I lost a business friend last week. His name was Jay O'Conner. A long time friend, O.J. Webb, introduced him to me. O'Connor died in New York on Monday, April 9. He was a new friend that I never met face to face. We talked four to six times daily and at length on Sundays, usually about politics and business. He sent, on average, 10 emails a day on the projects we discussed. I was in four lengthy conversations with Jay before fully understanding the scope of his work. He was clearly a genius who had established technologies and innovations for the new world. He got it and he had figured it out. He was ready to implement. He had established what he labeled Transmedia Brandcasting and founded World Colours Network TV. These were his primary projects, ready to move forward.
His dream was within reach. He had just received major funding. He had finally met a financial investor who got it and could see the reality of his dream. He finally had the finances to realize and to implement. Mr. Webb had been his friend and business partner to help develop these projects. I had been tapped for marketing and the three of us had regular conversations engaging business pursuits. Jay had just appeared on CNN TV in a discussion on the death of Trayvon Martin. He raised a potent question about state rights vs. national laws on gun control. He was provocative and focused. His mind was intriguing and creative.
He was within reach. He died suddenly leaving his friends in a sadden stupor. It has taken a full week to grasp his death. One day I was in a daze and funk asking the Alfie question, what does it mean and what is it all about?
This is the lesson I have learned. We work on our dreams daily; as an entrepreneur in these dire times, pursuing the dream is difficult and you need your entrepreneur friends to assist. Jay had just made it and he had made it big, but he didn't get a chance to realize it. He kept developing his ideas. He kept seeking. When he thought about giving up, he said 'one more time.' Mr. Webb was an uplift supporter who believed and supported. He could not have had a better friend. Everybody needs someone to just believe in them. He kept moving. He was a universal guy with global contacts. He was about to begin filming in Austria. We had our ideas on the table ready for the next step. Any corporate giant would have been glad to work with him. He was far ahead of the crowd but he stayed rooted in entrepreneurship.
As he sought assistance for his own projects, he gave it. He was constantly providing technical strategies on computer marketing and innovations. We lived one day at a time. Every day counts. Every friend is important. It is important to take time. We push and pull so much and some time when we get right there we don't realize it. Life has its ironies and this is one of them.
He will be memorialized Friday, April 20 at First Church of God in Jamaica, New York.
One day at a time.