Over the course of my life I have been lucky enough to travel to 42 countries across six different continents around the world. Inspired by the book Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, I have adopted an ongoing practice of looking and learning, facing fears, altering habits and cultivating a new fascination with people and places. When I am able to, I prefer to travel simply, slowly and without a strict agenda. In embracing this practice, I have been able to enjoy some of the most profound experiences in my life.
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." — Andre Gide
After moving to Silicon Valley nearly a dozen years ago, I’ve had the opportunity to scale the growth efforts for two of the fastest growing software companies of the decade, Zenefits and Cloudflare. In this capacity, I’ve been responsible for go-to-market strategy, originating channel and partner arrangements, managing sales teams and most importantly, achieving and exceeding revenue targets. I lead by principles founded upon individual discipline, group collaboration and mission-driven culture. The included image lists a few of the customer and partner relationships I have facilitated at various companies.
"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." — Andrew Carnegie
After spending eight months as a digital nomad and six months opening an international office for a previous employer, I have become a big proponent of the distributed workforce model. In focusing on result-based accountability metrics, designated collaboration time and meetings with define purpose and outcomes, employees are able to work more efficiently and also enjoy flexibility in their work schedule and living arrangement. Through this model, employees receive the benefit of less distractions and no commute while companies enjoy greater productivity and less office expense. Setting up the framework for a distributed workforce is difficult, however. That’s why I’ve consulted for many top startups to help them implement policies and practices that have been proven to raise productivity. Please use my contact form to inquire about my distributed workforce consulting.
"One of the secret benefits of using remote workers is that the work itself becomes the yardstick to judge someone's performance." — Jason Fried, Basecamp
There are few things I enjoy more in the world than creating music and experiencing it with others. The genesis of my music ability came through learning guitar at an early age, which eventually led me to learn to DJ and ultimately become an amateur music producer. My debut original music “The Seven Sages EP” will be released in Summer 2019. More information and booking details available at supereditionmusic.com.
"I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music." ― Billy Joel
I’m on an endless mission to scratch my own itch. As a byproduct of making my own life easier, I have found that others have shared my pain in a number of different areas. Generally, the process goes like this: Feel pain. Build good-enough solution. Identify others experiencing problem. Validate product/market fit. If all criteria are met and if the service can be delivered profitability, I will proceed to launch and attempt to acquire customers.
Although only a few of my projects have been monetarily successful, I am grateful for all that I’ve learned from each of them. I have built successful businesses in the areas of sales development (pursuit.ai) and bachelor/bachelorette party apparel (shopreup.com). I’m currently working on projects to make it easier to manage remote employees and improve the ticketing experience for live events.
"If you’re not failing, you’re not pushing your limits, and if you’re not pushing your limits, you’re not maximizing your potential" - Ray Dalio
One of the best decisions I made in my life has been learning to code. While I have been creating websites ever since I was in high school, nothing has given me greater control over projects I want to bring to life than programming. I have made websites and applications based on frameworks including Javascript, NodeJS, ExpressJS, NPM, Bootstrap, SemanticUI, MongoDB, HTML5 and CSS3. Existing CMS platforms I have used to build web projects include Wordpress, Squarespace and Shopify.
"Give a man a program, frustrate him for a day. Teach a man to program, frustrate him for a lifetime." ― Muhammad Waseem
Ever since volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado in 2004, I have been a believer in the importance of mentors. Through programs I have been involved in and individuals I have met, I have been lucky to have the opportunity to serve as a mentor to at-risk youth, career seekers, junior professionals and educators. Selfishly, one of the most deeply fulfilling things I have found is helping someone develop, grow, and navigate their life.
"There is no such thing as a self-made man. You will reach your goals only with the help of others." – George Shinn
I started investing in the stock market when I was in junior high school and immediately fell in love with the game dynamics of financial markets. As I progressed through life and continued to trade my own account, there have been many learning moments along the way, but the more I learned from books by legendary investors like Peter Lynch and Benjamin Graham, the more calculated and disciplined I became. Later on, I had the opportunity to work for a hedge fund and create programmatic options trading models based on historical candlestick charts. Today, I’m still investing in public markets, but have broadened my investments to private companies, agriculture and foreign real estate. If I ever lose my fire to build, I’ll probably become an investor full-time.
"In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable." — Robert Arnott
I began my career in investment banking and am thankful that the experience provided me with such a rare opportunity to learn about the product and operating strategies of successful technology companies so early in my career. But after four years of late nights and busy weekends I grew tired of Excel spreadsheets and financial modeling and decided to move on to the operating side of things. Still, I’m grateful for all the perspective that M&A banking has given me that has shaped the way that I look at business.
"Time is a valuable wealth." ― Lailah Gifty Akita
Fortunate to be born in the Information Age, I have spent a large portion of my free time learning new disciplines. In this pursuit, I have taken courses and read books that have taught me how to code, invest in public and private companies, manage a sales team, create advanced Excel models, produce music, learn Stoic philosophy, meditate and practice gratitude. In my professional life I typically select opportunities that present challenges to learn new technologies and industries where my starting knowledge is limited.
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." ― Mahatma Gandhi
I was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado, which is Colorado’s most diverse city and home to more than 100 parks and more than 6,000 acres of open space. With so much of Aurora dedicated to nature and the Rocky Mountains only an hour away, it’s no surprise that I feel most at home when I’m out exploring Earth’s untouched wilderness. I goal of mine is to own a large patch of land in the Rocky Mountains dedicated to preservation.
"I expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier than this." — Dumb & Dumber
Although I enjoy watching and participating in many sports (basketball, snowboarding, muay thai and golf among them), my interest and skill best intersect at racquet sports. Tennis in particular. In 2008, I won The Colorado State Championship in doubles and although I don’t play as frequently as I used to, I still enjoy a great match. I’m always up for new challenges. If you play, feel free to reach out!
"Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility." ―Billie Jean King
