I COULD HAVE LOST IT ALL!

Every time I make the 'easy' decision, it's always harder on me. 

I was being lazy. I didn't want to fly out of LAX.  It was too far. It's so nice to just fly in and out of Burbank. Sure, I have to fly the 'no frills' airline, which is okay, and there are fewer facilities to get work done, but because it's closer, I won't lose that much time. (time is money and effectiveness.. don't be confused - as an entrepreneur, every decision you make on how you spend your time should have a cost/benefit analysis to it).  

It'll be fine.

It wasn't.  My meetings finished up a bit early, so I was able to put some impromptu meetings together and catch up with some people that weren't on the plan (excellent use of time), but in the end, I was still going to be left with an extra 2 hours.  No problem, I'll go to the airport, check in to the lounge (the workspace and the particularly the wifi is significantly better - again, time is money - the free airport wifi is nothing but frustration, if you want to get things done, you need the proper tools).

I get in the airport, and barely walk through the door and I get a notification, my flight is delayed an hour (which eventually becomes almost 2 hours). I open my app to locate the nearest lounge and guess what.. no lounge in my terminal.. none.  There is a 'partner' lounge in the International terminal, but they won't let me thru security without an international boarding pass. I go back to my terminal, find a seat and power and over the next 4 hours, struggle with a combination of free airport wifi that either drops, or has so little throughput that it's useless and i'm just wasting time reconnecting, or the two bars of LTE service, which I launch a hotspot on, which is barely any better.

This is a waste of time. Some will say 'that is just how travel works'.  I say that is an attitude for stereo-typical middle management and losers.  I don't care if you are an entrepreneur or an 'intrapreneur'.  You've taken on a job, you are on the job's dime and you should be making shit happen.  If you have four hours to waste, your company probably doesn't need you, or at least you are milking them for a free paycheck.

This is why those who can, use a driver, or pay $50 per stay or $500 a year for airport lounge access, or business class on international travel.  Your time is almost certainly worth more than $50 an hour (and that's assuming a one hour stay in the lounge - not 4; or the two hours it takes in the uber/lyft to and from the airport - where you are still working, instead of driving.  It's why the $8 for the wifi in-flight is valuable and you don't care that it doesn't stream YouTube.

I switched to flying exclusively out of LAX because when I do, I can make sure to take flights/airlines that ensure I have the tools, so that I can get work done, and in case of extended emergencies (because they happen in travel more often than not) you are prepared and have the tools to be 100% efficient. It's why you show up ready and rested, instead of tired and wrecked.  

Time is money.  Know the value of what you are doing, and invest in it.  It only takes one email during in-flight wifi, one #slack channel while you're connected in the lounge, or the meeting you are fully rested for when you land in London worth while - $50, $500 or $5,000 expended to make $500k?  Any day.

I was stupid.  I forget my own lessons. I'll never know if this cost me one - it'll always be an unknown, so I don't leave them to chance.  Always be ready.

Be Well

~Keith