I’m regularly asked how I got to where I am today and how I began helping others, so I figured it was time to write my “Origin Story”.
In 1998, I was in the middle of a great military career when I was approached by someone close to me to retire from the Marine Corps and become President of their company. I refused the proposal a number of times but this business owner was very persistent and one day I actually said yes. My body went into revolt and I literally shook for three days. It wasn’t hard to understand why. I’d just decided to retire from a great career where I was considered in the top 10% of my peers, was selected to the Command and Staff College, and would very shortly be selected for Lt Colonel. Those are some major accomplishments and I had made the decision to walk away from them and didn’t know why.
For the next three days, I identified the best I could hope for if I remained on active duty (infantry battalion commander, regimental commander as a colonel, and who knows, maybe even make General) against what I would miss as a father if I stayed in.
Knowing what I would be missing out in my career was easy to identify but eventually, I realized my youngest child would either be 8 years old if I retired at 20 years of service, or he would be graduating from high school and off to college if I retired at 30 years. The moment I came to that realization, the decision was easy. It was time for me to be Dad and no longer be Major Daly or whatever rank I held.
I was very fortunate to have been raised in a loving home. However, I was raised by a single parent and therefore knew first hand how important it was to be around as my children grew. My wife has always been supportive of my career – I was very fortunate there. Even though I only missed Christmas once and Easter a couple of times from deployments, missing birthdays and special events were always difficult for me. I knew first hand why it was important that a father be there with his family on such special occasions and I was no longer willing to miss them.
I joined the Marine Corps because the Marines were considered the best and also the most challenging of the military services. I chose to be an infantry officer because of the opportunity to lead and work with the best. As a reconnaissance officer, it got even better. I did things few would ever imagine and truly worked with the best of the best. I really couldn’t ask for anything more from a career and in fact, my recent jobs on a staff were very disappointing. It was time to go.
Over the ensuing months, the family moved to Florida (it was a welcome relief making that move from Virginia to Florida in February) and after a day and a half off, I began my role as President of a small business.
Upon arrival, I quickly learned the company was in total disarray and my learning curve was almost straight up. For the first time in my career, I was learning about websites and how they could be utilized by companies to drive growth. This bug had caught me so bad that I eventually decided to build a website on my own. I purchased instructions on how to do so and over the course of the next 30 days or so, I followed the step by step instructions. The year was 1999 and it was way before website templates were on the market so it took a very big effort for me to go through this laborious process. Day after day, I was typing in the code I was instructed to type. When I finished my project after a month, I quickly came to the realization that I’d created a total piece of garbage!
Then it hit me – what if someone sees this piece of garbage that “I” had just created? Talk about fear. I was totally embarrassed by the project. I’d put a lot of effort into it and was afraid someone would find it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized, finding a website on the Internet was very difficult and it was really similar to trying to find a shell in one of the seven seas! That realization in 1999 was my “light bulb moment” and when my journey to master “Internet Marketing” began.
Unfortunately, 9-11 struck two years later and like so many others, my life was set on a different course. I volunteered to return to active duty and worked at the US Central Command Headquarters in Tampa, Fl. where I served as the bridge between plans and operations for US Marine Forces Central Command. I have to admit, it felt good to be back with other Marines and to be part of the effort to strike those who attacked us. But after the initial phase of Afghanistan was complete, there wasn’t much to do (I had no idea that Iraq would be not too far down the road). I returned to retired status and went down a professional path that really allowed me to combine what I had learned as a military officer with what I was learning as a business leader.
Along the way, I helped business owners transform their business model through sound planning, I’ve helped others build their online lead generation through search engine optimization (SEO) and assisted other leaders & owners through team building, project management, and marketing, to name just a few.
In 2016, I realized that I’d been thrown off my intended path of self-employment for too long, and decided to restart those efforts of going out and helping others. I prepared my business relaunch for two years and very early in 2018 made the move. I quit my job and was surprised when my old employer reached back to me three weeks later to ask if they can be my client.
Since that time, my compensation has more than doubled and my wife and I now travel around the country visiting our children and grandchildren. I’m able to work from wherever I’m located and I’m back to helping others grow their business.
I now recruit great talent for companies (we also specialize in military veteran recruiting) and also teach small business leaders a simple marketing system that allows them to leverage technology, automate lead generation, and grow their business. I can now show anyone how to take the ideas in their head, turn them into action, and use those ideas to make money.
They say life is a journey. I’ve learned that first hand and now enjoy helping others (small business leaders) achieve their internal desires of a better life so they too can do what they want from where they want.
ABOUT RIDGEBACK
Ridgeback Business Solutions helps organizations do things they cannot normally do in the fields of finding great talent, project management, focused marketing, and consulting business leaders on how to improve the efficiency and profitability of their business.
To learn more about how Ridgeback can help you, Please contact us at:
Phone: (646) 883-2927
Email: [email protected]