Introduction and explication

Who am I?
A dust jacket might say something like:
Born on a pirate island to nerd parents, Edward Gibbs V is the elder of two likewise nerd brothers, the younger being Geoffrey. He likes to say that the worthwhile things he learned in school were (a) how to learn and (b) that just about anything can be learned, and quickly. If he can be enthusiastic about ten alphabetized things, they are business theory, cycling, ethics, gastronomy, improvisation, language, music, play, sustainability, and various geeky pursuits. From reactions to his to-do list, Edward is confident that he is frighteningly well organized. He can provide you with an accurate, current, and complete grocery list upon request at any time. Edward lives in the Seattle area in his kitchen, mostly. Sensitive to symbols, Edward is mildly concerned that the first sentence in this paragraph implies less a focus on family as origin and instructive lens and more a key personal identifier (a notion that his family might readily disabuse the armchair analyst reader of). Edward is not worried about dangling participles: there is nothing ungrammatical about it.

Why is this blog titled after a minor aspect of kyūdō (弓道)?
Naturally it is artifice, and hopefully a slightly clever one. Yugamae (ゆがまえ) – readying the bow – is the third of the eight stages through which a kyūdō archer moves in order to correctly shoot. Kyūdō is an unusual sport in that in addition to being rigorously disciplined, it is emphatically contemplative and practible by almost anyone. This blog is the document of my founding a corporation, the sort of company that I can be unabashedly proud of and that can provide structures and opportunities to which likeminded people will subscribe. I am satisfied that I've already rightly placed my footing. I've made my peace with the committment required, so my balance is set and my priorities aligned. Now I intend to ready my instrument. The archer readies the bow. I ready the corporate structures that I'll have to bind together to build a corporation. But "ready the corporate structures that I'll have to bind together to build a corporation" is a terribly awkward blog title.

What about those other five steps, Mr. Metaphor?
Oh, all that gorgeous stuff about preparation, execution, and clarity? I'm good to go, champ. If there's one thing I know, it's how to make a wicked good plan, set about bringing it into action, and refining it into an ever sleeker and prettier beast. A better snide question is why I chose an aspect of a solitary sport to capture a group endeavor. Oy, it's a metaphor and a URL. Cut a fellow a little slack.

What do I hope to get out of this?
I know a lot about what I don't want, especially out of work. And I know almost no one who is happy at work, who feels a sense of belonging in their paid endeavors, or who thinks that the company they work for is straight-dealing. I know much of what I want, and I know much of how to get there. I am confident that I can build that company, the one that appeals to me. In fact, lots of people are confident that they can identify what their personal ideal companies would be like. That's how we end up with annual review systems that pit peer against peer in bitter competition. I'm not so interested in kludging together a personality-mirroring horror of a company or a joe-job mediocracy machine – the world is well populated with those shambling organizations already. I hope to suss out the theoretical guts of the business structure that my kind of folks will thrive in and then to build it for reals and serious. I've been talking to folks one on one about this endeavor for a short time. I'm hoping that this forum has a greater reach and makes more sense. I will frequently post my questions, speculations, and musings. I take this effort seriously, so I will be reading every comment and you are welcome to email me directly. This is very much a research project requiring at least some interaction, so I welcome any that you offer.