3 Months + 3 Lessons: I’m Moving On

June 2022: Empowered Electric

July 2022: Tax Pro Marketer

August 2022: I’m Moving On

My “12 Months + 12 Lessons” series was originally meant to highlight different owners/founders I worked alongside during the first three years of my business, Qwill Creative. I have implemented strategies from each of those businesses and their owners, and subsequent articles were meant to be my small way of thanking them for their time and effort as I continue on with my businesses, Qwill Creative and Streamline Books.

That truly was the original intent of this series. I was going to take 12 months to write about each business and leader that I worked for while offering marketing services, through Qwill Creative, from April 2019 to present day. But there is a reality I’ve had to confront over the past few weeks: I’m moving on.

It’s a weird thing to write about and even say because those businesses and their leaders meant so much to me for a specific season of life. And I needed each of them for the good of my career and vocational endeavors. The wild part is, we don’t often realize that to be the case when we’re doing the work, day after day, alongside such leaders.

In recent weeks, I realized that I simply 1) do not have bandwidth over the next 10 months to finish this series. And 2) the best way to honor those leaders and relationships is to take what they taught me, leave out the bad, take the good and implement accordingly. Although I do believe the latter is the best way to thank them for their contributions, I still would like to thank them in the list below. But before I get to the list…

I currently serve as Co-Founder and Integrator for Streamline Books (WriteMyBooks.com) alongside my business partner, Alex Demczak. Over the last 10 months, I have had the most fun in my working career. And if you or someone you know needs to get a story / area of expertise in print, we’d love to write that book. We’ve come to find that helping someone articulate their story is one of the most fun and humbling things ever, and I actually believe it might be a large part of what our society is craving—one’s story.

Now onto theirs.

Mission Painting

In the first “12 Months + 12 Lessons” article, I mentioned how Josh Levin was the first person who called me after I was let go from a small marketing firm in town. Well, Eric Regan was the second. Eric runs Mission Painting and was one of my first Qwill Clients.

What I learned from Eric: The power in empowering employees in business. Not only was Eric one of my first paying Qwill clients—he also included me in C12 Kansas City along Paul Scianna, which was a group I benefited from massively in the two years that followed.

Unruh Furniture

While meeting with Tate Williams at Starbucks a couple of weeks after I got fired in 2019, the person next to us overheard my story and mentioned how their company, Unruh Furniture, needed a new content writer. I met with owner Sam Unruh and we hit it off. I wrote for Unruh for about 10 months, but the lessons I learned will stay with me for a long time.

What I learned from Sam: That guy is a MACHINE. If anyone in or around KC knows of Unruh Furniture and their amazing work, it all stems from Sam’s brilliant mind and leadership and spreadsheets. I learned, from Sam, the importance of moving from “working in the business” to “working on the business.”

Play MSP

A good family friend of ours for a number of years, Jeremy McDowell reached out to me/Qwill for some marketing help, and we worked together up until Spring 2020. In my time alongside Jeremy, I watched him provide opportunities to lead for team members at Play MSP (now Perfect Game Midwest) and I’m grateful I was one of them.

What I learned from Jeremy: There is young and hungry talent out there—they just need a shot. Play MSP had an awesome intern program, and I thought it was so cool how Jeremy gave those students their first taste of real world experience.

BrandWell Partners

Through a longtime friend, Jan Creideinberg, I got connected with BrandWell Partners—a small advertising agency connected to a co-working space in Kansas City, CoCreate KC. Working alongside Jan, Matt Anthony, Brad Lang, Steven Anthony, Tom Tholen, John Stevenson, and Matt Reynolds was more mentorship in the marketing/ad space than I could’ve asked for in that season.

What I learned from BrandWell: A lot from each of those individuals, but worked closest to Matt Reynolds. Shouting him out here because that guy is absolutely brilliant, and one of the best kept secrets (in terms of working minds) we have in Kansas City.

Collin Street Bakery

Oh man. Such a fun client. This one stemmed from my connection with Thomas McNutt—a great friend and part of the original Collin Street founding families: the McNutts. Thomas got me connected with Caitlin Scott who had me write alongside Collin Street’s content team. If you want a taste (wink) of what we cooked up (wink) at Collin Street, here is a blog post I wrote on how to describe social media through the lens of . . . fruit cake.

What I learned from Collin Street: Caitlin was so encouraging and faithful in her role and our working relationship. She taught me the value of leading with positivity before addressing things to build upon.

Chick-fil-A Lenexa

Maybe hits closest to home as my brother, Drew Severns, founded Chick-fil-A Lenexa in April 2020. In the months leading up to its launch, Drew invited me/Qwill to help him formulate something crucial to even their present day efforts: the “Language of Lenexa.” Together, Drew and I put together CFALx’s core values, mission/vision statements, and other important elements of their team’s internal values.

What I’ve learned from Drew: There aren’t enough lines available in this LinkedIn post.

Theme Strategic Proposals

An incredible friend, Liz Megli, is another “best kept secret” in Kansas City, as Liz has literally helped businesses and government entities win MILLIONS of dollars through her business, Theme Strategic Proposals. But more than success in business, Liz is the most kind and empathetic business owner on this list, hands down.

What I Learned from Liz: Patience and humility, as a business owner, is the key to success in business. Liz modeled those two characteristics in spades, and I hope to lead in a similar fashion throughout my career.

Ero Marketing

Josh and Bren Orwig operate Ero Marketing in Lenexa, Kansas. Josh is another wonderful, patient, and humble leader just like Liz. But another word sticks out most to me about Josh: grace. In the times I succeeded alongside Josh’s clients, he made sure the client knew it was my work. In times I dropped the ball alongside Josh’s clients, he made sure to step up and take responsibility.

What I learned from Josh: Josh taught me how to “go to bat” for your employees. He exemplified extreme ownership (Jocko) in the way he deferred praise to his team, but took responsibility when the team didn’t perform to the best of our ability.

Jubilant Marketing

Three predominant Josh’s on this list (Levin, Orwig, Eliseusen) and here’s what I’ll say about each of them/their businesses: they’re the kind of owners/businesses I would want my children working for someday.

What I learned from Josh Eliseusen/Jubilant: The power of getting the right people in the seats. Josh has done a wonderful job at this with his business, Jubilant Marketing. And it has helped me think about how we can do the same at Streamline Books.

Kairos Partnerships

J.R. Briggs is one of the best leaders I’m aware of, in this country, to date. It might sound like an exaggeration, but it’s the truth. J.R. leads from a place of humility, grace, and confidence to empower others through his coaching business, Kairos Partnerships. If you’re lucky enough to have ever called J.R. “coach” in business or ministry, you know about his skill set as a leader.

What I learned from J.R.: Similar to my brother above, I’m sure how I could encapsulate this one in just a few lines. But people like J.R give me hope for the Church in America as well as men and women of faith doing God’s work in the business/economics sector of America.

3 Months + 3 Lessons

So what started as a 12-month journey to describe 12 leaders/businesses and the lessons they taught me turned into three months + three lessons. But I’m perfectly fine with that, because now I can move forward with running our own business.

My final three lessons:

1. No business owner is perfect. But “humility” is the defining characteristic of the best ones out there.
2. Remembering the past is good. But it’s nowhere near as fun as the future.
3. Life is too short to hate ~40/hrs of your week.

In April of 2019, I was fired. Walking out of the door that day, I felt a little fear but more so freedom. I did not know what lay ahead, but I was thrilled for what was to come.

Looking back, I know that was the beginning of the rest of my life. And as I publish this LinkedIn article, I know it’s the beginning of a new chapter, which means saying goodbye to the old. I am so grateful the months and years ahead mean helping others construct their chapters and stories.

Thank you for reading a few of mine.