Yes, it's true. I'm embarrassed to say that I got emotional during the Live Event a couple days ago. While waiting for everyone to join the Live Event, I was sharing my favorite poem called "It Couldn't Be Done" by Edgar A. Guest and I almost broke down and could barely finish reading it. This is the poem:

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

I guess the reason this poem means so much to me is because I can relate to it. It feels like the story of my life!

Starting DVO Enterprises as a student in college back in 1992 with no connections and no resources was a daunting endeavor. Creating a software product from thin air, and getting national distribution through all the major retail chains including Sam's Club, Walmart, Best Buy, Costco, Office Max, Staples, Office Depot, and others without any help was certainly something that most said couldn't be done.

And, it wasn't without a lot of struggle either! Even my own mother cornered me one Christmas while visiting and said "so...why don't you go get a job?" But, we did it!

When the Internet came along in 1999 and we had to pivot and learn how to build a website and establish a presence on the world wide web, many people scoffed and said "oh, you'll never do that." But I took off my coat and I took off my hat and the first thing they knew I’d begun it!

We started to sing as we tackled the thing that couldn’t be done, and, by George, we dun it!

The industry went through a transformation again in 2009 when mobile devices came along. We had to develop apps for iPhones and iPads and Android phones and tablets. And, we had to create a Cloud service to connect them all together.

And, in 2016, we had to stop selling software downloads and transition to a SaaS (Software as a Service) business and try to make ends meet by offering monthly subscription services. This was no small endeavor and it was super risky!

There were thousands who told us it couldn't be done. There were thousands to prophesy failure (and some of those were Cook'n customers who didn't like the idea of signing up for a monthly subscription service!). There were thousands to point out to us one by one, the dangers that waited to assail us.

But, we just buckled in with a bit of a grin. We just took off our coat and got to it. We started to sing as we tackled the thing that couldn't be done and ...with your help, we might just do it! :)

Think about it for a moment. How many software companies do you know that have a software product that has been available for 32 years?

So...yeah...when you consider all of the changes in this industry over the past three decades, it's amazing that we're still around! And, we have new challenges now. But, there are some exciting opportunities for us too.

As you can probably tell, we have been investing heavily in improving Cook'n and developing some revolutionary new technologies. For example:

• The A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) Recipe Recommender that identifies your personal taste preferences and recommends recipes that are a perfect fit for you is quite amazing and unique.
• The Cook'n Recipe Organizer skill for Alexa devices which allows you to access your personal recipes and cook hands-free in the kitchen is astounding!
• The Cook'n for Apple Watch app which gives you access to your Cook'n recipes right on your wrist is fantastic!
• And, the new Cook-It features that we just released a couple days ago are astonishing!

If you missed the Live Release Event, play the video below while you're cooking your next meal and give it a listen. I think you're going to be amazed at the new recipe sharing and gamification features that we announced. It's going to revolutionize the industry! People will soon be asking celebrity chefs "how many Cook'n followers do you have?"

You may doubt it. You may say that this could never be done...and maybe it couldn’t, but we are the ones who wouldn't say so till we’ve tried.

You may scoff and say “Oh, you’ll never do that...at least no one ever has done it.” But, guess what...we took off our coat and we took off our hat and, as you can see in this latest release, we’ve begun it!

You may be one of the thousands to tell us it cannot be done; one of the thousands to prophesy failure; one of the thousands to point out to us one by one, the dangers that wait to assail us. But, it's too late! We started to sing as we tackled this thing that “cannot be done,” and we might just do it!

Before you make up your mind, maybe you should watch this video and then decide for yourself:


What do you think? Are you with me?