Oh, hello there! What’s that you say? Where have I been for the last year? I’m glad you asked because my life has been filled with ups and downs, side to side, back and forth, and everything in between. I’ve missed writing for myself, I’ve missed this blog, and most importantly, I’ve missed you!

For those who have read this blog, you may have gathered that I am a bit of a lifelong techie. My work has been a mixed bag over the years—from tech support freelancer to consultant, back to online freelancer, and then to small business founder. Yes, that’s the answer to where I have been–I am a founder of a small business!

Just about a year ago, I quietly started a company providing social media services to companies, brands, and individuals. My original intent was to keep this blog updated with my progress and talk about the process of starting a company. I had little idea of what I was actually getting myself into. I quickly realized that though I was quite good at doing any type of work with the various social networks and online platforms, I had a steep and brutal learning curve associated with running a business, building a brand, and establishing a team. I no longer wanted to blog about my experiences because the fear of hearing, “You’re doing it wrong,” “This isn’t going to work,” or “That was dumb,” made me worry that such negative feedback would impede my will to continue.

I had to figure out what I was doing before I would feel comfortable writing about what I was doing.

Now that I have some experience and a better sense of where this ship is heading and how to get there, I am much more enthusiastic about sharing my journey with the world.

The company I founded is called Allgo Social. Deciding on a name was quite the struggle of its own, so if anyone wants to know more about the process of choosing a name, please ask me. We provide social media services and strategy for people who understand the importance of it, but do not have the time or even a good idea of where to begin and how to move forward.  Many of my clients are just overwhelmed by the notion of writing relevant content and keeping social profiles active.

One of the biggest struggles I have encountered is that managing the online presence for a number of others leaves little time to focus on my own pages.  It’s an age-old struggle and the reason why a mechanic often drives the worst car and a landscaper never mows his lawn.  Hopefully that is about to change!  Now that I have gained a better idea of how to run a business and move it forward, I am ready to better promote my company and our brand.

So this is the beginning of a new journey—the journey of sharing my experience and passing along that knowledge to others.

I’m excited to share my ventures with the world, help others learn the lessons I have learned, and hopefully show them how to avoid some of the mistakes I have made.  All this support while continuing to discover new insights about the challenges associated with being an entrepreneur and a social media professional.

One of the things that encourage me most about what I am doing is my involvement in the local entrepreneur and startup business community. Reno is an emerging hotspot of tech and startup activity, so I am extremely grateful to be able to practice my passion in my hometown. This community consists of many good people and entrepreneurial rock stars that continue to inspire me every week, so I hope to continue to be able to give back and pay it forward as much as possible.

Please do me a favor by liking and commenting, sharing and engaging, and keeping the conversation going!