Well, it’s been a minute.
I recently decided it was time to give my personal website a little attention. Somewhere between starting a couple of businesses, going back to school, and trying to keep up with everything else life has thrown my way, this little corner of the internet got pretty neglected.
But I’ve been busy, and I figured a website refresh was a good excuse to catch everyone up.
From building things to building a business
For most of my professional life, I’ve been building things.
I spent more than fifteen years working as a carpenter, and while I eventually traded my tool belt for a laptop, I don’t think my approach to work has changed all that much. I still enjoy figuring out how things work, solving problems, and turning ideas into something useful.
In 2019, I started Online Training Concepts, a company focused on developing online learning experiences and educational technology.
That experience eventually led me to start Aktiga in 2023, a software development and product studio based here in Asheville.
What started as an opportunity to build software has gradually evolved into something much more interesting.
We’ve assembled a talented team of designers, developers, and other creative problem-solvers, and we’ve had the opportunity to work with some wonderful organizations.
Some of our most meaningful projects have involved helping nonprofits and community organizations modernize the technology they depend on. Our recent work with Homeward Bound and ArtsAVL is a good example of that.
I’ve also become increasingly interested in building products of our own, exploring ideas that might eventually grow into sustainable businesses.
But probably the biggest learning experience has been figuring out how to build an organization rather than simply run a business.
I’ve learned a lot about leadership, collaboration, communication, and the importance of creating systems that help talented people do their best work.
And I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way.
Back to school
As if starting and growing a software company wasn’t enough to keep me busy, I also decided to go back to school.
Over the past year, I’ve been working toward my MBA at Brevard College, a place that has been part of my life in one way or another for quite a long time.
It’s been an interesting experience returning to the classroom with a couple of decades of professional experience behind me.
Instead of learning business concepts and wondering how I might use them someday, I’ve been able to apply much of what we’re studying directly to the challenges we’re navigating at Aktiga.
Leadership, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, analytics, project management… pretty much every subject has given me something useful to think about.
One of my biggest takeaways has been recognizing the difference between starting a business and building an organization that can sustain itself.
Starting something requires initiative, persistence, and a willingness to figure things out as you go.
Building something sustainable requires a different set of skills, including developing systems, trusting other people, understanding your finances, and learning when to get out of the way.
I’ve also developed a deeper appreciation for the work of W. Edwards Deming and his philosophy of continuous improvement.
The idea that better outcomes come from understanding and improving the systems we work within has become an important part of how I think about leadership.
I’m getting close to finishing the program, and it’s been a rewarding experience. Not just because of what I’ve learned, but because it’s given me a chance to reflect on what I’ve been doing and where I’d like to go next.
Still curious
Of course, there’s more to life than running a business and going to school.
I’m still flying paragliders whenever I can, playing music, tinkering with technology, and finding new things to get excited about.
I’ve always had a pretty wide range of interests, and for a long time I think I felt some pressure to find a way to connect them all into a coherent professional identity.
These days, I’m less concerned about that.
I’ve come to appreciate that curiosity itself is a pretty good connecting thread.
Whether I’m working on a software product, learning something new, playing music, or spending an afternoon in the mountains, I’m usually motivated by the same basic desire to understand something a little better.
And hopefully have some fun along the way.
A fresh start
Which brings me back to this website.
I wanted to create a space that better reflects the different things I’m interested in and working on.
Some of that will be professional. Some of it will be personal. And some of it will probably be random ideas that I find interesting enough to write about.
I’m not making any promises about how frequently I’ll post. I’ve learned better than that.
But I do hope to use this space a little more often to share what I’m building, what I’m learning, and some of the adventures along the way.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for stopping by.