Currently: Building and Scaling Ventures via Unboxed Venture Studio, a (soon to be) $1B venture studio // Helping Unboxed + Clients via Smashing Boxes product design and dev agency. Building community via Durham Bottling Co (DBCo). Posting Content: Here on Linkedin as well as via The Unboxed Show. Follow along for the experience share and building in public, or DM me to connect. I love talking to community leaders, ecosystem builders, entrepreneurs, and more. *Disclaimer* I am sometimes a smart ass. Aha moment- after working as a part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem for over a decade, I realized that supporting and promoting the ecosystem only goes so far.....that the BEST thing I could do to positively impact our ecosystem was to build a truly great company that scales, brings in resources, and has a major exit. That is why my goal with Unboxed is to build a $1B venture studio. Do I need or care about $1B? Not necessarily .... but attracting big time capital to bring to our ecosystem and then driving a big return to investors is the groundwork that needs to be laid for a truly thriving ecosystem. My Why- I love seeing a problem, designing and creating a solution that makes a positive and lasting impact, and turning that into a business that I can help grow and scale. I don’t mind doing anyone of those things but I love to do all three at once. It took me a number of years to realize that this is what I would do if I didn't need to work a day in my life. I am lucky to have found this realization so early in my journey. Legacy- Building Smashing Boxes for almost 15 years has been incredible. I look forward to the next 15 years of the agency as I spend more time building ventures through Unboxed. SB has created an incredible platform, it is my duty to honor that and create the next big thing. Impact- ultimately whether it's with Unboxed or DBCo or Smashing Boxes, making a positive impact on my community, team members, and the world at large is at the core of what interests me and what drives me.