Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
In this episode, we sit down with Neelesh Patel, president of Net Friends, an IT services company in Durham, North Carolina. Neelesh recounts his incredible journey through the dot-com bubble, the 2008 recession, and his path into entrepreneurship and leadership. Raised by immigrant parents, Neelesh learned valuable life lessons while working in his family's hotel business. He also shares pivotal moments such as transitioning from potential career paths, a transformative backpacking trip to Spain, and the serendipitous events that led him to the IT industry. Neelesh discusses the founding and eventual sale of his companies, the mental health challenges faced by his team, and the profound impact of fostering a service-oriented culture. Join us for an inspiring story of resilience, adaptability, and the importance of helping others.
00:00 Introduction to Neelesh Patel
00:57 Early Life and Family Background
02:34 Formative Years and First Encounter with Technology
04:31 Career Aspirations and College Struggles
07:20 Transition to IT and Early Career
10:32 Journey to San Francisco and First Job
13:18 Starting Miny Networks
18:57 Expansion and New Ventures
20:49 The Costa Rica Venture
22:48 Challenges and Mental Health
23:48 Returning to North Carolina
25:35 Joining Net Friends
26:13 Net Friends' Mission and Services
27:33 Cybersecurity Insights
29:53 Mental Health Initiatives at Net Friends
36:09 Redefining Success
40:04 Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes
Creators and Guests
What is Freedom and Glory - Tales of American Spirit?
Welcome to Freedom and Glory: Tales of American Spirit—a podcast celebrating the heart of American craftsmanship, resilience, self-reliance, and the power of disruption. Through inspiring stories and authentic storytelling, we shine a spotlight on individuals and communities who embody these values, proving that small, determined efforts can spark meaningful change.
Join us as we share personal tales of triumph, innovation, and hope—moments that define the American spirit and shape our nation’s identity. Whether you’re seeking motivation to pursue your dreams or a reminder of the power of community, Freedom and Glory offers a powerful dose of inspiration rooted in resilience and determination.
Listen, be inspired, and take action.
004 Freedom and Glory
===
[00:00:00]
Liz (2): we're joined by Neish Patel. He is the president of Net Friends, a leading IT services company in Durham, North Carolina. And Neish came up during the.com bubble in San Francisco, navigated through the burst, um, 2008 recession. And, um, he's gonna share his journey of entrepreneurship, uh, leadership and fostering a culture of service.
So thanks for being with us Neish.
Neelesh Patel: Absolutely. It's my pleasure.
Liz (2): Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Neelesh Patel: [00:01:00] Sure. The common denominator for me through every experience I've had in my life is that I am just a lucky guy. I am literally the luckiest guy I know. Um, I was lucky to be born in the United States.
Um, lucky to have, uh, uh, LOPA as my wife. Uh, we met in 2008. She's just been mind bendingly awesome for, uh, for my own personal mental health. Uh, two great kids, uh, and a wonderful sister, I was born to two immigrant parents, so I'm a first generation American and my parents, uh, my dad came here with $6.
I know you hear that all the time. Wow. You know, and like it gets lower and lower every year. But, but they, he genuinely did come here with $6 and, and turn that $6 into. Not only following his own passion and living the American dream, [00:02:00] but he was able to help hundreds of other people live their own American dreams.
And, uh, so I was modeled, you know, grit, perseverance, you name it, just I had a front row seat to it through, through the hotel business.
Bill: You have your mom, your dad mm-hmm
And they have their perspective of this country and the American dream. They put you to work in a hotel.
Neelesh Patel: That's right.
Bill: Right. Yeah. Yeah. You know, it's interesting, I, I hear that a lot from people who are successful, that as a young kid mm-hmm . They're involved in something. Mm-hmm . Business oriented. How did that impact you?
Neelesh Patel: I didn't appreciate it when I was younger. sadly up, so there was a lot of complaining. Um, but I remember, uh, as an 11-year-old, even, uh, my sister's just a year younger, and so she was 10. I'm 11. And my parents would, uh, you know, their breaks in the day were later on in the evenings, like past 10 o'clock, and they would go and [00:03:00] they would go and enjoy a cup of tea with, with their friends who also owned hotels that were nearby.
And, uh, my sister and I would be running the motel. Right. Looking back on it, I. It, it, that particular experience or those experiences have really shaped a lot of how I behave today. Um, but one thing I. It, uh, taught me to work well with my sister because when my parents were gone, that's when we did the things that we weren't supposed to do.
Right. , , and so, sorry, mom and dad, but . We used, had this huge satellite that got all kinds of channels, you know, on tv. And it was in a room that, uh, uh, the satellite, we call it the satellite room. Had monitors and, and little, you know, buttons and, and gadgets in it. And, uh, while they were gone, my sister and I learned to operate that stuff.
So that's how, that was like my first introduction [00:04:00] to technology. She and I learned to trust each other and, and, you know, build on that trust. But I also learned to, uh, to try things and. And fail. Try something else. And fail. Until, until we got to the, got to the goal that of what we wanted, which is watching a show we weren't allowed to watch
Yeah, exactly. That's
Liz (2): what I was thinking. Some kind of cartoon or whatever show you weren't supposed to watch. Yeah, exactly. Well, I mean, I think that really fosters a lot of independence. Mm-hmm . Um, and I know, you know, you mentioned when we talked before that your mom and dad wanted you to be a doctor.
Neelesh Patel: Right.
Liz (2): Um. But, you know, you kinda wanted to do your own thing. I mean, what, what did you wanna do?
Neelesh Patel: To be fair to my parents, um, being a doctor was something I think all of their friends wanted their, their children to be sure it was, it was, uh, it wasn't necessarily considered the safe route.
The route that brought, [00:05:00] you know, the most prestige, but also safety. Uh, but you know, more importantly, it allowed you to help so many other people. I honestly did want to be a doctor, you know, until I got into, uh, my junior year in college and, and at that point I'd realized that I didn't want to be a doctor.
And I, honestly, I was just kind of lost, right? So I didn't, I didn't really know what I wanted to be, but I, you know, I didn't wanna be a doctor anymore. I started bouncing around from major to major. Uh, I was in, I was in biology. I, and I, I do have a biology degree today. Uh, but you know, I tried art, I tried philosophy.
I tried. Uh, psychiatry, right. Bounce around all these things in the end ended up with biology. I did know that the one thing I wanted to do was to, to do something similar to what my parents did, which is, you know, owning my own [00:06:00] business in some form, but not just own a business for the sake of owning it, but to be able to help as many people as I could, because I saw.
the sense of fulfillment that my parents had in helping people who, um, in this case weren't able to help themselves in the way that they wanted. Uh, I mean, there was, there was a, I remember there was, um, a gentleman who really wanted to go to medical school.
And he just couldn't afford it. My parents paid his way through medical school, you know, and, and they wouldn't have been able to do that if they didn't have their own business. Right. And they, we, we used to take, uh, three month vacations to India. I say we, my dad always had to come back for some reason, uh, because of the businesses.
But, um, uh, I just, it was, it became more clear to me as I became an adult. What the, what the right path was going to be. But I didn't feel like [00:07:00] medicine was gonna give me that path. I thought, I thought medicine was basically a lifelong job. Right? And, uh, and so I steered away from that and wandered aimlessly, for a little while.
You delivered pizza for a while.
Bill: Motivated you then at that point to go, ah, now what I want to do? So I wanna go into the IT business . That seems kind of a, a quite a difference from being a doctor or something else.
Neelesh Patel: Yeah.
Bill: I mean, how did that happen?
Neelesh Patel: So, um, I used to, I used to work in the IT labs in, at Chapel Hill, so I. If you, if you ever, if when you were in college, if you went to an IT lab, you had to sign something, you know, uh, I was one of the people who's, who sat there and occasionally helped people troubleshoot.
Password resets. Password resets, or like, I can't get to Word. Um, it's like, it's right there with the W. In my spare time for fun, I used to do, uh, 3D imaging and modeling on [00:08:00] computers, right? But what really pushed me into it was, was I was delivering pizzas. And, uh, my parents, uh, who thankfully paid for my college education were rightfully so very concerned about the investment They made they did this masterful thing. Which is pulling me out of UNC.
And they sent me, and I know this is gonna sound really bougie, but they, they sent me on a, uh, multi-week backpacking trip to Spain with, uh, one of my cousins who was already planning the trip. And so they, they pulled me out of Chapel Hill, got me out of the zone that I, the headspace that I was in. and then when I came back from Spain, I.
Um, they had a heart to heart with me through, uh, my uncle and aunt. Um, and they were like, listen, you have to, you have to do something. And, [00:09:00] and I was like, okay. And so, so I essentially, um, I went to the, college version of the guidance counselor and. He was like, yeah, you should probably do something in it.
And he like left this book behind, uh, of, you know, of, uh, potential jobs and, and careers. And so I was just thumbing through it. I was like, and my finger landed on, uh, MCSC, which is a Microsoft Certified Systems engineer. Uh, as a mi it's a Microsoft exam as a certification that you take. Six exams and you get the certificate that shows you, that shows employers you're qualified to work on Microsoft systems.
And you know, it typically takes people, uh, six to nine months to do it because generally people are working and studying for it and doing it. But I had just freshly come out of. Uh, you know, [00:10:00] reading, regurgitating information on standardized tests and, uh, and so I applied that same logic. So, so basically I would start reading on Sunday and then, uh, on, on that Saturday I would go and take an exam.
And within six weeks I. I, uh, I was able to successfully complete the program, um, and . So, so I said, Hey, hey dad. Um, I did this thing. It was pretty impressive. And, uh, you know, just patting myself on the back, just young and, and just full of energy and, and I said, can, can you buy me a ticket to San Francisco to, to go visit my friend to meet?
It was a college friend of mine who was working in the.com, the, the hub of the.com in San Francisco for a startup. Exactly what you think it was going to be like, you know, run by kids who are just three years older than you. [00:11:00] Um, and, and just, it's a party every day. He bought me a ticket to San Francisco, and, and while I was in San Francisco, uh, my friend.
Uh, was too busy to hang out. They were, they were, they were developers and so they were working, you know, probably 16, 18 hours a day. I mean, they were just, you know, enjoying it. But they were working very hard. The CEO of the company noticed that I was hanging around the office, not much to do.
And so he's like, Hey, needless, you wanna, you wanna hang out your friend's too busy to hang out with you? I'll hang out with you. And so I hung out with the CEO of this company. For almost a week and just formed a great bond with him. And, uh, he basically, uh, was when I left, he, he asked me if I was looking for a job and, and you know, me being the intelligent person that I am, said, no, kidding.
Not looking for a job. Kidding . [00:12:00] But I have this Microsoft cert, right? And, and he's like, oh, okay. And so. When I got home, uh, back to Wilson, um, there was a voicemail waiting for me, uh, from a company called Bind Networks that he, you know, shared my information with and they interviewed me and they said, you did absolutely horrible
However, , however, uh, you were highly recommended, and you'll see this is like, this is a lot of luck, right? They said, why don't we do this? You came highly recommended. Why don't you come and live with us for a month and you can work at buying networks and that'll be your probationary period.
If you make it past the first month, then you have to move out of our house. But you know, you can, but you have a job and so you can move into some, some of your own place. If you fail, then [00:13:00] you got a free month in San Francisco and you can do what you want. And so that's, that's, uh. Sorry it was a really long answer to your question, but that is how I got into it.
Liz: Well,
Neelesh Patel: and and the rest was history. When he is lucky.
Liz (2): I know ,
Liz: I know .
Liz (2): Wow. I should shake your hand again. Once we're, once we're done, maybe it'll rub off . Um, but I, I know, you know, through that experience you ended up kind of starting your own business. That's right. Which is so interesting 'cause it sounds like.
The time you were motivated to do that was kind of when things were sort of crumbling. Mm-hmm . Around in the.com space in San Francisco. Yeah. What, how did that all get set up? What luck brought you that or how, you know, how did that motivation come about?
Neelesh Patel: So yeah, things were falling, fallen apart, all around us.
Um, and so the. The, the, there was a single person who was responsible for, uh, for me, even [00:14:00] thinking about starting my own company. His name is Eddie Deer, uh, from, he used to work at this company called Richard Pollan Associates or Interior Design Firm.
And he can, he said, Neish, I think you need to look around and see what's happening and, and think about . Going off on your own, otherwise you're going to, get pulled down with the ship and you're gonna drown and just, it didn't feel right. Right. Because I didn't, this isn't a customer that I brought onto.
It's not an account that I brought in. It was an account that I was assigned to. And so I mold with it for a while and eventually. You know, while I'm thinking about it, I'm seeing, you know, customers that were supporting, like dropping like flies. Mm-hmm . You know, all around us and I'm seeing people starting to get laid off within the company that I was working on and it was every time it was super sad.
There were tears. No, nobody wanted to let anybody go, but it was just, [00:15:00] it was, uh, an unhappy situation. Right. Even though we all really enjoyed working with each other. And, um, and so I said, okay, I think, I think I probably should make a move. And I went and talked to the, uh, the owners of the company and, uh, and it was a difficult conversation.
I was lucky, and, uh, and shocker . And, and they, they said, okay. Um. Why don't you take Richard Pollan Associates? And, and so I started, uh, my company that at basically that day, um, I named it Miny Networks. So that's, uh, my mom's name is Miny. And in our, in our culture, and the children have their dad's name as their middle name, and so the father's name always lives on it.
There was no way. For my mother's name to live on. And so I was like, I'm [00:16:00] gonna name the company after it because it's gonna be around forever, and if not, I'm gonna print it on a T-shirt and I'll have that t-shirt forever. , which I do, I have that t-shirt today. Um, but uh, but that's, that's pretty much how I got started with it really brought me into the interior design industry in San Francisco.
And so before I knew it. I had, you know, tons of interior design customers that were not failing during the.com. And so what was hap, what was failing in the.com era were a lot of, um, IT companies, right? Technology companies, and then feeder companies that supported the technology companies. But, you know, interior design firms, they were doing okay.
I mean, they, they, they were hurting a little bit too, but not in the same way. So I got really lucky with this industry that I, that I knew how to support. I knew how to do, I knew how to like handle their large format [00:17:00] printers and I knew how to back their data up and, and knew, you know, where to restore the files when things needed to get restored.
Because I had an end to this industry that wasn't necessarily dying, I. My company was able to to thrive, uh, when other technology companies weren't. And, uh, it was a good thing because I had a lot of friends who were seriously struggling. Uh, when the, when the.com, when the bubble popped, my best friend me was delivering flowers for a while.
Um, he's a, he's a really intelligent developer. Through Miny Networks, um, I was able to kind of employ some friends to do various things that you do when you start a company. Yeah. Right. So I needed somebody to create a website for me. Boom. You know, so I was able to pay a couple of months rent with that, needed somebody to do the copy edit, uh, for me.
'cause I was not great at that back then. [00:18:00] And, and so boom, that was a couple of months of rent for somebody else. Um, I was able to. Uh, I had a two bedroom, um, single guy. Uh, and so there was another friend who just could not support himself, uh, for various reasons, but I was able to just let him come and stay with me and he stayed with me until he got back on his feet, you know, it was fantastic.
So I got to do a lot of those things and um, and for the first time in my life I started feeling. I was doing something similar to what my parents were doing. And, and I gotta tell you, that just felt great. So good.
Bill: Is that why you then, 'cause this was a very successful company, right? And then you, did you not sell it or at some point and say, you know what?
I think I'm gonna go home.
Neelesh Patel: I I did sell it. Yeah. Yeah. Um, uh. Before I sold it though, I started another company. [00:19:00] That's right. Yeah. What was that?
Bill: What sold, what was that company?
Neelesh Patel: Uh, that company . So we called it Red Knight. Yep. Um, and that company was based outta Costa Rica. know, A few of my other friends who were struggling, uh, at the time were, uh, were the CEO and the CTO of their own company, and they came to me and.
And said, Hey, we have have an idea for a business. And I'm like, yes. . Does it have a beach? ? Yeah. I feel lucky. . His name is Cameron, um, the, the CEO. Mm-hmm . And so Cameron came to me and was like, listen, you have to stay in the internet. You, you have to. Whatever you do, you need to base your next business on the internet.
And I was like, okay. I was like, I only know how to support infrastructure. You know, I don't know anything about development and all that stuff. And he is like, don't worry, I do. And he's like, [00:20:00] there's, there's two types of companies, uh, two types of industries that are thriving on the internet right now.
And he said, it's, uh, porn. Yep. And online gambling. There you go. And I was like. Uh, .
Bill: Can't wait to go home and tell mom about that. ,
Liz: another company can name after your mom .
Neelesh Patel: Oh my God. That would've been, that would
Bill: probably would live forever. Yeah. Yeah.
Neelesh Patel: That, that would go over like a lead balloon. the, so online gambling was the.
What we based it around. And, uh, but I still wasn't comfortable with it. I, I don't know, that's [00:21:00] still feels illegal, and so his idea was not to actually do gambling. Uh, his idea was to, was to become a turnkey developer of other folks in other countries that wanted to have an online gambling storefront online.
So there's this, uh, platform called T Net that had just come out, um, for, in the development space is kind of revolutionary back then. Um, it was made coding a lot easier and you can get things done a lot faster. And, um, and so the, he's like, we have to go to where the hub is. And I was like, where's the hub?
And 'cause obviously it didn't sound like it was in San Francisco and . He goes, Costa Rica, and I'm like, what? Costa Rica? Yes. Sign me up. Yeah, . Um, and so, so we, uh, moved to Costa Rica, uh, to start this, to start this, uh, software development firm basically. Um, and, [00:22:00] and, and tried to try to just make it a successful business.
We, we were working, uh, I mean night and day to kind of build, build this thing. So my friend was, my friend Cameron was the CEO. Uh, our friend Chin was a CTO and then I moved there with, uh, my girlfriend at the time who's Colombian. She was comms because none, none of us spoke Spanish. And, uh, and then I was, you know, cash daddy basically, right?
And, and so we tried really hard to make that business work, but, we were actually able to convince, um, a, a VP of, uh, BET on sports, which was the largest, uh, company, uh, online gambling company back then. We convinced him to. Uh, to come over to, to our company. was like my first real introduction to, uh, uh, to mental health and, and the impact it can have on business.
Um, I didn't know it at the time, [00:23:00] but in hindsight. Uh, my friend Cameron, uh, was, he was going schizophrenic and, uh, and so this VP that was coming over had a little, you know, one-on-one with me, and he is like, you need to let your, you need to let this guy go. He is gonna ruin your company. And of course, I'm, this guy's my friend.
I was like, I guess our relationship's over, sir. You know, and it just went on. But that. The business did end up tanking because of that and uh, and so then I came back to San Francisco to lick my wounds.
Liz (2): It sounds like you were a success in that you had found these avenues to support your friends and Yeah.
And kind of support others. What then led you back to North Carolina? Why'd you leave that all behind?
Neelesh Patel: Oh yeah, that's a great question. While I was in San Francisco licking my wounds, um, I still had Mexi networks, so that was actually funding the entire project. At some point after I came back, I had this epiphany.
I was [00:24:00] like. Troubleshooting computers are probably troubleshooting bodies is probably just like troubleshooting computers. I mean, it's all prescriptive, right? Mm-hmm . I mean, how different can it be, you know? And so, um, and so I decided at that moment that I would go and give medical school was shot. And, and so I got into medical school.
And while I was in med school. Um, uh, I decided to sell the company because I needed to, you know, to pay for med school in some form, so that that's why the, the company was sold. Uh, I sold Oxy Networks. Um, I did get a lot of financial help from
From my parents. Um, but I didn't wanna, I didn't wanna like suck all their money dry, you know? Um, and so while I was in med school, um, there was a housing crisis of 2008 and, uh, [00:25:00] and my parents are in the hotel business. And if you recall from 2008, nobody was traveling, right? That's right. Mm-hmm . Uh, nobody was going anywhere.
My dad, who I've never, I've never, uh, you know, he's never asked anything of me, you know, financially. Um, uh, and he still didn't ask me anything of me financially, but I knew about, um, you know, some of the debt that they've gone into to keep their hotels running. And I decided in that moment that I.
I couldn't, I couldn't sit by and, and watch this happen. And so I, uh, dropped outta med school, moved back to North Carolina, Thankfully, uh, I ran into, uh, net Friends, uh, where I'm at now.
And, uh, they've been able, net Friends was able to, you know, put me in a position of, of being able to help. Not just myself, but my parents.
Bill: Well, lemme guess, you started stocking the shelves [00:26:00] at Net Friends, and two weeks later you're the CEO e Yeah, exactly. Now you're running fast. Is that how it worked?
Neelesh Patel: Yeah. This was a great podcast. Thank you.
Bill: But what, what does Net Friends do? I'm just curious.
Neelesh Patel: So Net Friends is an IT support company. We do everything from cybersecurity solutions to, uh, to help desks or outsource help desks. Let's say you have a biotech company you're too small to have your own IT team.
And you don't have anybody on your current staff to . To manage the intricacies of technology, right? Because you, you have to, you have to manage your data, you have to manage security. Other logistics that are involved in making sure any business works, not just biotech, right?
From a technology perspective. Then on top of that, you've got this whole compliance thing, right? Net Friends comes in and . And basically does all of that, you know, so you can, you can think of us as, uh, before we started recording, we were talking about how it'd be [00:27:00] nice to have a, a moving concierge, right?
To help with all your moving, uh, you know, uh, details. Net Friends is basically an IT concierge, right? Uh, anything that your, whatever business goals you have for your business, that tech that intersects with technology. Net friends will be there to help you advance those goals.
Bill: That's wonderful. I mean, and nowadays everything's, everything's technology.
Everything's on the net. You cannot have a business and not be on the net. Can I ask, but I'm just curious. You mentioned, uh, security. Mm-hmm . You know, online. It just seems every day I am, I'm reading or hearing about . Somebody being breached or hacked. Yeah. How, how dangerous is it? Is it out there right now?
You have to address that, right? With your clients? Mm-hmm . How do you keep 'em safe?
Neelesh Patel: We like to think of it, uh, the, uh, security up an appropriate security structure is kind of like a, like an onion. So you have to have various layers of, of support, [00:28:00] right?
Or various layers of, of, uh, security involved. So. On the, the, the very outside layer is, you can think of it as a, uh, as a firewall, right? So the firewall is going to, is going to prevent you, is going to prevent inbound traffic into your network and, uh, uh, malicious traffic. But it's going to allow, uh, the traffic that you want inside.
Then beyond that, you have a layer of security with like your antivirus, endpoint detection, right? So, um, so that's going to prevent, uh, you from downloading and opening files. That are corrupt or can not corrupt, but are, are malicious and can kind of blow up. And then, and then you have a variety of physical security so one of the solutions that we offer will, you can, you can shut down the ability for somebody to, to save something to a USB drive, for example. We have a customer in the biotech [00:29:00] space who, uh, there are a lot of international eyes on them and, uh, they're seriously concerned about international espionage, right?
, in fact, the person who brought us into that company has dealt with that is working next to this person who we knew on a very personal basis we're really good friends. And, uh, and that individual, uh, happened to be, uh, a spy for a different country and, and he was siphoning information, we have to think about those situations as well.
So it's not like you can just put a firewall in and your goal and your good, you have to put. You have to create all these rules and policies that prevent these kinds of things from happening.
Liz (2): Sounds like a movie. Back to, to your story about, um, . , your friend and the mental health space. Mm-hmm . You know, it seems like that's another theme you've kind of carried forward [00:30:00] or already existed at Net Friends mm-hmm . A value you all shared. Yeah. Like what, what have you, and Net Friends done in the mental health community?
Neelesh Patel: so My partner John and I, um, we. It's not that we weren't aware of the mental health, you know, crisis that was happening. Um, just around, around the country, uh, things came to a head at, at net. Friends, like we both became aware of it at, at the same time as did Net Friends. Um, in 2016, uh, there was a wonderful man by the name of Bill Larson that we lost on our team.
Um, due to, uh. Uh, mental health issues there, there was nothing in sight for any of us. There was no way we could tell anything negative was happening in his life, you know, so we, we knew he had, you know, kinda lost the love of his life. Um, but that's kind of [00:31:00] all we knew. And, uh. After his passing, we, of course, we learned a lot more about what was going on, and what we discovered was that, he just didn't have all the support systems that we wouldn't normally, that most of us normally have.
Right. In tribute as a tribute to, to Bill Larson. There's a walkathon that, that takes place at, uh, starts at Angus Barn. Walk for Hope. Walk for Hope. Yes. Yeah, So John and his wife Liz, um, they, they personally. Started buying tickets for everybody in the company to go participate in the Walk for Hope. And, and we would, initially it was, it was, you know, in support of Bill and in support of his memory, one of our marketing folks, Susanna, said this beautiful thing, which is, you know, there's two deaths.
There's your physical death, [00:32:00] and then there's the death of the memory We're determined to not let the, uh, Bill's memory die. And so, so year after year, uh, John and Liz, uh, John and Liz personally, uh, make sure that the memory stays alive. Everybody from Net Friends would go, um, uh, families invited as well, and we would all go and walk and.
It's a great walk. I dunno if you guys have ever walked from Angus barn, have into the stead and, and back. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. And there's a, it's like a fair atmosphere, you know, there's all these boots and games and it's just a, it's a wonderful event to bring awareness to the cause. But over the years it's turned, it's, it's not that we're, you know, we're still doing it in the memory, in, in the memory of Bill, um.
But over the years, it's, it's really become, uh, a way for, for us to remember that, you know, not just it [00:33:00] being a, a difficult space to operate in because we, our, we start our work. When someone else is having a bad day. . Yeah. Right? Yes. And so you can imagine the impact that, that, that it has on the, on, you know, basically first line of defense, right?
Um, but it's, it's, uh, so there's definitely some, you know, some issues with that kind of stress. But on these walks we would, we would think about. All the different kinds of support systems that are required to make, to keep someone mentally healthy. And it really got us thinking about what we're going to do at Net Friends to, to prevent things like this from happening.
Only a handful of people at Net Friends know this because it's a kind, it's an HR thing. Uh, so, you know, we don't talk about it widely, but. Since over the, [00:34:00] since we've started implementing some of the things that we've done, uh, intentionally, we've, we've heard from multiple people that, uh, that the culture at Net Friends literally saved their lives because they were, they had suicidal ideations.
Wow. Um, and, and they were very thankful for what we've created, um, at Net Friends and, uh, and the emphasis on mental health that we have.
Liz (2): Oh, that's amazing.
Neelesh Patel: Yeah.
How did, how did that, I don't know. That had to feel incredible to, to get that feedback. It did, for sure. It's like pushed you all forward to continue.
It gave us the, the fortitude and, and like the energy that we needed to, to continue forward with that. Um, but it also, it also gave us, uh, this. This sense of humility, you know, um, it's just never judge a book by its cover type thing, right? 'cause you never know [00:35:00] what's happening in people's lives.
Neelesh Patel: And, and so, I mean, we built our core values around it, right? So we, we make sure we live through our core values every day. We use Slack for internal communication. I. And there's a channel called Core Values. And every time somebody sees somebody upholding any of the core values, uh, they get what's called karma like.
So somebody, it's not like a leader, leader has to do it. Literally anybody in the company can call somebody out and catch them doing the right thing. And, and so, uh, that core values channel was started by our customer success manager, Sean Pate, who, who you know mm-hmm . Um, and, uh, you know, it's doing things like that is, is, is really what is.
You know, makes that friends, uh, just a great place to be for your mental health.
Liz (2): Yeah. Yeah. It's not, [00:36:00] yeah. not just written on a wall somewhere. Yeah. But the values really Right. Looking to highlight, you know, where people are living them. Mm-hmm .
Bill: Well, you are lucky, , but you, you've come a long way since that, uh, young man at a travel around delivering pizzas wondering what to do.
Yeah. As you look over your shoulder now, you probably have redefined what success is, I guess, but there's somebody perhaps right now delivering pizzas who's doing in the same spot you were in. Mm-hmm . What would you say to them?
Neelesh Patel: I would strongly urge them to focus on, on doing, finding a thing to do that, that's going to be able to help as many people as possible.
Um, because at the end of the day, you know, you can make all the money you want. Right. And, and I'm not saying I'm independently wealthy or anything like that, but uh, my family's okay. Right? So we're not starving and we probably won't. [00:37:00] But that alone isn't going to, isn't going to provide fulfillment, uh, for me personally.
And if you are not personally fulfilled, then you're not going to help your family move forward in a, in a positive direction. I don't believe you. You can. For me, the knowing the impact that I've had or can have on other people's lives, I. Is, is how I gauge success. So I, I'd say focus on, focus on what you can do to help the most people you can.
Even if it's delivering pizzas, if you are able to get the pizzas on time and, and, you know, try not to kill anybody on the way there, . Like, if, if that fulfills you and if you feel like you're helping with that, helping the world doing, you know, move forward in that way, then, then do that. Don't make it about money, uh, because that's only gonna get you so far.
I think
Bill: that's awesome advice.
Liz (2): Mm-hmm . Yeah. Thanks for coming [00:38:00] on the show, Neish and Sure. Sharing your story. Um,
Bill: I, I need you to give me seven numbers before you leave . Yeah, yeah, exactly. Well, what, thank you so much.
Neelesh Patel: Yeah. Thank you both for having me. This was fun.
Liz: I thought it was hilarious how Neish, you know, kept mentioning his luck and I think obviously, um, luck had a, had a big impact on his success. But, um, I think it also downplayed, you know, some of the amazing kind of decisions that he, and how he. , uh, really leaned into uncertainty. as he sort of ran his knees up against things, as he ran into obstacles, he was able to kind of pivot in these ways that.
It also led to his success.
Bill: Well, obviously he's a humble man. He doesn't wanna brag about himself, but , I think, uh, opportunity when you, when you take that risk, and he seems [00:39:00] to be the guy who did do that, he may consider it lucky, but a lot of people would've walked away or maybe not taken that risk, and he was rewarded for that.
But the other thing I, I noticed about him was, and, and I so agree with him as I think as you, as you go through life, you, you learn as you go. Hopefully, that, uh. Taking care of your emotional business and other people meant more to him than how much money he made. And I noticed that with a lot of the people that we've had on the podcast, that that is an important thing for a lot of people.
So redefining success was interesting to hear what he had to say about that. Mm-hmm .
Liz: Yeah. I wonder if you know over your life, like first you're going after money and fame and then, um, it feels like . Dwight, the other entrepreneur we spoke to, Mr. Holt, the veteran. You know, it turns into the, your relationship with others, the impact you can have on them.
And
Bill: absolutely, what do they say? You can't take your money with you, [00:40:00] but you can have people show up at your flu, uh, funeral, I guess. Yeah. . Maybe that's what it is. . So what are we going, coming up next week?
Liz: Yeah. So next month we have a special episode, um, for Memorial Day, and, uh, we're gonna feature the voices of those who've served.
So we'll sit down with a few veterans and they'll share their stories of sacrifice and resilience. Um, what freedom means to them.
Bill: Can't wait, Liz. Me either. [00:41:00]