The last nine months of my life have been a whirl-wind. I took a lot of risks and attempted to do things that people told me were impossible. Most people even said I was dumb or crazy. I had a vision for what I wanted to do though. A vision for who I am as a person. I can proudly say that it has all come to fruition.

Less than a year ago The Community Corkboard was founded. I was blessed to co-found the business alongside three of my friends from high school. We created an online platform that allowed local businesses to advertise to their community while also supporting local schools. Just four young kids with no experience. Little did we know, that would be an advantage. Since inception, The Community Corkboard was able to partner with over 20 public school districts and private schools. We acquired hundreds of customers in this short period of time. Not bad for a bunch of amateurs.

All the excitement has come to an end. Last week I finalized a deal to successfully exit The Community Corkboard!! The terms are covered under a non-disclosure agreement but all those long hours finally seemed worth it. Skipping the social scene or the constant feeling of being overwhelmed suddenly doesn’t matter. The company will continue to grow and work with schools. It’s in great hands and I feel confident that many more schools will be able to utilize the platform during these hard financial times. (If you’re interested in signing up, go here)

I still feel strongly about the mission that we set out on. Education is a very important aspect of our society and everyone should pitch in to help. The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow. This is important to me so I have accepted an offer to hold an advisory role with The Community Corkboard moving forward. I am extremely excited about the opportunity to stay involved!

I never thought the situation that has transpired over the last few weeks would ever happen. I’m happy that it did and feel very fortunate. I couldn’t have done it alone and I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way. First my co-founders and friends Brent Nolan, John Charlesworth and Jim Zidar who put up with my wild ideas and demanding nature. Next my family, especially my parents, who continuously dealt with the uncertainty of whether I was doing the right thing and stood by me during the tough times. Thank you to the many friends who offered encouragement and suggestions while listening to me obsess over TCC for months.

Most importantly I want to thank every single person who told me it wasn’t possible. There were plenty of you. The ones that told me I didn’t know what I was doing. You don’t know it but you fueled my fire every day. I couldn’t have done it without you. When times got tough I would think that I couldn’t let you get the satisfaction of knowing I had failed. Failure was never an option.

So what’s next? I have taken a few days off to really let the situation sink in. I know I will be back at it again but haven’t decided how yet. I made a lot of mistakes in building The Community Corkboard. I’m excited to start from scratch again and begin the chase for success once more with these lessons learned. This time I plan to take a new approach to the work/life balance. I can’t wait.

Thank you again to everyone who helped me along the way. Your support was not unnoticed. You can check out TCC on Facebook or Twitter. Help them continue the mission! As for me, I will provide an update once I know what is next. Until then I’m going to sit back and relax. Enjoy the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. It will be gone before we know it….