Leaf's Manifesto

The truth? leaf.com was taken. Well, leaf, and pretty much any decent combination you can think of with a .com extension. It all started when I felt the overwhelming need to get a decent domain for the website that would represent my studio.

Well, that's a lie. Actually, it all started when our dear friend cancer killed my father when I was just 21. And instead of sinking into absolute misery (which I also did), I channeled all that energy into masterminding the foundations of a foolproof plan, which today I call Leaf.

A plan that, 15 years later, has grown so much that the text document where I record everything about the plan is about to reach 1,000 pages. One thousand! I'm not kidding, look at this screenshot.

Or put another way:

I am dead serious about this.

What plan, you say? Wasn't this about 432, you ask? Hold on a second, please! Let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, I want to give you a little context. Because my fruitless search for the perfect domain was such a superlative disaster that along the way I kept losing both my time and my money. And I say I lost money because this wasn't my first try. Before buying leaf432.com, I got carried away and registered leafversecorp.com and leafverseholding.com (you can check for yourself that both domains redirect to this very website).

And truth be told, it was some time later when I stumbled upon leaf432 almost by chance: desperate and after the AI had suggested an endless string of unpronounceable amalgams. Even so, there are deeply philosophical excuses reasons for having chosen the number 432 out of all possibilities, even though anyone would say I typed it at random by mashing the keyboard with a lifeless stump. And I'm going to explain those reasons to you right now.

Let's start with the basics. Pay attention to the explanation, because I won't repeat it twice:

In the music industry, the international standard tunes instruments to 440 Hz. However, mathematically speaking, there's a movement that professes its love for tuning to 432 Hz, as it aligns with the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci sequence. And it's that exact same ratio that dictates the growth of leaves (Leaf) on a stem to optimize sunlight, for example.

That's why choosing this number for Leaf, for the Leafverse, for my life project, is the first reason, but not the most important one. It is, above all, a constant reminder of the harmony and the way of doing things that I want to convey tomorrow, when I manage to transform this indie website of a guy dabbling from home into a full-fledged corporate holding.

If you're observant, you'll have noticed Leaf's slogan. And answering the question I just posed above: yes, I think nature and technology are indispensable aspects of being human today. But normally, most people embrace one and reject the other for whatever reasons. So, naturally, the secret isn't embracing one and rejecting the other, but knowing how to harmonize both. Humans aren't just mind, they are also spirit (and like 60.432% water mixed with stuff).

And again, that's where the 432 Hz comes in. If cymatics shows that this frequency organizes water into perfect geometric patterns, using it in Leaf, in my Leafverse, is the best way I can think of to bridge technology and nature; spirit and science; god and machine. That's why when I came up with that slogan many years ago, I was always certain of one thing. Since I had spiritual interests that connected with nature, and also technological hobbies like programming, I decided that the company of my dreams would have that exact corporate culture: harmonizing both worlds. Because I'm neither a tree-hugging hippie nor a transhumanist enjoyer. Everything in perfect moderation. Everything tuned to the 432 Hz frequency. Everything coexisting in harmonic balance. Or put another way:

The swaying leaf, which is also the cutting leaf.

Just like Yggdrasil, the world tree, I like to think that this whole project, the Leafverse, embodies that corporate, yet tribal, mysticism, where my vision for the holding is based on a tree made up of the following parts:

• Leaf is the trunk of the tree that supports everything. It is the center, the pyramidion and at the same time the base of the entire holding. Leaf is the boss, so you catch my drift.
• And from it grow the branches that represent each of the divisions, creative disciplines, and subsidiary companies I'd like to create: Leaf Games, Leaf Apps, Leaf Trees (the first NGO in the world that won't be used to launder money), Leaf Etc.
• And from each main branch sprout the leaves, which represent every video game, application, and, in general, every individual project that goes out into the world under the Leaf brand or any of its subsidiaries.
• But for a tree to support its weight, and I admit this is a crazy massive but viable business projection (I'll explain later), Leaf needs to take care of the most important thing it has: the roots. And those roots are none other than the people. From those who are in the trenches with me crunching code to you: user, reader, friend, maybe lover, and above all, hopefully, a customer (harmonic manicheism, remember). So, yes, I genuinely think that you are we are all vital roots for this tree, if I truly want to materialize this someday.

This hasn't been a biology lesson full of new age metaphors taught by the religion teacher who smells like sweet tobacco. What I've just drawn in your mind is the exact organizational chart of how the holding company will work. And I've internalized it so much that I already plan to develop a small experimental MMO based on this very concept: where the players will be the roots of the tree and will take on the role of caring for it and doing social activities, while navigating the literal tree itself. I'm not going to give away too many details, but it's a mix of a social MMO, a virtual HUB, and a Social Network for the entire Leaf ecosystem. Yes, it's exactly the fever dream it sounds like. And precisely because it's such a bizarre concept, I think it's going to be well received. So if we ever get to see it (I include myself in that yearning), you'll see the profound meaning it will take on in the Leafverse.

I swear to you that when I started writing this text, all I intended was to explain in a few lines why I ended up being the proud owner of a domain with letters and numbers mixed together with no apparent relation. And it is precisely that need to justify myself and provide a minimum of context that led me to write this declaration of intent. What I didn't expect was that, as I was drafting it and almost without realizing it, I would end up writing a sort of corporate manifesto, or a proto Business Document of the company's vision and mission. And the truth is, I love how it turned out. It pretends to be serious, informative, and eloquent, when in reality it is cynical, comical, and carefree. And the best part is that it served as a catharsis for me to accept that this is the definitive domain for Leaf.

And thanks to this alphabet soup panacea that I call a manifesto, the only thing I have to worry about now is the horde of corporate bastards when they realize that using numbers in a domain provides a strong brand differentiation from the competition. It's going to be wonderful to watch them take my idea, the same one that sprouted from a pure and innocent concept born in a moment of need, and copy and execute it like they always do: in a cloned way and losing their soul in the process. Because speaking of these ungodly bottom-feeders, you might also be sick and tired of an industry plagued by executives who'd sell their own mothers. Tired of a hyper-monetized industry full of cowardly photocopies made out of fear of not recovering the investment, instead of experimenting out of a love for video games, or simply with the conviction of wanting to improve the world.

That's why what I said in the previous section, I truly mean it. Years ago, I decided that Leaf and its Leafverse are going to be built by people, and for people ("There couldn't be a more whitewashed and sterile phrase, right?" No, there couldn't, otherwise I wouldn't have put it :P.). But to answer the question posed in this section: yes, I have massive, almost impossible dreams and ideas (almost). However, they are accompanied by an ironclad long-term business plan (planning decades ahead). A dreamer, yes, very much so, but a viable and ironclad one. Many will say I'm late to the party, because I'm already past 30 as I write these lines and haven't even founded the LLC yet. But that is my biggest tactical advantage. I don't have a bunch of investors breathing down my neck demanding every last penny of profitability at the expense of the project's own identity. In short, while others have 47 psychologists on payroll just to study how to make kids and adults alike even more addicted to gambling, I play with the certainty that my path is the path of good. Because when you do things with a real purpose, you simply have no competition.

You know how some people say they know exactly what their purpose in life is? Well, it took me over 30 years to figure it out, validate it, and finally accept it. And to celebrate that I've finally found it after so much searching, loss, and doubt, I'm going to drop it on you right here, right now. Just because. Because I feel like it:

My purpose in this life is to found Leaf, make it grow, and offer the world all my ideas (only the good ones) to improve people's lives in every aspect. And then..., die calm and at peace, knowing I left the world better than I found it.

I know. It's a VERY cliché thought: leaving my mark on the world. But is there anyone who doesn't want to leave their mark on the world in one way or another? Whether it's baking bread, running a bar, working as an operations manager, or simply being remembered by your loved ones, in the end, almost all of us want to leave a positive impact on this planet. And that thought, that little quote above, is the deepest desire rooted within me. It's what I treasure most, and at the same time, yearn for.

And yes, I also know...: no matter how good they are, an idea by itself is worthless, what matters is its execution. But it's not just about video games and apps. I'm telling you that with Leaf I want to create different sources of entertainment, problem-solving, quality of life improvements, vocational training and skill-building, methodologies to grow and be a better person... (everything I have noted down in the 1,000 pages I told you about at the beginning). These are such massive projects that to make them a reality I need a strategy to capitalize myself. Starting with content creation (YouTube) and video game development (indie dev). And to achieve that, my pitch isn't “follow me because look how smart, handsome, strong, tall, smart again, and culinary I am”, it's more like: “Join me on this journey. Watch me fall flat on my face, watch me spend my savings, watch me learn, and watch me materialize my dream when no one would bet on me.”

And the only thing I'm missing to achieve this is..., MONEY.

I don't mean I want to be in the Forbes Top 10, but rather to capitalize myself enough to take off and stabilize as a company. And above all, to be able to do it without owing anything to anyone. I'd have no problem distributing bonuses, dividends, and extra profits. What I will not tolerate is some guy who just put in cash and has no vision forcing me to sacrifice quality for quantity. Before finding myself in a situation like that, I'd rather watch my own company burn (I'd set the fire myself). I prefer that over seeing my dream prostituted to the highest bidder.

These are my principles. If you don't like them, I do NOT have others.

And to be able to achieve it, I seek your support and trust, because I cannot do it alone. Your trust in the brand Leaf. But above all, what I really want is for you to give me your filthy money.

So here is a massive and anticlimactic CTA:

Follow me on my Social Networks,
subscribe to my YouTube channels,
and above all, don't deprive yourself of buying
any Leaf product you desire.

I am Roco, this has been Leaf's manifesto, thank you for the little while you've spent with me, separated by time and distance; and from the bottom of my heart, I hope we meet again.

Cheers!