Social media, SEO, marketing and writingMy New Gig: CEO of Heardable, Inc.
Every once in a lifetime you stumble upon an opportunity that seems too good to be true. About 10 years ago I was tapped by Ford Motor Company to build RoadLoans.com — a start-up venture that I pitched to the executives in Dearborn, MI in hopes they might fund and support it. They did — and RoadLoans ended up growing into a wonderful Web 1.0 business that changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of car buyers across America. I’m proud to think that I played a small part in bringing happiness to so many people. It was a fun and noble cause — and I was part of it!
They say lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same spot but it sure can make the ground shake when it hits close by. Heardable, Inc. is my second occasion to be at the helm of a really cool start-up venture. I am thrilled, yet humbled to accept Heardable’s offer to be their first CEO.
Yesterday, a buddy of mine sent me a link to a Yahoo news story announcing my appointment to Heardable. When I clicked on the link, I have to admit I was excited to see my name in the headline next to Yahoo’s logo. Savor this special moment, I thought to myself, because everything from this point forward will require a lot of hard work with little to no praise. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. It just is.
John Sharp, one of Heardable’s co-founders and captain of DealHorizon.com wrote up a nice piece on me and published it to his blog. It’s kind of surreal to read something about yourself — especially a tribute from someone you’ve known and respected for years. If we were 30 or 40 years into the future this might read like the first few paragraphs of my obituary. Fortunately, it’s only 2010 and I am still here to take it all in and appreciate the moment for what it is. An announcement. A snapshot in time. A citation. A release for the press. A bulletin to friends. The beginning of a new business partnership.The next chapter in my life.
How the Heardable story will unfold in uncertain. The characters, settings, conflict and events still must be flushed out. Plot lines will play out in months or years. How the tale ends is sure to be a nail biter. But I am fairly confident that what will unfold will be a story worth telling.
