The Burnt Toast Effect

Sometime in the summer of 2023, while visiting my in-laws in Japan, I burnt my toast. Not literally, of course—and I didn't know it at the time—but a series of innocuous decisions I made then set into motion a chain of events that would lead us to where we are as a company today: a team of eleven top-tier professionals, ready to take on 2026 with unprecedented momentum.

The road was anything but smooth, nor were the changes expected. In the span of just a few weeks, Indevtech found itself in a complete reinvention. One evening, after a particularly challenging day of interviews and training with new staff, I came home to find a letter from my daughter Ashley. Her words, reprinted on the following page, would become my North Star through the storm ahead.

Ashley didn't know the operational details of what we were facing, but with her remarkable intuition, she saw the struggle and wrote to me about something she called the "Burnt Toast Effect." She understood that somewhere along the way, I had burnt my metaphorical toast, and although the process ahead would be riddled with uncertainty and fear, everything would ultimately work out as it was meant to—because nobody burns their toast truly by accident.

Over the following months, we had to say goodbye to our original service delivery team. Many were talented professionals I fought to keep, but I had decided early on that I must act with integrity, let the chips fall where they may, and trust that the universe had a grander plan than I could imagine. It was one of the most difficult periods in Indevtech's history, yet it became the catalyst for everything that followed.

The greatest lesson from Ashley's words of encouragement? When you burn your toast, miss the light before it turns red, or find your Zoom meeting running ten minutes over because of unexpected conversation, you're altering your destiny in ways you can't yet comprehend. I could choose to see these moments as mere coincidence, but I prefer to see them as kismet—purposeful disruptions guiding us toward something better.

And as Ashley so eloquently reminded me: those same rain clouds that darken the sky and bring discouragement are the very ones that will water the new garden we're building.

Today, Indevtech is stronger than it has ever been. We have dedicated service delivery teams of exceptional IT professionals and a leadership team I could only have dreamed of assembling. The light at the end of the tunnel didn't always shine bright, but my secret through it all? As simple as it sounds, I discovered that when I act from a place of pono and integrity—doing the right thing regardless of adversity—the universe reveals outcomes I never could have imagined myself.

To fellow business owners navigating your own burnt toast moments: Trust the process. Stay true to your values. Sometimes the greatest transformations come disguised as the most challenging disruptions. The storm will pass, and when it does, you may find that the rain has helped more beautiful flowers grow than you ever thought possible.

What's your burnt toast story? I'd love to hear how unexpected disruptions have led to positive transformations in your business.