I love to understand founders’ origin stories. It’s always interesting to hear what led someone to start a company. I recently chatted with a founder who found the diaries of her father after he passed away. As she read them, she discovered that he’d had an idea for a product. He’d thought through much of it and documented it in his diary. He never executed on the idea, though. His daughter decided she wanted to pick up where he left off. Today she’s building a company around her father’s idea.

This story stuck with me. Her father took the time to document his thoughts for much of his life. He did it for himself, but his diaries had a big impact on others too. Those journals gave his daughter a better understanding of him after he was no longer with her. They also served as entrepreneurial inspiration. They were a gift that keeps on giving: they helped the author, his daughter, and now his daughter’s customers.

This founder was passionate about what she’s working on, and now I see why. I look forward to following her progress as she’s a credit to her father!