The following month, Senodja Walker and I were brainstorming during Professor Donnelly’s New Ventures Class at the George Washington University. 

“So the site will provide faceted search where you can choose your cuisine, type of dish, ingredients and taste preferences,” I stated.

“Not only that, but you can choose your mood and ambience,” Senodja added. “Last weekend, i was going on a date night with hubby and the babysitter watching the kids.  So we wanted something romantic with a nice view and no distractions.”

“Perfect, and if you like sports like me, you can select the team that you like to watch, and it’ll tell you which pubs to visit.  If you’re a Falcons fan, you definitely don’t want to stumble blindly into a Saints bar.”

“Perfect, what shall we call it?”

We brainstormed for a few, then I reflected back to my visit to Haiti and remembered the sage words from Pastor Luc.

“How ‘bout RUNINOut.”

“Like running out of food, groceries, things to do?”

“That’s an accurate expression. But RUNINOut is also a back acronym.”

“Huh?”

“Researching, Understanding, Negotiating, Innovating, Navigating.”

“How did you come up with such a catchy slogan?”

“I visited Haiti in March to assist with the earthquake recovery. There I learned a lot from folk heroes like Veniel and Pastor Luc — Before launching any endeavor, it’s imperative to do your research, to understand all the players in the current environment.  Then make sure you communicate your desires while hearing out the other party, get buy-in from stakeholders, and leverage technology before steaming ahead.”

“Works for me, sounds like Pastor Luc is a wise man.”

“He’s a miracle worker and an inspiration to us all.”

“So are you going to hire someone local to develop the site?” 

“Heck, the prices in this town are way too high due to demand from huge government contracts.”

“Then why don’t you outsource the work to India, Philippines, Africa?”

“We can outsource the content management once the structure is in place. But to build the foundation, I want to find a team from North America who understands our culture, our food, our history, and most importantly someone we can afford.”

“Where can you find such gifted and cheap talent?”

“Dunno, but this summer, I’m hitting the road and hope to find someone who can serve as the final piece to our jigsaw puzzle.”

“Are you heading west to Silicon Valley?”

“West for sure, then traveling through California and as far north as the road takes me.”