Tag: business

Beyond the Prompt: Scaling Lore and Logic with Agentic AI:

I didn’t just launch a lifestyle brand; I built an Agentic GTM Framework. In Part 1 of the Apres Leisure build, I reveal how I moved from ‘Generative Noob’ to ‘Agentic Architect,’ scaling a 0-FTE brand from concept to launch in under 90 days. If you’re ready to move beyond ‘using AI’ and start running an AI workforce, the signal starts here.

How the principles of Finding Your True North fueled a 90-day, 0-FTE brand launch for Apres Leisure (P1).

I. The Call: Incorporating the Philosophy of Finding Your True North

Every successful venture starts with a clear signal. In my book, Finding Your True North, I explore the necessity of aligning internal purpose with external execution. While continuing to search for my great next career fit, I took on a challenging consulting project. Launching Apres Leisure was the ultimate “stress test” for these themes. I had to move from a self-described “Generative Noob” (using AI for ideas and copy, probably the average use case) to an Agentic GTM Architect (using AI for execution), ensuring that the brand’s “True North”—the transition into the Modern Myth—was never lost in the automation.

II. The Struggle: Addressing Laundry List of Challenges

Moving from speaking about and pitching connected technology to implementing it firsthand (read: front-to-back-of-house) requires some real strategist-to-operator-level commitment. In addition to time management, here are a few of the top hurdles faced in the process:

  • Education Rabbit hole – transitioning from generative to agentic via certifications, video tutorials, prompt education, social platform feedback, tons of trial-and-error.
  • Resources – versed in The Lean Startup methodology, I played a very key role in standing up and scaling a bootstrapped company, new category, etc. Finding free ways to grow vs. using the magic bullets is a job in itself. Vendor choices can be extensive.
  • Feedback – driving advisor and peer opinions, pressure-testing, doing the research to build out the strategy + LOTS of generative AI prompts.
  • Uniqueness – pressure-testing the category, building out the brand accordingly with comps and differentiating factors in mind.
  • Dedication – going from non-technical to self-taught “vibe coding” Agentic GTM technical skills isn’t for the faint of heart. If you hit a wall 1000 times, you have to make sure to get up 1,001. When the Make.com scenario failed for the 10th time, I leaned on the ‘Navigating the Fog’ chapter of Finding Your True North to recalibrate the logic.

III. The Solution: O-FTE with an Agentic Workforce

To maintain a 0-FTE overhead, I originally deployed seven agentic workflows tied to key roles, which evolved. These weren’t just prompts; they were digital employees executing the “True North” strategy:

  • To launch with 0 FTE, along with a few key exec roles, I architected multiple ancillary agentic roles within the “Apres Brain” to handle the heavy lifting of a traditional GTM team. Here are a few of them:
  • The Lore Master (Brand & Philosophy)
    • Function: Synthesizes the core principles from Finding Your True North into the brand’s narrative.
    • Output: Developed the “Apres Access” Legend Ledger loyalty framework and the “Modern Myth” identity of the LeisureVerse, catering to those who want to take that feeling from the special/sacred “Third Place” with them.
  • The GTM Strategist (Market & Finance)
    • Function: Conducts competitive analysis and financial modeling.
    • Output: Engineered a pricing strategy that secures a prescribed margin while maintaining “leisure-class” accessibility.
  • The Automation Architect (Logic & Handshakes)
    • Function: Bridges the gap between disparate SaaS tools.
    • Output: Built the Legend_Ledger_Entry scenario in Make.com to automate data flow between Shopify and the Ledger.
  • The Product Designer (Iterative Creation)
    • Function: Translates lore into physical aesthetics using generative design tools.
    • Output: Rapidly prototyped and synced 67 unique products initially for V1.
  • The Logistics Lead (Operations & Flow)
    • Function: Manages the complex logic of print-on-demand fulfillment and shipping tiers.
    • Output: Structured the Standard Signal Shipping hierarchy with automated free-shipping thresholds at $80+.
  • The Wordsmith (Conversion Copy)
    • Function: Generates high-fidelity product descriptions and marketing assets.
    • Output: Created the conversion-focused copy for the Apres Leisure Store and the automated communication triggers for new customers.
  • The Efficiency Auditor (Overhead Control)
    • Function: Monitors the “Team of One” tech stack to ensure 0-FTE sustainability.
    • Output: Optimized the modular API strategy to prevent “tool bloat” and ensure the business remains bootstrapped and profitable.

IV. The outcomes: Streamlining Ops & Results

By streamlining operations through this agentic stack and getting more refined in the approach, I saved easily $250k+ in traditional CAC and OpEx while increasing velocity to reach launch week in under 90 days. The product is a scalable, lore-driven brand with a community-first loyalty protocol that gives back in multiple ways.

workflow example built out at Make.com
A key part of agentic strategy is connecting APIs amongst services.

As for the results, stay tuned for Part 2.

Building the Future: I am currently seeking my next high-impact role as a Full-Time Employee and/or Growth Consultant. If you want to move your organization from “using AI” to “running an Agentic Workforce” with 0-to-1 velocity, let’s connect.

Join the Cycle

1. Equip Yourself: Become part of the Founding 100, explore the First Cycle of gear and lore at Apres Leisure, enter the LeisureVerse and act on the Signal for gear at The Shop.

2. Read the Playbook: To understand the methodology behind the Forge, grab your copy of Finding Your True North on Amazon and make sure to leave a review if you find it helpful. It is the guide for any leader looking to find their signal in the noise of this complex generative age.

“Shock the World” – Big Blue Did & You Can Too!

Michigan basketball just changed the game, rewrote history and won the school’s first title in 37 years. It’s a story of pain and resilience applicable for me and us all.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan's star celebrates with the Shock the World banner.
Yaxel Lendeborg, who didn’t have the grades for college back when, celebrates Shocking the World after the Finals win.

The Michigan Wolverines just wrapped up one of, if not the most dominant college basketball seasons in history, cutting the nets down in Indianapolis after beating the UConn Huskies in the Final 4, 69-63.

Despite a historically dominant regular season, Michigan lost it’s third game of the year, to a motivated Purdue game in the Big Ten Tournament Finals. Duke and Arizona became the hot, popular picks as champions.

Michigan took that loss to heart and went on a mission as the only team to score 90+ for 5 straight in the NCAA Tournament.

However, the UConn Huskies were hungry for a third title in four years. UConn hadn’t lost a final. That kind of experience is invaluable in crunch time, which was evident by all the close games they won in the tourney.

UConn had it’s way slowing down Michigan and muddying up the Final. No team had ever scored under 70, shot under 40%, shot under 15% on 15+ threes, gotten outrebounded and won.

0-50. Until Michigan did it last night, bringing it home despite the star player’s injury. Statistically, this Michigan team finished the season as the #2 team ALL-TIME in KenPom’s offensive and defensive efficiency ratings with an argument for most dominant – period(.)

______________________________

Personally reflecting: as a kid growing up, I loved playing basketball. I put in the work shoveling the driveway at night by myself in the cold dark winters of Michigan to get shots in. I went against the grain to the enemy Duke’s basketball camp twice around the 2001 championship, when Carlos Booker got stacked ((by the way, if you missed it: his sons were the tourney darlings going in to March Madness, featured on a commercial every break, leaving the tourney as the only #1 seed up 15 points at halftime out of 135 to blow the lead and lose. Cayden (the “other” twin) inexplicably turned the ball over before the 10 seconds ran out, as UConn’s Braylon Mullins hit a 35 footer in a finish no one will forget to advance to the Final 4)).

It’s crazy to think that at Michigan while I was there, we had former Duke star Tommy Amaker coaching a team with a bunch of notable talent that we’d see nearby walking around on campus. The team played well 3 of those 4 years but there were still ongoing sanctions in place for much of that stretch from the Ed Martin era sanctions tied to illegal gambling money and gifts going to players as loans, etc., which tainted 13 years of history, most famously the Fab Five team that lost to UNC in the Final because of the end-of-game timeout Chris Webber called that the team didn’t have.

I didn’t make it to Crisler for one game in college. Volleyball, hockey, baseball, women’s field hockey, softball, men’s and women’s soccer and each football game but not 1 for men’s basketball. The pulse was that low…

Then John Beilein arrived and restored hope, grit and spirit to the program. Everybody started showing back up.

I was there with my old roommates, classmates friends (and then some) in Atlanta at the 2013 Final 4, our first trip back since back when. A controversial Trey Burke block was called a foul and Louisville finished us off (although had to vacate the Championship for Pitino-era scandals of its own).

celebrating a semifinal win over Syracuse in the 2013 Final Four in Atlanta.
Celebrating a 2013 Final 4 semifinal win at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta over Syracuse.

We made it back to the ‘ship in 2018, but Villanova, who had the experience of winning it two years previous, took us down 79-62 to cut the nets.

Fab Fiver Juwan Howard took over coaching after Beilein went to try his hand at the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA, which didn’t last. Howard started hot and advanced to an Elite 8 in 2021, but he lost his cool on court and his teams faded to the lifeless 8-24 last place finish in 2024 and was shown the door.

Name Image and Likeness (NIL) became legal, players could now get paid and Howard cited not being able to keep up with the resources Michigan offered.

Star frontcourt player Tarris Reed transferred to UConn. Glue-guys Will Tschetter and Nimari Burnett stuck around, along with Jace Howard (Juwan’s son).

In came Dusty May, a former Indiana student manager under Bobby Knight, who made his way up the assistant ranks before getting a shot to lead at Florida Atlantic, leading the 9 seeded underdogs to an unheard of Final 4 and near championship appearance.

Michigan committed to upping resources available and with Champion’s Circle help behind the scenes (Michigan’s official Collective group, a small scrappy group of hard working folks I’ve gotten to know), May and staff mobilized quickly.

Michigan quickly fielded one of the quickest turnaround stories in history. But “we are all a bunch of outcasts” he said after finally smiling and cutting the net down back in Indy near where it started, bringing home Michigan’s first hoops championship since 1989. It’s true. Pretty much every guy had been counted out at some point, suffering anguish, lack of confidence and defeat.

May studied what the OKC Thunder did to go from doormat to dominant champ, stockpiling the right young guys. He met each player where they were at personality-wise and just asked them to be coachable and gritty. The team gelled, adjusted unlike any others at the half, went wild when walk-ons got stats at the end of historic blowouts. They just re-wrote the book on success in the NIL era, where fragmentation, the open transfer portal and dollars make continuity a challenge for everyone.

The “Fab 5” sat together on TNT’s altcast near courtside during the vaunted semifinal matchup against a dominant Arizona team that it dominated. They laughed, joked and carried on like it was 1993 all over again when they were going against the grain and changing the game, despite all the haters and doubters. 5 star combo guard Brandon McCoy committed to the Wolverines at halftime while talking the Fab 5 notably – what a moment.

Glen Rice held the “Shock the World” sign up when Michigan team last won in Seattle. Last night, 37 years worth of redemption songs came to fruition. But it’s not just the Fab 5 and ’26 champs that got redemption from the Martin scandals, it was everyone. All the players, the students, the parents, the fans – way too many to list.

Beyond that, it’s a story of hope when it feels like there isn’t much.

No one believes in you.

Your passive aggressive team thinks they can soullessly send you packing despite your loyal contributions. You got that email that you’re out, most recent casualty to a coding agent. Your elected officials have left you hanging, prioritizing themselves. Your family, partner or your health fails you. Whatever the (fill in the blank) reasons may be, it all feels hopeless. Why keep trying when the well is dry and it’s futile??

They don’t see or care that you’ve done the work, made the sacrifices and kept getting off the ground, pulling yourself up and back in motion.

“Those who stay will be champions.”

This is a story for you.

You can beat all the odds, reinvent yourself and become a champ in your own right too.

Go “Shock the World.”

celebrating the 2026 championship win
Celebrating the redemption story and 2026 Championship win with SLC Spirit Group friends and members.

New Book + Appointing Your Alter Ego for Life’s Challenges

Times are tough. Cue your Alter Ego to help you battle through life’s challenges!

Sometimes it just feels like life is headed to hell in handbasket.

I recently published my first book to help others like me chart a course to purpose, if they could use guidance redirecting without instilling radical change (check it out if you haven’t yet!).

Finding Your True North: A Calm Path to Purpose Without Burning Your Life Down. Designed to help people find purpose with built-in exercises.

It’s okay to not be okay. Recently, for me it’s all felt like it’s coming to a head. Personally and holistically it’s been one thing after the next. Externally, it feels like the rails are off and the train is speeding down the tracks to inevitable peril…

“Jolts” involving A.I. disruption, job losses, the Iran war, consumer goods prices, health, policies, debts, extreme weather, etc. are a few hot buttons that feel like they are forcing radical change. I would venture to guess that I am not alone feeling this way.

It’s almost like we haven’t had a “normal” year without daily shocks since 2019 pre-pandemic.

People need to develop coping mechanisms to help them get through life’s challenges. I’ve personally found helpful include: meditation / deep breathing, relaxing in the sauna or hot tub, experiencing nature, exploring somewhere new, exercise, blocking out the news and social media, focusing on projects and hobbies, therapy, journaling, gardening, talking with people (especially spending time in person), playing with kids and pets, escapism via sports, music, podcasts, shows or movies.

Immersion into reading is another favorite ticket away. I picked up The Alter Ego Effect and wanted to recommend it to you.

The author Todd Herman, trained by top mental health coaches and mentors, helps his clientele channel their most resonating character to transform into when duty calls. By going to a totem or artifact to flip on the switch, cueing your alter ego, you can take on the world and come out of it heroically.

Simple example, Sam grew up feeling underestimated on his smarts often breezed over in conversations, work, etc. He’s noticed in movies that those with glasses are often thought of us wise and respected for focus and intelligence. Even though his vision is perfect, Sam throws on his totem/artifact fake lenses to cue the “Professor,” and his mentality and then results change. He’s getting the respect and attention that he’s always yearned for and he feels like he has a new lease on life.

Whatever that symbolism equates to for you, it has to mean something special, motivating and compelling. Think superheroes, a specific animal or truly anything that innately sticks out as transformative difference-maker in your mind. You can keep it a secret too – don’t feel like you need to let others in on your alter ego.

There is a lot we cannot control in life. Normally we would choose to go into character for those traditional “moments of impact” – the big meeting, game, speech or challenge.

If those normal coping activities aren’t getting it done for you when anxious feelings pop up outside of your typical “moments of impact,” maybe it’s time to beam the Bat Signal!?

I would love to hear your takes!

The Silicon Slopes Tech Conference Didn’t Give Me Answers — It Gave Me Direction

Mark Cuban and Chris Klomp sparring on drug transparency issues

I didn’t leave last week’s Silicon Slopes with a tidy list of takeaways. I left with tension. And that mattered more.

Because when you’re building anything meaningful — a company, a career, a body of work — creation has a real cost. If there’s no friction, nothing new emerges. That idea threaded through nearly every conversation, keynote, and side hallway exchange I had over the week.

This wasn’t a conference about hype. It was about reckoning.

Tension Is the Point

One of the most grounding moments came during a deep‑breathing and reflection session led by Eric Espinosa of DeepLife. The prompt was simple and uncomfortable: What have you been carrying that’s holding you back — and are you ready to let it go?

I gave myself 48 hours after the conference to sit with that question. No productivity theater. No pretending I could out‑optimize it.

Just honesty.

Super hard in practice but that set the tone for everything else.

The Resume Is Dead. Values Aren’t.

We talked a lot about resumes — not as documents, but as signals.

Not titles. Not credentials.

Values. Behavior. Decision patterns.

The people who stood out weren’t optimizing for the next role. They were acting like the CEO of their own career — clear on what they stand for, how they work, and what kind of problems they’re willing to own. Author and LinkedIn editor Lorraine Lee spoke to this movement.

That framing is transformative. Especially now.

AI Isn’t Taking Jobs — It’s Exposing Them

There was no sugarcoating the AI conversation.

We’re in a 3–10× acceleration cycle for software change. Horizontally, there’s almost no defensibility anymore. Vertically — chips, semiconductors, infrastructure — everything is being reconstituted. The stock market collectively plummeted this week as a result of AI investments among FAANG companies and software was put on notice – if AI isn’t driving it forward.

A few things landed hard:

  • Salesforce was one of many stocks to slide this week but Salesforce Ventures’ Rob Keith detailed that its Agentforce augmentation service is already producing over $1 trillion and there’s more happened behind the scenes on the AI front.
  • Founders are becoming more technical again — not because they want to, but because learning velocity is the product.
  • Individual contributors who can think, build, and iterate are outpacing managers of process.
  • Product management as a standalone role is shrinking.
  • Customer success is becoming AI‑native.
  • CRM key functions are quickly being reinvented
  • Workforces will be half human, half agents — sooner than most companies are ready for. Right now you can build an agent-workforce to fill roles across the typical role spectrum for a cost fraction.
  • Humanoid robots in 5 years will be 95% there physically emulating movements.

“This year feels like the GPT‑3 moment — but for everything” (Ethan Choi, Khosla Ventures).

That’s not doom. It’s a filter.

Tools Are Table Stakes. Judgment Is the Edge.

Yes, we saw the tools:

  • Image‑to‑video workflows outperforming text‑to‑video.
  • Voice cloning and speech‑to‑speech becoming trivial.
  • AI music generation that’s already “good enough” King Willonius gave us a live demo on how he made music videos that have churned up massive virality.
  • Agent‑based coding environments changing how software is built.

But tools don’t win markets. Judgment does.

Domain understanding. Taste. Context. Ethics. Soft skills.

That’s the real defensibility now.

Soft Skills Are the Hard Advantage

Here’s the quiet truth that kept resurfacing: the more technical the world becomes, the more human the winners are.

  • Teaching your team how to talk about their work matters.
  • Storytelling isn’t fluff — it’s trust‑building.
  • Transparency plus aligned self‑interest is credibility.
  • Sales isn’t manipulation. It’s clarity.

You don’t get to opt out of selling — your ideas, your vision, or yourself.

And authenticity isn’t aesthetic. It’s operational.

Doing Well by Doing Good Isn’t Optional Anymore

Some of the most powerful conversations centered on healthcare, transparency, and human suffering. Mark Cuban of Costplusdrugs.com battled Chris Klomp, Director of Medicare on this principle and stage.

65% of people live with a chronic condition.

Healthcare remains the #1 cause of bankruptcy.

Pricing opacity is morally offensive and brought on by big insurance.

And yet — we now have the tools to fix parts of this system in days, not decades.

Not because it’s profitable.

Because it’s necessary.

Help human suffering. Help one another. Do well by doing good.

That wasn’t a slogan. It was a challenge.

So Where I Landed

Silicon Slopes didn’t make me more certain.

It made me more clear.

Clear that:

  • Speed matters, but direction matters more.
  • Specialists will struggle. Integrators will thrive.
  • Learning velocity beats pedigree.
  • Building things — and selling them — is still the path.
  • The future belongs to people who can learn, connect, and serve. There were so many great vendors and individuals represented who were trying to live that Silicon Slopes motto. Highlighting one in Keep the Adventure Alive for those battling arthritis.

And clear that the work ahead isn’t about chasing trends.

It’s about choosing problems worth solving — and having the courage to stay with the tension long enough for something real to emerge.

If any of this resonates — if you’re building, re‑building, or re‑thinking where you’re headed — I’m always open to thoughtful conversations. Not pitches. Not noise.

Just real work, done with intention.

Global Reckoning Period – Adapt or Die II

It’s like a bad sequel.  Groundhog Day: Return of Ned Flanderson (sans Bill Murray).

Just when you thought we were turning the corner to stop the gore and the killer had disappeared, we stumble, trip and allow for the villain to catch back up.

We have now entered into the eye of the storm.  It’s quiet.  Too quiet. And peaceful.  But just you wait.

Experts and past leaders knew a pandemic was well within the cards. Luckily, we were prepped for past threats in SARS and Ebola.  When the world watched China and Europe get decimation, we hesitated, thumbed our nose and got crushed.

Instead of a World War II-like rallying behind our leaders and mission, our Fake News fragmentation and direction for states to figure it out independently kicked in.

Sadly, the fact that it’s a crucial election year and prospects of a depression took precedence over public health and getting mass testing and herd immunity to where it needs to be.

“Liberation” of our freedoms, opening up non-essential businesses and protesting from close distance is the obvious death trap.  Just ask John from Ohio.  Oh wait…

No, we won’t save ourselves from UV light or drinking bleach.  Please don’t try it (although do go outside – sunshine helps your mental psyche, although it won’t defend much against viruses).

The U.S. (and much of the world similarly) has now far eclipsed the quickest unemployment rate drop.  Time and decisions made by all of us will tell whether we eclipse the peak rate of 24.9% during the Great Depression.  Hopefully those affected will learn valuable new skills and trades in the meantime while growing relationships at home to evolve and come out of this stronger.

The economy is vital to us all, but we have to trust the scientific experts and the math (see Domo’s live trend visuals).  A few weeks of apprehensive business openings isn’t going to be worth the collateral damage we face by being premature and negligent.

Chances are, many more of us have had it than we know.  We need mass testing and antibody testing to tell us that as and we still don’t understand what level of exposure (if possible at all) we need to have had to mitigate the threat of a second mutated bout.

We’re working feverishly to enable a vaccine but best case scenario to get one is by almost all accounts is a year from now – around April 2021.  Then it has to be mass distributed to the public.

Life as we knew it in terms of going to the flights, concerts, games, bars and restaurants we so loved won’t be the same.  We’ll have to adapt to the new normal, even after the vaccine.

We are seeing heroes and valiant, selfless acts happen all around us.  It’s the medical, grocery, delivery workers and average Joes going to get groceries for their elderly neighbors that are making the difference and deserve to benefit when the dust settles.

If we’ve learned anything through this, it’s the danger of not educating and equipping the poor and ignorant.  If we don’t give everyone access to accurate information, health care and the means to work and live, everything else is threatened.  Billionaire Mark Cuban (story of past encounters with him to come) has been a voice of reason for the people, making a public play for trickle-up vs. trickle-down economics.

Maybe we will swallow our pride and step up together when it counts.

Regardless, the shark will be stalking the shores and connected rivers beneath the surface.

Global Reckoning Period – Adapt or Die

Speaking of stalled aspirational progress, as we are all now acutely aware of, the global economy hit a screeching halt by way of a COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

Ramifications and the related coverable topics are endless.

A globalized reckoning, which was anticipated to happen at some point by the experts, caught us all on our heels and we couldn’t react quickly enough to put it to bed before massive loss of lives and economic progress resulted.

What are we learning in the process?

  • Leadership and the ability to listen, emphasize and unite matters more than ever – without it, everything can unfold.
  • Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.  The true heroes pulling us out of this mess are the service workers on the front-lines putting lives on the line to save their brethren (nurses, doctors, EMTs, social services, teachers, grocery store and “essential business” workers).  These folks deserve every accolade, perk and quality of live improvement possible.
  • Globalization Revisited – it doesn’t matter if your GDP is greatest in the world if you can’t stock or make the basics to save your people (ie. PPE’s like aprons, masks, gloves, etc.)
  • We need to focus on the industries, tactics, practices and strategies proven to sustainably benefit the masses.   Sometimes it’s time to stick in that fork and move on vs. continuing the life support.

Personally and professionally, we are all at a crossroads.  Adapt or die (figuratively and literally so, sadly).

It’s a group exercise, too.  One outlier can derail the recovery progress for the masses.  We are all ready for the economy to return to normal – your non-distanced protests only hurt our chances to get there.

How we prepare today will impact tomorrow.  It is well worth the extra few weeks of staying at home to not set ourselves back months more.

If all you have to give is goodwill and positive thoughts, pay it forward, spread it (especially while staying at home!) and the returns will multiply and help get us all back on our feet.

Closing Out 2017 with a Blockchain Bang.

2017 will go down big in the record books.

On the personal side, I took the plunge to get engaged we just closed and moved into our 1st home, a life-changing ordeal in itself. I also personally learned that a country doing everything it can to self-destruct that’s $20 trillion in debt sorely needs software to help the drastically under-equipped IRS manage operational claims to chip away at (separate post in itself).

Sponsorship Buddy is rebranding within the next few weeks to encapsulate the force it has become, now directly optimizing workflows for thousands in the brand, agency and rights holder/property space (recently including the San Francisco Giants, who I could’ve garnered multiple rings based on a different life choice made (another post of its own). With a valuation now in the 9 figure range, one could ask how I could entertain usage of my full-time hours going to something else?

The answer? The blockchain.

I also passed up an equitable opportunity with a software behemoth fast approaching IPO and an executive spot with the most elite membership and concierge program in the world involving curation of the most customized VIP global personalized experiences.

After a few weeks spent volunteering, negotiating and absorbing, I signed on to become the #2, C.O.O. & Head of Fundraising for what we believe could be the most compliant blockchain solution in the exploding ICO market. By the way, ICOs (initial coin offerings) have overtaken traditional venture capital funding means and skyrocketed to over $5 billion in funds raised for 2017.

Everyone’s now heard of Bitcoin (the Amazon of the cryptocurrency world), but most don’t understand it or the blockchain. This distributed ledger system promises to change the world by decentralizing everything, from global monetary policies to how transactions are recorded.

There are innumerable roadblocks in the way before that happens, however.  Many early ICOs were launched by the likes of 19-year-old Ukrainians arming a cartel without as much as a business or legal backing.  While due diligence, transparency and sound legal business principles are on the rise, there is an impending fear of the unknown, especially the SEC coming down to ban and punish those deemed outside of the legal limits.  A day of reckoning is in order in today’s new age Wild West.

At OMINEX, sister-company CrowdEngine has the SEC & FINRA compliance nailed.  OMINEX plans to offer a wallet to manage such security and other crypto tokens and provide the portal to launch the buttoned-up ICO, funding your dream, world-changing blockchain project.

But first, we need believers to take a chance with us and invest in the most compliant fundraising solution seen to date (while benefitting with us along the way). We could use great Advisors, referral partners and investors to help us build out the vision before we can draft the team.

It’s been quite the heroic comeback story, 2017 vs. 2016 that is.

Who’s ready to take the world by storm in compliant fashion!? Blockchain and ICOs are possibly the most world-changing phenomenon we’ve seen, can you afford to miss the boat (more about ICOs as the new gold rush – biggest wealth transfer in human history)?

ominex pic

Happy New Year 2018!

Lessons in Rejection

Screen Shot 2017-08-29 at 3.12.59 PM.png

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Red Wings, Baltimore Orioles, Sporting Kansas City, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Saints & Pelicans (among others pictured above): what do these represent?  All, the latest and greatest clients of Sponsorship Buddy Inc.  I, as the lead hunter, should be out celebrating in the streets to land these huge, globally embraced and recognized team brands as clients of our disruptive new platform, right? Not so fast, my friend.

Early entrepreneurial life is not glamorous (nor is the sports industry).  Over the past 20 months, I’ve had to learn all kinds of new skills, competencies, and levels of resiliency and discipline.  I set out with a goal of transforming the sponsorship industry in much-needed fashion for the better to help create more transparency, streamlined communications, a better client experience and improvements in quality of life.   In doing so, I hoped to make my mark as an innovator, disruptor, and difference-maker and put it all on the line to do so (personal life, relationships, financial stability).

Full disclosure, it’s been the most challenging period I’ve had in life and there have been some big ones.  While persistently searching out believers in my network, I’ve been aggressively pursuing careers and been so close on fantastic opportunities in sports or tech in Denver, San Francisco and here in Salt Lake City, only to be passed up on at the finish line.  My closest contacts have seemingly written me off while it’s been impossible to fight off bouts of despair, depression and not feel like a failure.

One of my key strengths is my resiliency, persistence, and aversion to quitting.  I thought the industry would snap up this relatively inexpensive tool but learned that it was going to take completing the marathon to change the game.

Back when we were looking for our 1st major league client after the Utah Jazz (beta customer of ours), I leaned on my former group in the Memphis Grizzlies, who have been notably innovative.  In speaking with Mya Donald, activation lead for the team, I said something along the lines of, “I know this is new and daunting, but this can not only put the Grizzlies on the map as a leader in the space, but do great things for your careers.” The Grizzlies bought in, embraced the tool, and four weeks ago, Mya was on-stage as a finalist at NBA league meetings citing us as a key piece to the team’s peer-nominated Relationship Management Program of the Year.  To add validation, the winners of the award, the Cleveland Cavaliers, known not only for being runner up in the 2016-2017 NBA Finals, but also for a notable Goodyear Jersey Patch Campaign and innovative 365-day activation approach have followed suit as our 5th client in the most innovative of all sports leagues (NBA).

Taking excerpts like these to market, we’ve now established ourselves as an industry-recognized brand with success stories throughout the major and minor leagues, not to mention being in the process of signing our 1st brand and agency clients.   We accomplished our set growth and vesting goals a year ahead of time and have solidified our brand and platform as a force with huge upside from here while maxing out my equity shares in the company.

As we look to solve the sponsorship industry’s communication issues one client at a time, I’ve realized that I have a long ways to go to become a great communicator myself.  I realized that my emails, like everyone’s texts or emails from time to time, can be misinterpreted and come off the wrong way.  Instead of leaving tone, reasoning, and objectives up for interpretation, I insisted on a face-to-face meeting to speak my mind, and after a 2nd fishing trip meeting to close out the summer and further collaborate on ownership stake and employment terms. I’m now about to be in a much more secure place while being in control of day and destiny.

Lessons learned: don’t take rejection to heart.  It only takes one (you).  Even when everyone else loses faith in you, what you believe in and set out to do, you can accomplish anything with determination.  Be mindful, self-reflective and don’t be afraid to ask for constructive feedback, advice or someone else’s time to hear you out.

Surviving on an Entrepreneurial Wild West Island.

After weeks of back-and-forth months after my consulting deal was up, we were at a crossroads of a) parting ways with only the entrepreneurial experience to show for it for b) forging a partnership, potentially lifelong.  Both sides have nearly walked away at different times and everyone knew it was decision time, this was make or break and the call was going to be tense.  That “Castaway” feeling of I’m alone, trying to scratch and claw my way to survival, hoping someone will venture into the vicinity and throw me a life raft can feel very real.

Doubts can be constant.  Today’s social media age make peer comparisons dangerous.  Why am I at point X when I’ve invested this much into myself whereas my former cohort John or Jane Doe is at point Y?  Trust in others and myself with belief in the ability to turn up calculated returns is something I’ve banked on for years.  But sometimes it feels like being stuck in the ocean trying to fight the current of a riptide, not going anywhere and expending energy reserves quickly.

Egocentrism is the inability to understand any perspective but one’s own.  In this country, never has this come more into question than today’s political and social environment. Why should I think about someone over there when my own quality of life is in question?  What happens when those relationships you’ve invested in and trusted would work out instead turn out quiet or egocentric? You’re left to your own story and ingenuity, losing hope with line after line being cast out only to be brought back with nets empty.

Despite better reason and needs to meet, we made the trip to Arizona for a wedding at a lavish venue, the JW Marriott of Tuscon pictured below.  Sacrifices were made to get there – a bag of sandwiches made to avoid having to stop for food, not staying at the host resort and instead choosing a Marriott nearby.  Bootstrapped startup life personalized.

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Alli & I before the wedding @JW Marriott Tuscon

After catching up with the Joneses, and being there to celebrate the big commitment day for the newlyweds, we took a day trip to the famous wild west town of Tombstone.  Despite all the Hollywood takes, never was story given due justice authentically.  The Boothill Graveyard was filled with stories of men that met their fates through every means from defending their honor in gunfights at the OK Corral to getting poisoned and everything in between and their stones were stolen over time by gravestone robbers looking to get their hands on valuable relics.  This made me think, how does one avoid the fate of George Johnson pictured below, who was hanged by mistake?  “He was right, he was wrong, but we strung him up and now he’s gone.”

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In a brutal town where the odds are stacked against you like Tombstone, George may have been on to something in life. Maybe he was looking like one of the few who’s investment was going to pay off in a big way.  However, his story was lost and he became known instead for his curious cause of death.  George hadn’t secured himself to avoid the traps laid down all around him and succumbed to a noteworthy fate.

On the scenic way back in Navajo country (another example of a people pushed aside), we stopped at the picturesque Horseshoe Bend in the Glen Canyon area of northern Arizona (featured above).  I looked out and felt like I was stuck on that rock island pushed out further and further by the sands of time, with a storm coming nonetheless.

Months after the fact and despite undue strife, my partners came through for me on my concessions and I officially tied the ownership knot.  Lessons learned include not making assumptions and instead communicating better and building and executing sound social and business contracts.  Don’t be afraid to be real and speak to feelings and emotions as it leads to more authentic connections. I went from fighting the riptides to grabbing a line out and back to the island.  Now, it’s a matter of navigating around the hangman’s noose and traps while continuing to better equip and target those lines cast with the hope of netting that meaningful storybook foundation off the island.

Ever feel that way?

 

How to know who won’t leave you on an island.

We live in a social media driven world where our best Friends, Connections, Contacts, Followers and Matches are a click or two away.  Because we’re so accustomed to living the “American Dream,” keeping up with the Joneses, and subjecting ourselves to the rigors that accompany these conquests, we’re content keeping up through surface-level digital footprints and sporadic, quick in-person or phone interactions.  How many times per day do the, “How are things?” – “Good. You?” surface-level, efficiency-driven interactions play out? We think we know what’s going on, but all we just know what people want portrayed out there because we don’t expend the time to go deeper.

Thousands of contacts connected within a few clicks but how do we know who will come through for us when it’s on the line? Who’s willing to take the time and put in the energy themselves to go the extra mile for you when you’re in a time of need – and then actually follow through?

We’re at an ugly crossroads in America. We see it amongst all the political dissension.  We see it as mental health traumas rise. We fight over resources to the point of disassociation with those closest to us. We can’t go deep ourselves, so how could we go deep for others? Are we in it for status or the good of human kind?20170309_133358

Sandwiched in-between two personal quests for ownership after putting it all on the line, I took a trip. Despite better financial judgement, I joined college friends south of the border for the sake of a friend who’s always had the ability to go deeper (Kaveh is pictured right with our chauffeur Carlos).

After some tropical guy’s weekend introspection, I came to some harsh realizations. I’m great at the surface level stuff, but like many guys, I have trouble talking about feelings, needs, concerns, etc. I’m too trusting that if I put it all out there for you, that you will then come through for me. I learned that I try to formulate solutions for everything and in doing so, force things when the square pegs will never fit into the round holes.

With that said, though, I learned that sometimes you need to put people on the spot to realize how much you can count on them. Sometimes, you have to lean on yourself alone.

Paying it forward with no expectations is hard to do but pays big dividends. I recently watched The Kindness Diaries on Netflix, which details one man’s quest to cross the world on a motorcycle with no money relying on the goodheartedness of others.  Despite lots of doubters and strifes along the way, Leon made it and repaid those with pressing needs who helped him out handsomely with something that would help get them across the hump. That begs the question, if strangers with very little can do it, why can’t we?

What can you do to interview and determine who’s trustworthy and will come through for you? What are some strategies you’ve used to dig deep and get results during times of need?