In the summer of 2009, I quit my day job.
It was the best paying job I’d ever had, but I was bored. And, if you ask me, bored + young alive don’t go well together. So, I wrote my fabulously eloquent and gratitude-oozing letter of resignation and submitted it, effective immediately.
I wish I could say that I had a year’s salary in savings, or even a spouse or parent to fall back on, but I had neither thing. (In fact, I had an unemployed live-in boyfriend, a dog, and an overpriced seacoast apartment.) I started my business with a hope and a prayer and a whole lot of courage.
I had my first five-figure month 28 months later.
That same year (my second year in business), I nearly doubled the salary I’d earned at that day job. I now have full-time help — R.T. is both my assistant AND my life partner* — that should be a testament to how easy I am to get along with.
*note: not the aforementioned unemployed one.
I’ve been making websites since 1999.
I was fifteen then. If Al Gore invented the internet, then I helped build it, man. I’ve launched over 100 websites in the last 2 years. I challenge you to click around the blogosphere and *not* find a site I coded. (Sorry I just said ‘blogosphere’.)
My areas of expertise are WordPress, Shopify, and kindly telling you how you’re getting in your own way.
I’m not a business coach, a social media guru, or a buzzword-anything. But I do know a thing or two about making a living with a web-based business.
About me:
I grew up in a large, secular, unschooling family. My siblings were (and remain) the most amazing people I’ve ever met. My childhood consisted mostly of climbing trees and writing short stories in college-ruled composition books.
I was raised in a tiny town in Michigan. I moved to the east coast (by myself) when I was 17 and decided that college wasn’t for me after one measly semester. (I went back later, but damn, is traditional education ever a drag.) I moved back to Michigan in December of 2011. I love Detroit, but my next stop is Portland.
I’m a life artist and the most outgoing INFJ you’ll ever meet. I love yoga and green smoothies but you’ll never, ever see me turn down a french fry or a glass of red wine. I’m a natural mama even though I don’t have (or plan to have) children of my own. I like my home to be filled with people, plants, and animals, and I’ll do anything I possibly can to brighten your day, even if I barely know you.
My passions (outside of revamping the entire internet so that it’s pretty and functional) are mixed-media art and photography. I take photos with a Canon 40D or my iPhone.
About the two of us:
R.T.’s real name is Randall Tyler, but he’d prefer I didn’t tell you that. What he *would* tell you is that our relationship lends itself to the cliche of good girls loving bad boys. (He’s a little rough around the edges, but not as rough as he’d like to believe he is. He’s got a big heart.) We met years ago and started dating in April of 2011.
Together, we:
- Never miss an episode of Dan Savage’s podcast or How I Met Your Mother
- Moved halfway across the country to rent a tiny bungalow and start a new life together (8 months after we started dating!)
- Collect legos & Magic cards (and play with both)
- Are crazy about our bicycles & ride often
- Have a dog, two cats, three guinea pigs, a chinchilla, and a gerbil
- Go on photo adventures as often as possible
- Wake up early for no reason
- Consume copious amounts of sushi and Tex-Mex on a weekly basis
- are unstoppable (because we’re so in love) (He’ll wince when he sees this.)
We should all be best friends, right? Click here to work with us.
