It Started with a Grey Bedsheet

In March of 2009, Gemba Academy came to life when our very first website went live. By today’s standards, that website was simple…very simple. I still remember it clearly: a blue website (really, it was blue) with big ambitions.

But what most don’t realize is the company started many months before this. And, get this, the first Gemba Academy “video studio” was a spare bedroom in my old house, and the first video “background” was a grey bedsheet. You can see the actual bedsheet in the picture above. Now, to be fair, it was a super high-quality bedsheet from Bed Bath & Beyond. And there was no company “budget” back then, so I paid for it out of my own pocket.

A Company is Born

Prior to launching that blue website, I managed to put together 12 videos focused on value stream mapping. I shot the videos and then somehow edited them after learning how from an online “how to make web videos” course. We’ve actually redone this “Transforming your Value Streams” course a number of times, so, sadly, the grey bedsheet is nowhere to be found these days.

But the reason I’m sharing this story is to remind others, and myself, that starting something important doesn’t have to be fancy or glamorous.

And, to be clear, when I speak about starting something, I don’t necessarily mean a new business. Instead, starting something could involve a new hobby, a new exercise or diet routine, or, most definitely, a continuous improvement journey.

Unfortunately, a common stumbling block for many trying to start something new is waiting for perfection. Instead of launching that website that may not be flawless, they continue to tinker, and tinker, and tinker until the tinkering is eventually interrupted, and before they realize it, two months have passed, and the initial excitement for the new idea is long gone.

Or for something closer to us lean thinkers…have you ever seen (or been part of!) a CI team seemingly trapped in endless brainstorming loops related to that new future state value stream map? They continue to tweak the big map on the wall for days (sometimes longer) yet never actually experiment with any new ideas.

A Young Man with an iPhone

Along these lines, and if you’ll allow me to brag a bit about my son, Ryan, he’s been a perfect example of what I’m talking about.

Two years ago, Ryan, a country/pop music artist, recorded his first TikTok video using only his iPhone. No special audio equipment or lighting. Just a young man with a dream, singing to his smartphone. And while I don’t have the specifics…it’s safe to say his following in those early days wasn’t all that big. But he kept at it, posting videos daily.

Today, Ryan has 1.5 million followers across all his platforms. He’s gotten around half a billion views across all streaming platforms and has signed a record deal with Grey Area Records and One Percent Sound.

As an aside, Ryan’s middle name is Price and, apparently, Price rolls off the tongue a little easier than Pereira, which is why he goes by Ryan Price for his music and social media.

And while I’m obviously proud of the success he’s realized…I’m most proud of his focus and consistency.

The Key Lesson

So, in conclusion, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s this: the things that matter most rarely begin in ideal circumstances.

Sometimes they begin with a blue website.

Sometimes they begin with an old iPhone.

And sometimes they begin with a grey bedsheet hanging on a spare bedroom wall.

The important thing isn’t how you start.

It’s that you start.

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