Do whatever you want, unless it’s giving up. Do not give up. Never give up.
Chris Pisarski (Omicron, ‘11) repeated these very words to himself as he discovers another few thousand dollars was usurped from his bank account with the hope it would be the big break he’d been waiting for. It wasn’t, and neither were the next few contributors who promised to make his idea a reality.
Along with financial struggles, Pisarski was in for a long road ahead as he navigated the tech world for the first time. Creating an app is hard and competing with a Big Four like LinkedIn was even harder. Months of research followed with few breaks in between. Finally, in September 2019, Chet Network launched.
“Chet Network is a professional social development network. What it is, is this: Share what you are doing in the moment to get better and see what others are doing in the moment to get better. You share the book you are reading and see that other people are reading the same one, you can then you start a dialogue about it” explains Pisarski.
Pisarski spent a year and a half hiring and firing contributors who were ill fit for what he needed. Some were con artists who knew how the play the field while others unexpectedly shut down in the midst of a company-wide issue. It felt like, for every victory, there was a loss. The support of his family and friends was the reason he was able to continue toward his goal and take the time he needed to reflect.
Investors who doubled as close characters in his life encouraged him to take time off and explore what his next steps will look like. A two-month hiatus revealed that the passion for creating the app still lit a fire in him. Though, it was time for a new strategy. Pisarski went back to basics and began looking at Chet Network through a whole new lens.
“I said I wanted to do this and I made a statement to myself. People are relying on you, family and friends. It is a professional development social app, so users are getting real value out of that and it is a real thing. I believe that I could truly help people. I have a duty to them” says Pisarski.
His return meant that taking the safe route was out the window and trusting his initial instinct would be taking the drivers seat. It proved the be the right move as he partnered with WeWork four months later, the company that would launch Chet Network off the ground. He received samples to work with and hands-on customer service in the months leading up to its release. In early September 2019, Pisarski’s dream became downloadable on Google Play and the Apple Store.
In the pursuit of encouraging others to be better, Pisarski became better himself. He learned what it means to have others rely on him and become responsible for something bigger than himself. Now that others are relying on him, the hustle doesn’t stop. Pisarski continues to improve the network and compete with one of the Big Four.
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