My name is Brett and I’m a Lucky Son of a Bitch
My name is Brett deMarrais. Calling me a novice writer is being kind and this is my first attempt at letting you (yes, you) get to know me.
I am almost 30 years old, live in Detroit, and have been a VC for almost 4 years. Still an infant sucking on a pacifier when it comes to my job.
Feels strange to put that in writing, but it is the truth. Unlike many of my counterparts I have not started and sold successful companies. I have not been a PM at a Fortune 500 tech company. I haven’t even gotten an MBA (what that is worth seems debatable among tech circles). I learned what I do know by starting a business out of college called Wedit. It was a painful experience, but I’ll leave that story and lessons learned for another time.
People always ask me how I got in to VC and I wish I could say that I had a plan and executed it to perfection. Instead, my answer is always, “I got lucky”. Most VC’s I know, through hard work and a lot more serendipity, end up with an opportunity that is too good to pass up as a VC. I know very few VC’s who set out to have a career in venture capital. My path reads more like a romantic comedy than business plan. Classic story of guy meets VC. Guy becomes best friends with VC. VC asks him to come work with him because he doesn’t want to lose a friend who is going to move to San Francisco. Standard.
That VC is Jonathon Triest. Jonathon is one of the most impressive people I have ever met. He is kind, generous, warm and gregarious. People he interacts with instantly walk away with a bond formed. He is the best networker and people person I have met. Literally the opposite of me, which is, hopefully, one reason why we make a good team.
Steven Covey once said,
“If you can hire people whose passion intersects with the job, they won’t require any supervision at all. They will manage themselves better than anyone could ever manage them. Their fire comes from within, not from without. Their motivation is internal, not external”
That literally describes Blake Robbins who came to Ludlow a couple months ago and has been pushing me to get better everyday for fear of losing my job to him (I’m not joking). Blake is thoughtful, connected, and highly motivated. I don’t think Jonathon or myself have ever assigned him any work. He is an amazing addition to our team.
I don’t mean to gloat, but if I am writing about being lucky I must mention my fiancé Marissa. She is my much better half. Warm, fun loving, goofy, bright, the list could go on forever. Lucky doesn’t begin to cover how I became the man to stand at her side. I also have a dope dog named Harper. She is the coolest. This is Harper as a puppy.
I am going to try and get in the habit of writing just because. I was inspired by Mark Suster, who is my favorite blogger. If you aren’t reading his stuff or, watching his snapchats (msuster on snapchat) you are doing yourself a disservice. Not sure what I will write about. Probably a mix of VC/entrepreneur topics and just random things. This was just a little introduction on me. Any and all feedback is welcome. In summary, I am a lucky son of a bitch.
