Vitals Location :  Caribbean, USA, Canada Employees:  3 Founded: 2000 Contact: www.fough3.com

CM: As a start up, what has been the biggest challenge thus far?
F3: Let’s see… well right now the biggest challenge is balancing my daytime job with Fough3 (F3) responsibilities. That’s tough. Next in line will be learning to run a business well, making the right decisions. It's new territory for us, but I guess that’s part of the fun.

CM: What critical service, as it relates to IT… do you believe the Caribbean is lacking or is being significantly under developed?
F3: Good question. I personally believe that IT should have been the great equalizer for our people. We don’t have the size like the developed countries; neither do we have large pools of natural resources. What we do have is people – very intelligent people at that. Our leaders should have recognized this around the mid to late nineties, and make sure that the Caribbean people have the know how to contribute significantly in the IT revolution. That’s what India did, Ukraine too, and others. Now that IT is experiencing a big outsourcing movement, those jobs should have been gracing our shores. India now has a rapidly growing middle-class, who has lots of money to spend as a result. That should have been us. I don’t think it’s too late for us, but now it's going to be much more difficult to get on the wagon.

CM: The top 3 things on your “ToDo” List for 2005, taking over the World not included?
F3: Heh, taking over the world was actually numbers 1, 2 and 3. Right now F3 has lots of great projects seasoning. In 2005 I want us to start cooking. In other words, I want to convert some of this potential for success into actual success.

CM: At the top of the list of your online pet peeves would be?
F3: Besides Spam? I hate websites that waste my time. For example, why show me your catalog of products then tell me I have to walk into your store to buy something? Lots of people still don’t really use the web, or misuse it by making things difficult. That’s upsetting to me. And I hate ugly sites too. If I come to your site and there are 4 million colors with things flashing or flying across the screen, I’m leaving in a heartbeat.

CM: What inspires, or drives the innovative force of Fough3?
F3: In a word, “contribution”. We want to make life easier where we could. We know we can contribute in places where others have failed to do so. Every thing we do must answer a question, or show someone a better way.

CM: Any high tech top secret projects you’re currently working on that you’d like to share?
F3: Ha. You know the answer to that. I can’t let any cats out of the bag just yet, but you’ll be the first to know. We aren’t just sticking to the web and IT at all. But it will definitely be some stuff that will make you wonder ‘how they do that there? ? ’ . I’ll call you back for the pre-release interview.

CM: Fough3 kicks ass because..?
F3: Because each member of the team kicks ass, in his own way. We are good at what we do. And if we can’t kick a particular ass, we have lieutenants who will jump in and get busy.

CM: What are the advantages and disadvantages of carrying a strong Caribbean influence into your business development in the US?
F3: Advantage? We have good work ethics. We know the value of hard work and we’re not afraid of it. We come off differently too, in a good way. Generally, we’re respected as being capable and straightforward. One disadvantage would be defaulting to working hard instead of working smart and playing the system. You gotta play the game man, trust me.

CM: Something everyone should know about Fough3 but forgot to ask
F3: Hmm… let’s see… We got style. It’s in our veins. When we do something, expect it to be done with style; expect to love it. Whatever it may be, it’s gonna look good and feel good. It gives us that extra punch.

CM: 2 things that have brought Fough3 this far, and 2 things that will take you to the next level
F3: I would have to say discomfort and persistence brought us this far, even though we haven’t really reached *that* far yet. Discomfort with the status quo and persistence to keep trying to do what we always wanted to. To get to the next level though, we are going to have to be agile – to quickly and intelligently adjust to the ever-changing landscape and resilient to knock down the obstacles that WILL hit us. We gotta be like P. Diddy – “can’t stop, won’t stop”.

CM: Ok, thanks for enduring this interview..*dapz*..your passing shots please.
F3: No thank you. First, I want to say that I love your work – Verge, CM, CG – the whole nine. Second, I want to encourage everyone who thinks that they can do something to make a contribution, to get up and do it. It’s gonna be tough, sure, but I believe that we don’t choose our interests; it’s the other way around. If you never take that shot, you may regret it for years. There’s really nothing to lose. Third, keep your eye on Fough3 – we’re about to do some amazing things. “Big tings ah gwarn!”

Verge