The story so far

Finding Wings

My work as an independent creator for hire started at age 14 (circa 2000) with my first client website. At 19, while still in college, I hired my roommate Mark as my first employee. And at 20 I went full time.

After a few years in the school of hard knocks, I was growing tired of doing my best for clients and still just earning enough money to get by. Mark and I started reading books on business management and marketing, thinking hard and looking for ways to do better. We hired a coach. We developed a strategic plan and processes. And we grew the business from less than $50k in sales to a quarter million and a team of 5.

I was thrilled! Who could ask for more? I was working with wonderful people, doing work I was proud of, for clients who were grateful to have found us, all while earning a respectable living. We had learned a lot, worked hard and it was paying off.

The Crash

But then things came to a screeching halt. With a strong sales pipeline, all our leads seemed to put on the brakes and go cold.

We’d been through troughs before though. “We’ll pull through,” I thought.

But we didn’t. Instead, I had to let everyone go. I had to say goodbye to friends. And with a family to support, I took a 9-5 (and was grateful for it).

The Recovery

So after 5 consecutive years as an independent creator, I spent 3 years at a very successful sales and logistics company, first as a designer, then director, then Vice President. It gave me time to understand where I went wrong, what was right and to regain some confidence. (And to see clearly that the corporate world would never be for me.)

New Beginnings

And so I left my 9-5 and began again. But I determined to do one thing differently this time, above all else. I would never again trust “word of mouth” and a large sales pipe to keep the bills paid.

Delivering great work, managing projects well and taking good care of clients helped us achieve a certain degree of success. Our bucket wasn’t leaky anymore. But without a predictable way to fill the bucket, I’d continue to see big swings in income.

So I’ve embarked on a journey to learn to teach well, to give more to more people than I ever have. For it is in giving that we receive.

“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” – King Solomon

“Write. Write passionately about something regardless of whether you feel like you’re qualified. Write consistently and passionately.” – Cameron Moll

“… what you believe in, you can teach. And teaching is the “killer app” for a newer, more ethical approach to marketing.” – Kathy Sierra

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