I got a plug in a magazine this morning amongst some big names. It’s a great little supporting statement for Pollenizer but I need to give it some context.

Firstly, startups are hard work. New, risky, vague, emotional, financial, complex and constantly changing. In the past two weeks we’ve taken some huge steps forward and at the same time I’ve screwed a bunch of things up. Some big ideas haven’t worked out, a change of approach back fired, a partnership didn’t gel and in all the work a few details got missed. I don’t expect perfection but it still hurts. We’re a young company, applying a new way to kick start new ideas. It’s hard.

Secondly, there were a few things missing. The Pollenizer team is everything. A group of committed, talented, creative, caring people who turn up day after day to deal with the uncertainty, risk and high walls of startups. We are currently working on 6 live businesses and advising 6 others. To think I could even start to do 1/100th of it myself is crazy. Let’s not even start talking about the amazing finance, product, engineering and design work that I can’t even contemplate. (OK, I could probably do the design… just kidding crew.)

Thank you team for making Pollenizer what it is – an amazing engine trying our best to produce great web businesses.

The big one missing is Phil. Typically we are joined at the hip on things like this but for some reason they picked me out. Maybe because I’m the ego of Pollenizer doing talks and workshops around the country in an attempt to placate my failed drama career. For whatever reason, to miss Phil is to miss not just a limb, but a heart, brain and soul.

I try to thank him as much as I can, but even with Wooboard I couldn’t do it enough. But lets face facts. He’s an ex theatre director, philosophy student who taught himself to build websites for money. Then he takes a crazy job at Kazaa as CTO and just keeps going. Then he has the audacity to think he can also do business deals by starting this thing with Dean called Spreets and sells it in 13 months. But it doesn’t stop there. He rolls the IP from Spreets into Dealised and raises $5m. CTO’s aren’t supposed to do that. He is a true entreprenerd and he’s completely nailing it. I’m working hard just to keep up.

Phil brings process, discipline, big thinking, integrity, openness, and relentless hard work in the face of intense, obscure adversity. He continues to blow me away with his ability to get things done and I’m starting to think his capability is limitless.

We refer to each other at times as our other wives. So a big thanks to my startup startup wife Phil, for putting up with me and lifting me up with you. I’m proud to be in the trenches with you.