My Journey Towards Becoming an Entrepreneur
September 2, 2021
As “post-pandemic” keeps stretching farther from our reach, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year and a half, and share with you my recent journey to becoming an entrepreneur.
For myself and many of us, pre-pandemic feels like a lifetime ago; our daily lives were drastically different than now. Last week was my first business trip since early March 2020, joining a few colleagues at Spin for a planning retreat and program launch at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. This was a long overdue in-person gathering that I am grateful for, and flying back to Boston had me thinking about my last trip, eighteen months ago, and the time in between the two.
On March 13th, 2020, the day before my birthday, I was driving on a highway surrounded by pine trees outside of Eugene, Oregon, listening to NPR cover the national emergency declared and lockdowns were being planned. Half of my meetings with cities and universities to discuss bike and scooter sharing had moved from in person to virtual. What would transpire around the world and in my personal life over the next 18 months is something I could not have ever fathomed. This will forever be one of those “remember where you were when” moments. As travel was a regular part of my work routine for the previous 5 years, that quickly changed drastically; I traveled more in the two weeks leading up to the 2020 pandemic lockdowns than I have in the past 18 months.
Fast forward a couple of months later, as I shared in this post from June 2020, Zagster was partially acquired and partially went under. Although I was out of a job, I was fortunate enough to quickly begin a part-time consulting gig with Spin, where I had the opportunity to work again with former colleagues, including my former manager, friend, and the person who brought me into the bike sharing industry, Ted Bronstein. He served as a formative leader during my time at Zagster, and I'm grateful for his advocacy to bring me on as a consultant. Working with Spin on a consulting basis has provided me the opportunity to also start something of my own simultaneously, while Spin continues to be a primary client today.
I’ve been interested in entrepreneurship for some time, but never quite had the right idea or felt like it was the right time. It’s almost as if the inertia had to change, and I needed to be forced in this direction. I took an unfortunate situation, and turned it around into something better - starting something of my own. The way I see it now, there’s really no better and pressing time than the present to work on a more sustainable future, and never has it been more important to do something of my own, while also helping our planet.
Even since becoming a father in 2019, I’ve been more inspired to make my work count and improve the world for future generations. My perspective quickly changed, feeling the urge to do something more significant, with larger potential impact; instead of the more nihilist view that we’re past the point of no return with curbing climate change, that the mindset can be shifted (possibly the silver lining of the pandemic). Even if I’m just one person, I have the power in myself to influence others. In my entrepreneurial journey, doing well and doing good can be synonymous. I can select projects that have positive impact, while building a business and financial security that can only be realized through entrepreneurship.
Sustainable Mobility Consulting (SMC) is the name of my new consulting and advisory business. I am tapping into my passions, experience, and skills, and will work on taking a small idea and expand it into something larger, with a positive impact for future generations. From the time I decided to major in Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University, until now, it has been an 18 year journey (half of my life), migrating my way from sales and marketing roles at large and small companies, moving to a new city and becoming a key member of a fast growing bike sharing startup, to carving my own path, merging my passions with the value I know I can bring to cities, startups, established companies, and non-profit organizations, who are figuring out how to bring more sustainable mobility solutions to the world.
If there’s one thing that the last year and a half has taught us, it’s that being adaptable is crucial for future career success and overall well being. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to continuing to share my journey with you all.
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” - Robert Swan
