I was convinced I needed to pass the test.

What test? Always the next one.  

I became so accustomed to competing to pass a never ending test, I lost track of “why” I entered the competition in the first place. As you gain more perspective in life there’s a moment where looking forward to the next one becomes looking forward to the last one.

My “why” has always been to simplify complex concepts, processes, and information into something powerful society can benefit from.

I’ve been privileged to be a big part of the wireless tech revolution transitioning people from landlines to flip phones to smartphones.  

Then helping lead the revolution of how businesses get customers through digital marketing over the phone book.  Competing 24/7 in the race for the best optimization technology, people, and processes.  All to get one company to outrank ten thousand others on a search engine where the rules change everyday.

Those 15 years as Chief Technology/Marketing/Production Officer starting and growing High Level Marketing to a digital enterprise will always be with me.  Architecting the fastest content management system on the market powering websites visited by millions, local market intelligence technology, a custom integrated Salesforce business operation, and performance dashboard technologies were some of my most challenging and rewarding opportunities.  All of which was only possible by working with the amazing people who supported our vision.  

For all those years I looked forward to the next optimization, and then near the end of last year, I looked forward to the last one.

For weeks I was convinced I failed my biggest test, then realized not only would I never have passed my test, but that it wasn’t real in the first place.  Enough outside validation was never going to come, and the greatest optimization I could work on was myself.

Today I’m moving on to a new competition, a new revolution to bring new ways to benefit society.

I’m motivated to apply my battle-tested business and marketing expertise and unique experience in whatever those ways become.

Am I most excited to once again run with the entrepreneurial spirit, make the complex simpler and more beneficial, or embrace the role as optimization professor bridging business and marketing gaps?

D: All of the Above