Viewing: Notes » Roots. Flowers.
Roots. Flowers.
(17 minute read.)
Dispatch from the deep.
Deep Dive: glvr.com—Full Report.
Here's my synthesis across everything I've now read.
The Person.
g is a 70-year-old Englishman with a legal mononym—no forename, just 'gulliver,' lower-case. The name change was a legal one, not merely informal—and in recent years he briefly tried re-adding a forename for paperwork convenience but abandoned it as feeling too unnatural. [link]
The self-portrait that emerges across the site is remarkably complete and unguarded. He identifies as neurodivergent—with Asperger's, ADHD, and OCD traits—and describes the discovery as liberating, helping him reframe things previously seen as weaknesses. [link] The neurodivergent page also contains what is genuinely one of the most moving passages on the site: a brief mention of a profoundly autistic grandson he loves deeply, and his fear for that child's future.
Over the past five-plus years, g has been largely commercially inactive—recovering from significant burnout (partially life-related, not just work) and cancer treatment, while half-heartedly attempting to retire. [link]
The Philosophy (and it's substantial).
The Ethos section is really the heart of the site, and it's rich. A few standout threads:
On money: Fees for advice and support have long been 'you decide—pay what you consider appropriate, based on how you value what you receive and what you can afford'. He's proactively waived fees where appropriate, and sometimes received more than expected—and returned the surplus. [link]
On working style: He favours relaxed and laid-back over buttoned-down, is literally always in joggers and a hoody, no longer even owns a shirt or tie, has provided services remotely for many years long before it became fashionable, and declines gigs if he doesn't like the task or the person. [link]
On conventional business: The 'Gonzo' page—a self-described 'unapologetically harsh rant'—calls conventional 9-to-5 business-as-usual about as appealing as driving a rusty nail through his nose. His message: explore the unconventional and outrageous, get comfortable with the weird and alarming, and leave outdated norms in the dust. [link]
On selling and authenticity: He is entirely disinterested in deals where someone has to be persuaded and sold. His ideal is 'turn up, tell the truth, smile'—and with no element of 'I want you to want me,' he openly doesn't care whether someone reading likes his stuff and wants to buy or not. [link]
On craft: He has a deep respect for 'work done right'—meticulous, informed, diligent work undertaken with care—as a counter to what he sees as the daily grind of empty, personally unsatisfying mediocrity that dominates much of business. [link]
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