted. That’s when we knew we were more than just another IT company.”

 

“How so?”

 

“During the pandemic it was chaos, but we stepped up. Businesses needed help going remote and we made it happen. We donated PPE, supported clients who couldn’t afford service, and helped companies survive.”

 

He turns the napkin over in his hands. “I didn’t have any of that in mind when brainstorming Netpoint.”

 

“How could you? But it showed me something. We weren’t just a business. We weren’t just a consulting group. We had become something much bigger: a community.”

 

He leans forward. “How do I step into this community? Knowing what you know now- how would you have done it differently?”

 

“Take more risks.”

 

He raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

 

I grin. “I know it sounds scary. But stepping out of your comfort zone is how Netpoint became a reality. You just have to do it.”

 

He exhales and nods. “Got it. So… what’s next?”

 

“More growth. More change. If I’ve learned anything in 25 years, it’s that nothing stays the same- and that’s what makes it all so exciting.”

 

He chuckles. “Sounds like I’d better buckle up.”

 

I smile. “You have no idea.”