Who says you can’t reinvent yourself?

I did. I went from a deadbeat sponging off my girlfriend (now my wife) to building and selling a hugely profitable business in five years.

I did. I used to do computer repair full time in the early 2000s, but it sucked and there wasn’t enough money in it. So I stopped and never looked back.

I did. Instead of being just a web developer, I threw myself into marketing, bizdev, stock analysis, and everything in between.

I did. I used to make websites for other people. Then I made some for myself, creating multiple online businesses. One of them turned out to be a multi-million dollar company with tens of millions of visitors and thousands of paid subscribers.

I did. My company got acquired and I adapted to a more rigid corporate environment. I led teams of analysts and developers. I created detailed project specs and answered to bosses.

I did. I quit my job and started all over again. I’m here now documenting this new journey.

Mark Cuban was a bartender, then a software salesman before finally striking out on his own. Ray Kroc was a milkshake mixer salesman and didn’t get involved with McDonald’s until he was in his mid-50s. Richard Branson overcame severe dyslexia to start a magazine and a record company, then an airline and mobile phone company (when the music business started to turn south, he simply sold his record company and moved on).

If a bodybuilder can become an actor, then a governor, who says you can’t reinvent yourself?

I used to hide in relative anonymity online, preferring to work behind the scenes. Now I’m putting myself out there via this blog, on Twitter and Facebook, and by reaching out to dozens of people I think I can help and collaborate with.

I’m reinventing myself right now, and I couldn’t be happier.

“I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.”
–Henry Rollins