Way back in 2006, an eternity ago on-line, I became frustrated by ‘where’ I was in my Journey thus far. You see, I came ‘on-line’ seven years prior (1999) with an open agenda . . . see what can be found, and how I could best use what I know within it.
I actually ‘found’ a niche that suited me quite well, the Traffic Exchange genre, and began to develop the skill set needed to embrace the challenges ahead. One slight problem. Somewhere along the way, I managed to ‘lose’ who I was, and what originally brought me here!
Don’t get me wrong, for the first few years I had an excellent time. Stephen Ayer and I released a very popular exchange, TrafficRoundup. I partnered up with Robert Fortin and together we started Rx2Central to allow for greater market expansion and acquisition. And along the way even managed to effect ‘change’ within, at that time, a fledgling niche with ClickCrazey that is still considered one of the ’standards’ in such programs today.
But as stated earlier, somehow I ‘lost’ that driving force that brought me here in the first place. With the exception of the off-line aspects of Focus 4 the Future, things had become mundane, predictable, and simply put - I was bored beyond belief!
In October of 2006, I realized I had to find that ‘force’ again, or go away. If you asked around, I am sure that several people will tell you that in fact I DID go away! But nothing could be further from the truth. That was the ‘beginning’ of where I am headed now.
I had to take a ’step back’ before I could move forward. Re-alignment was needed if I were to achieve what I sought. And damn it, I WAS going to overcome the ‘limits’ I had imposed to do so!
Indeed, I took that step back. A gigantic one, actually . . . I SOLD almost everything I was doing on-line at that time!
I set upon determining what I needed to do to get back ‘on track’ with what I knew to be ‘right’ for me personally. And for a few months, all I did was research the past in an effort to ’see’ where I could take my future too.
Of course, being who I am, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to participate in conferences, post the occasional Rant over at NMF, and generally be an ‘itch’ that everyone wished they could scratch away in the process! I talked about needing ‘change’ in an environment that was (and still is for the most part) not really wanting to listen to the ‘ramblings’ of someone that had ‘went away’.
Well, not everyone!
In August of 2007, I happened upon a young lady named Tina Sparby in one of Jon Olson’s conferences I attended regularly in the SWAT room. At first she ‘humored’ the old man, and listened to my rants with what I believed at that time to be feigned interest. And once again, I WAS WRONG!
It was at the time that I KNEW where I wanted to go, AND that I needed help to achieve it. Before the year was over, we became not only friends, but Partners in business. Poor girl never seen it coming!
Together (and with MUCH procrastination on my part), we released TrafficAsylum.com in April of 2008 as an experimental base to ascertain the relevance of what we ‘thought’ the future was.
Fast forward to now . . .
Based upon my own experiences, the valuable input from Tina, and the results of various ventures including TrafficAsylum, we are developing what we ’see’ as the means to enabling the potential the future has to offer us, and others, through change. Hence, the purpose of this blog.
In order to actually ‘do’ what I have talked about these past two plus years, I must once again “break the rules” to achieve it.
I invite everyone to come along for the ‘ride’ into the future with us. No, you don’t have to don black leather and endure long miles of loud pipes (and a sore butt) to be on this ride. You can ‘ride’ along here, in this blog. as I attempt to chronicle the changes, and the logic behind them, as we set forth on this new Journey.
Enough about the past, let’s get to work on the future TOGETHER and see where this Journey may lead!
** I will try and keep future posts shorter, but given my previous history, I wouldn’t hold your breath!
