For the first 20 years of my career, I ran marketing agencies, sold snack foods, worked for awesome brands like Nike and Apple, advised a nonprofit in Kenya, and at one point, presented work at WrestleMania XXVII. It's been a wild ride.I'm kicking off my next 20 years by jumping into the cold plunge pool of entrepreneurship and starting a business that combines a few of my biggest passions: knowing people, leveraging technology for good, and peanut butter. Not really the peanut butter part, just making sure you’re paying attention. Though I do love peanut butter. Starting a business has been a dream that's lived deep inside of me for a long time. From the time I could walk, I watched my dad start and build an award-winning advertising agency in Memphis, Tennessee. He was determined to create something of influence – not for himself, but for the people who worked there. Looking back on it, I wish I understood at the time what an exceptional accomplishment it was, and what an exceptional businessman and creative he was (and still is – he’s my closest advisor, so I now know firsthand). Cheers to you, Dad. One of my core childhood memories was formed when I was eight or nine years-old. I was sitting in a cow-print chair in a small breakout room at the agency, surrounded by wallpaper of rolling hills of farmland and three easels with human-size blank notepads on them. I was doing my best to sit still while listening to the endless pontification coming from the creatives. Some stood and paced, clutching markers, eager to wield them. Others were seated in the three other cow-print chairs, staring off in the distance, their limbic systems firing away. All of them looked like they just rolled outta bed – and probably did. They talked about the values of the customers of a big regional bank (their client) and at one point argued over what farm animal the bank represented. It was heaven. From that point onward, I had the itch to create something with that environment. Not the literal farm vibe, but the culture that valued creativity, knowing people, and endless pontificating about brand values. It's taken many years – and an idea – for it to come alive.That idea is The Known Collective. And you can read all about it on our website: www.theknowncollective.comI’m grateful for the path that’s led me here – the jobs, projects, cow-print chairs, bosses, and especially the colleagues-turned-friends. You’ve been, and still are, the best part of the ride. *** UPDATE: I've started another business, AI for the Rest of Us. Subscribe at www.aifortherestofus.co!