App Empire: Make Money, Have a Life, and Let Technology Work for You

Afterword JUMP!

After attending an event in Southern California, I overheard two people talking about California's Route 1 and how breathtaking the narrow rustic road was that hugged the coastline.

With my app business on cruise control, I rented a silver Mustang convertible to drive up the coast from Long Beach to San Francisco. I invited my friend Nella, who was at the event, to join me, since she had never experienced the famous coastline drive either. As we enjoyed the bright blue sky and wide-open road, we grooved to the radio, and laughed like kids with no worries in the world.

Rounding a bend on a narrow cliff road, I saw a random sign that said, “Skydiving. Take a right.”

Nella didn't see the sign because she was busy playing her extraordinary air guitar, so I took advantage of the moment and turned right, heading down the gravel road. Above us, small planes were rising and dipping slowly. Ahead, a field opened into a sketchy looking airport that seemed desolate.

Nella asked with a nervous tone, “Where are we going?”

I looked at her and said, “We're going skydiving.”

“What?” she asked.

“Yeah. It's go time, Iceman,” I said.

Thirty minutes later, with parachutes attached, we were on a small plane, climbing higher into the open sky. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins as I looked down through the open airplane door. The Pacific Ocean was vast and seemed unforgiving. We climbed to an altitude of 10,000 feet, and instead of relaxing and turning on the approved electronic ...