Interview #1: John Ball-Founder and CEO of FreeGrid

Sunnyvale, California falls in the highly desired Silicon Valley. The suburban town in Santa Clara county is densely populated with startup companies and publicly traded companies alike. With median income exceeding over $100,000 and a labor force that outshines the vast majority of the country, it’s hard to find any issues with this ideal community.

Enter John Ball, a 20-year-old raised in the technology driven Silicon Valley. In the shadow of countless successful entrepreneurs, John always has envisioned himself as an untapped resource of potential. His dreams are filled with Ferraris, feeling the leather seats against his raised hairs as his paddle shifters thrust the supercar to high speeds down the California highways. He wakes up every morning at the crack of dawn to work out and take an icy shower, fighting off the cold with positive thoughts of how he can make today be THE day to succeed.

Two years ago, John was struggling to find a sense of purpose. He worked odd jobs waiting tables to make money while getting his education. After coming across the trending indoor rock climbing scene, he found solace. The community of it all welcomed him with open arms and he immediately submerged into a culture that was innovating and changing as fast as the Valley was itself.

This new passion he found wasn’t just a place where he felt at home, it was a place that could be improved. John used his innovative heritage and noticed a delicate problem that was facing the rock climbing community: the existence of convenience and access to necessary knowledge and social interaction while actively outdoor rock climbing.

The problem arose naturally. John and his rock climbing community had issues accessing navigation features and the required texts that outlined the adventures they were partaking in while on site. From GPS accessibility to social media opportunities, the community was lacking.

John became obsessed. There was this absurd problem facing his intimate community, but what was the answer? He outlined exactly what his experiences were, what problems were at hand, what he wished could be improved, and how he could possibly correct the situation. Before he knew it, John had a rough business scribbled in the craziness of his notebook.

To refine his chaotic idea, he called over 90 people from his rock climbing community. Yes, you read that right, 90 people. When I said this man was obsessed, I meant it. Call after call, the positivity and support was unreal. It seemed as if nearly everyone he called was facing the same problems he was, but they weren’t willing the combat the issues at hand. John was.

Currently John is the infancy stages of developing his product, constantly meeting with programmers and business minded individuals to make his vision a reality. He wants to create a comprehensive app for phones to see how the rock climbing community receives his idea.

Just as any young entrepreneur, John is facing a steep learning curve. The ins and outs of the rock climbing industry are plenty for him to address the problem at hand, but executing his idea and having it come to fruition requires tons of planning and adaptiveness.

After over two hours of conversation over the phone, it became abundantly clear to me that John’s superficial self-prophecy of success was anything but baseless. The passion and zeal that consumed every sentence that came out of his mouth paired with his extensive thirst for knowledge embodied potential success. Honestly, I see John’s company FreeGrid going places. How he approaches the problem with an obsession of detail and open-mindedness seems to be a winning formula for the fast-paced tech world, especially with regards to the outdoor community. John is trying to bridge two very distinct realms of California life in a way I haven’t seen or experienced before.

But I don’t think he will succeed just by his sheer intellect and connection to the community. I believe his character will be the defining factor of his success. Any advice I gave him during our conversation he received with grace and gratitude. Every topic was met with a sense of curiosity, and with the conclusion of our conversation he offered his absolute support with any endeavor I was seeking out. These sorts of universal good business will lead John well, and I’m thoroughly excited to see where he and his business go in the future.

Keep up with John Ball and his business on his personal Twitter @llabjohn or at @free_grid.

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-Momento Mori