From Unemployed to Founder - Part 2

September 20th, 2017: Quadfecta is born.

November 1, 2017: "Although Quadfecta is still extremely young, its future looks bright..."

December 28, 2017: Quadfecta is dead.

What Happened?

Let's back up.

Since writing Part 1 of "From Unemployed to Founder," so much has developed and changed. One month on LinkedIn can truly seem like a full year with the rate of evolution.

When I wrote that article I was at the peak of my entrepreneurial high. Things were going extremely well and I was busy all day, every day. I was excited to see what would happen with Quadfecta and truly had high hopes for it. I thought I had done everything right and set the foundation for its future success.

Here's the reality:

?? My target market was completely off.

?? My potential customers did not have the money to pay for my services.

?? My potential customers did not understand the value of my services.

?? Starting a company off of the success of one post was foolish.

?? Not having a job while starting my own company was a mistake.

I'd love for Part 1 to be the fairy tale that it sounds like. I've been on the brink of deleting it several times. I felt like an impostor. A fraud.

Every time someone connected with me because of that article and told me they were inspired to do the same, my gut wrenched.

I started a business off of the back of one viral post. It failed.

I'm not ashamed to say it but it's extremely important for me to share the other side.

Our culture, especially on social media, is in such a state of narcissism and perfectionism. If we don't also share the down moments, the failures, and own up to our mistakes and errors, we're only progressing that mentality even further.

Since Quadfecta tanked I've seen the importance of this and have chosen to be extremely blunt and forward in my content on LinkedIn. Publicly admitting your company has made closer to $0 than a salary is not standard protocol for building one's personal brand or business. But I did it anyway because my community deserves to know the truth.

A lot of my posts previously and while building Quadfecta came off as "rainbows and butterflies." Sure, I've had success here. There is absolutely no doubt about that. But I would be doing a disservice to everyone who reads my content if I didn't reveal the whole story.

To continue the gritty, raw details, here's what went down through November and December:

?? Momentum came to a halt after building the company.

?? I only worked with one client the entire time.

?? I secured over 20 inbound leads but only around 5 of them were possible clients. They all fell through.

?? I spent hours each day trying to figure out what to do and how to pivot. Each day that passed there was less and less I could do.

?? My bank account was still going DOWN and it was an incredible amount of stress for my wife and me.

Throughout this process, I kept telling myself Quadfecta was just a matter of time. I thought I could definitely make it succeed given enough time but the question was, would I be able to make it?

What I came to find out is it was much more than that. My entire company and approach were flawed in several ways.

My biggest issue was that my target customer was never going to want or pay for my services. I wanted to work 1 on 1 with people who were just starting out on LinkedIn or didn't know how to effectively use the platform. I naively expected these people to shell out $900 for a profile analysis. What I didn't realize is that these people typically don't have the money to spend or don't understand the value of my product. Not only that, I wasn't branding myself as a "profile expert." I didn't have a niche.

Yes, I could have tried to pivot completely. Ideally, I would have worked with businesses, hosting webinars or meetings to teach staff about leveraging LinkedIn.

Here's why I didn't: I set out to create a company that I enjoyed building and enjoyed working at every day. I wanted to leave the corporate world because I wanted to do it my way and I wanted to be happy doing what I do. But the way that Quadfecta would have had to operate and the services I would have had to offer would not have fulfilled my vision. I would not have been able to passionately and genuinely build something that I didn't enjoy doing.

My wife and I came to an agreement that if Quadfecta wasn't bringing a sustainable income for us by the end of December that I would end it and go back to searching for a career with another company. It just wasn't feasible financially to continue after that time. In retrospect, not having a job before launching Quadfecta was a massive mistake. One that I won't be making again.

Once I realized Quadfecta was completely flawed and that I didn't want to restructure. I knew it was the end. The straw on the camels back was having to pay a state filing fee that I couldn't afford at the end of the year. That's when I decided enough is enough and I officially dissolved the business.

This story sounds like a complete loss but reflecting on the experience, I can honestly say it was a valuable and important endeavor. I learned about building a business, content marketing, working with clients, how to gain inbound leads and so much more. Not making any money is a bummer, sure. But the non-tangible benefits are forever.

Dissolving Quadfecta also meant I could focus on what was headed in the right direction.

30 Days Social

30 Days Social was brand new when I wrote Part 1 of this article.

Since then we've been through tons of trials and tribulations. Failures and errors. But the success has been immense.

Not yet monetarily but in impacting individuals and this platform.

In Part 1 I wrote, "my partnership is shaping up to be transformational for the LinkedIn community at large."

It still looks like it's headed in that direction and the volume of posts from our 1,000 members stands strong and continues to snowball.

Truthfully, I thought I'd be making significant money from this much sooner. I haven't but I've realized that's OK. This is going to take time. #30DS is in a really good place right now and the level of community support is through the roof. We'll slowly continue to improve it and I have no doubt we can build an empire.

What Now?

In the meantime, I now understand I need to dig my wife and me out of the hole I've dug us into. I need a job.

I am in the process of searching and I can't deny that my activity on LinkedIn has helped me immensely. My confidence and experience have been boosted like crazy through my time on the platform.

I don't know that I'll find my dream job but I really don't need that right now. I need a way to keep us afloat. This might mean returning to retail or a not-so-glamorous position. I've come to terms with that and I know this is a big step for me in my growth as a professional.

It's not a step back, it's just the next chapter.

InFocus

Much of my early success came from my LinkedIn Focus hashtag initiative (#InFocus). From my post with one million views to getting invited to podcasts, it really was massive for my personal brand and laying the foundation for future success.

I loved helping all of the people that were featured and it was fulfilling to give back to others through my posts.

What I've found is that I am able to do that on an even bigger scale with 30DS. My passion is empowering others to succeed and this project allows me to tap into that even more than with #InFocus.

As time went on with InFocus, the posts saw less engagement and less distribution. I made the decision to move on so that I could focus on 30DS even more.

Although InFocus is largely gone, I will still be making an effort to bring attention to great community members and I encourage others to use the hashtag in the future to highlight anyone deserving of it.

Moving Forward

My dream is still to be an entrepreneur, own my own business and work at home with my wife. I am still chasing that dream actively but I need to be smarter and more patient.

If there's any lesson that the Lord has taught me over and over, it's been patience. He continues to impress this on me and I will follow. He has a plan for me. It might not be on my timing, but I have to trust Him.

I left off Part 1 with some lessons. I'll do the same here but I want to revisit and amend them with my new perspective, knowing what I know now.

1. Get engaged in the LinkedIn community. Start posting daily and build relationships. It can result in something you never imagined. Take your time. Stay active and consistent but don't force anything. Show up when you can, strike while the iron is hot, but be smart about it.

2. If you've found what you truly enjoy and what you're passionate about, think of ways you can use that to make a living. Whether you start your own business or apply it to a traditional career, don't limit yourself to what your work history says. You are capable of much more than you think. Chase your dreams but do it wisely. Your passion may be your destiny but make sure the timing is right. Be patient.

3. Your most valuable tool at your disposal are those around you. Cherish those relationships. Don't forget to give back to those that assist you.

4. Focus on helping others before you help yourself. But don't neglect yourself completely, that's just as harmful as not helping others.

5. Don't let fear limit your potential. And don't let naivety lead you off a cliff.

You might have read this thinking this isn't nearly as inspirational as the first article. You're right. But I'd rather be upfront and honest, revealing the reality and truth of my story than write inspiration for the sake of boosting my personal brand or giving false hope.

I don't write this because I don't want you to pursue your dreams or because I'm fishing for pity. I write this because it's only fair to understand the full story.

I still credit my time on LinkedIn for allowing me to go from unemployed to founder. But that's not what was important. What was important was everything learned and gained along the way. Not the title or money but the knowledge and relationships.

2018 is going to be an amazing year. I'm confident in that and I'm going to go into this not defeated, but with calculated vigor.

Cheers to a great year ahead ??

Find out what happens next in "How to Move a Mountain"