Gaining Momentum in My Mid-20's
Birthday Blog: The Journey to 27
For those of you who prefer to watch a video instead of reading, please watch me fix this iPhone while blogging in only 7 minutes! The purpose of this blog is to explain a more about who I am, how I ended up in Philly, and how I became interested in entrepreneurship. Some of you I know well while others I’m hoping to learn more about. In the meantime, here is my brief story that I hope inspires you to keep pushing!
Not only is September my birthday month, this month marks the 1-year anniversary of moving to Philadelphia and starting over. In Q2 2015 I left my comfortable job at Google to start my own companies: Momentum (my digital consulting agency), and Phone Repair Philly (new electronics repair chain). Not only did I leave Google, I also sold my equity in my watch startup, Vortic Watches, and I sold my 2nd repair company, Ann Arbor iPhone Repair. This was a huge leap of faith, as I said, starting over. I did this for a simple reason, to use my skills to empower entrepreneurs and small business owners. Knowledge is power, and without digital knowledge in the 21st century, you’re at a severe disadvantage. Momentum is my main focus in which we provide digital marketing services, and Phone Repair Philly is the perfect case study for our target market, but how did I get here?
With today being my birthday, let me bring everyone up to speed on how I became an entrepreneur. In doing so, I want to thank those who helped inspire me along the way. We’re all busy, but if you have a minute please read and share so that others can learn to ask more from themselves, while also being thankful for the opportunities we have in life.
My first day at Google
Learn how to get a job at Google!
One of the first companies I ever started was a phone repair company, Happy Valley Repairs. Back in 2012 my friend Austin was repairing iPhones in his dorm room as an iTech for iCracked. That summer he interned at HQ, so I ended up taking over the repairs. He showed me a few things, but really I just learned from watching YouTube and practicing on my iPhone 4 (ancient, I know). Let’s just say you need to learn from your mistakes because, subsequently, that first attempt I broke my phone (rather mine than a customer’s). This was very new and uncomfortable for me. I remember my first repair like it was yesterday. This lady had a cracked 4s and I fixed it in a Starbucks with her and her 3-year-old glaring at me as I was sweating and shaking uncontrollably.
My first company - Happy Valley Repairs
Fixing phones in the HUB at Penn State
These are the moments that define your life. Put yourself in situations where you have to learn or achieve something new and unknown. Test yourself. Push Yourself. Get outside YOUR comfort zone.
That moment, among others, helped define my life. I’ve been known to push the envelope, often leading to new opportunities, new friends, and occasionally getting in trouble. However, this allowed me to grow and expand my knowledge and network. From that moment on I knew I was meant to be my own boss. I could use my skills and knowledge to help others, which is feeling of total enlightenment.
Well, throughout college I started a multitude of ventures: a painting company, a party service company, an entrepreneurship club, two internships for startups, my repair company, and the Vortic watch company. More importantly, I gained confidence in myself while being able to give back to the students and university while gaining momentum in my club, and also helping spread the entrepreneurship club across to 8 different colleges (which might be what I am most proud of and thankful for).
Starting Entrepreneurship club at PSU
Nittany Entrepreneurs
Moving forward —– Last year (2015) was the most important year of my life. It was a whirlwind of ups and downs. I left Google, sold my Ann Arbor iPhone Repair company, sold my equity in Vortic Watches, moved to Philly, started Momentum, and also started Phone Repair Philly. This all happened within 6 months! Talk about a fresh start! My goal was to start over and put myself in a situation where I had to learn and grow. I truly believe that I’ve learned more over the past 18 months than I have the past 18 years. Below I want to mention a few key aspects that have empowered me as a person to help me grow and build my businesses.
Getting outside my comfort zone (trying something new or difficult)
Networking, meeting new people (whether I felt like it or not)
Reading (Books, magazines, blogs, newsletters)
Hiring good people (then empowering them to take on more responsibilities)
Believing in yourself and remaining optimistic (keep your eyes on the prize)
Let me leave you with this, if YOU have something you’re truly passionate about that you’re good at, then find out how you can monetize that and take control of your life and your future!
Thank you! Bring on 27!
Presenting about SEO at a Tech Conference
Wireless Repair Roundup in Nashville 2016