Besides all of good times at the parties and events during CES the thing that I took away most from CES was motivation. I have been working on ThinkComputers since 2001 and I wouldn’t have imagined that it would be my full-time job that actually pays well and I enjoy doing. I proved to a lot of people that I could make ThinkComputers into a real business and I am proud of that. Now ThinkComputers is nowhere near where I want it to be as far as traffic and exposure, but it has grown a lot over this past year. At CES I realized that if I work hard good things will happen.

Name Recognition
Previous years at CES I would introduce myself to companies and they would have no clue what ThinkComputers even was. Now when I introduce myself they have heard of the site and know who we are and what we do. Also since we have been working with some companies for a few years now you don’t even have to introduce yourself to them, they come over and say hi to you. These companies deal with tons of press and customers and it is nice that they know who you are and take the time out to talk to you.

Doing What You Like To Do
My last few years of high school and when I was in college I always thought, “wouldn’t it be great if I could do this for a living”, and of course now I am doing that. When I was growing up I was always watching tech shows on TV. Shows like The Screen Savers and Fresh Gear bring back good memories. I always enjoyed those shows and now I am doing what they do, and I even see some of those people at the events I am at. Patrick Norton (The Screen Savers, now Tekzilla) and Jim Louderback (Fresh Gear, now CEO of Revision3) were both at the PC Race for Charity this year. It is really cool being in the same industry with people you were watching on TV growing up.

Wine and Dinned
During CES there are a lot of parties, but many companies take their clients out showing them appreciation for what they have done for them. This year at CES we were taken out by Lite-On and AOC to go see Phanton of the Opera then to the amazing restaurant Zeffirino. It was a great night and one of the most memorable nights from CES this year. It is nice that companies will take you out to show their appreciation for your work.

What Could Be
Each year at CES you meet new people and there are always good conversations. Most tech site owners that I have met are great people and even if their site is huge. A lot of the guys this year were giving me tips and how to improve on things. Also they were telling me about companies flying them out to product launches and things like that. It was cool to get the advice from my peers and also to hear what companies will do for you when you reach that level.

CES is always a great trip and if there is anything I bring out of it, it is motivation to keep on working hard. I can see how successful people are at what they are doing and it motivates me to work even hard to get to that level and beyond.