Hi, this is Ted.on.Kauai!

Thomas Jefferson once apologized for writing a letter that was too long because he didn’t have time to write a shorter one. I’m afraid this self-introduction falls into the same category, as I want to get it posted on my first day as a member of Wealthy Affiliates. Those more interested in the bottom line should quickly scroll to the end for an executive summary. I, for one, completely understand and take no offense.

As the saying goes, the one constant is change…

My joining WA marks my latest reinvention. Originally from Iowa, my academic career expanded my horizons with over three years study in Europe, primarily Paris, but also Germany, Austria, and Spain. This resulted in an undergraduate degree in European Affairs and the equivalent of a Master’s Degree in French Civilization awarded by the Sorbonne.

My marketable skills from school were primarily shipping back books, so my work career began as a shipping and receiving clerk in a music store in Iowa. When I moved to San Francisco, I worked my way up to the role of Inventory Manager for Nikon cameras (I still enjoy photography). I was the third member of a distribution start-up company that began selling these strange things called “videos” (remember Betamax?) and helped that company grow to over 40 employees. I also helped computerize the company at the beginning of the micro-computer revolution. During this period I married, bought a house, and become a father. Claire and Sean are still the most important parts of my life.

However, big fish eat little fish, that company went under, and it was time to reinvent myself again. This time I decided to go back to basics, which for me meant going to UC Berkeley Extension to formalize some of my on-the-job learning in accounting, auditing, and programming (remember COBOL?) To get some additional credits for a certificate, I dusted off my skills as a writer. I had been Editor-in-Chief of my high school newspaper, even winning a state-wide on-the-spot writing contest. It gradually dawned on me that I could make a decent living as a technical writer. So began my Silicon Valley career, first as a technical writer, then as a manager of technical writers for a real-time operating system company.

Once again, the fish were biting, this time in the form of mergers and acquisitions. Because of my broad background, I was able to reinvent myself within the company, this time in the role of Quality Improvement Manager. I won the first Microtec President’s Award for leading the effort to attain and maintain ISO 9001 Registration (remember ISO?). I developed and led the internal auditing program, designed and documented the Quality System, provided extensive training for the entire organization, and prioritized and monitored the corrective and preventive actions for the company. I later moved to AT&T Labs as a Senior Technical Staff member where I researched and implemented tools to automate and standardize project management and product life cycle processes for the IP Technology Organization. I also completed work for my Master’s Certificate in Project Management with AT&T and Stevens Institute of Technology.

Then came the dot.com implosion… then came 9/11… a virtual tidal wave of change (remember the budget surplus and the social security lock box?). As high-tech shrank, I decided to change tack to Bio-Tech and completed course work at UC Santa Cruz Extension resulting in a Professional Achievement Award in Biotechnology Management and Certificate in Clinical Trials Design and Management. To gain some related experience in health care, I became the Quality Improvement Manager for the company that administers Medi-Cal Managed Care for all of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. I was responsible for conducting annual quality studies that were recognized by the California Department of Health Services by bronze and silver awards for excellence.

By this time, my son Sean had completed college. California real estate had gone through the roof. As my wife Claire and I contemplated our empty nest, we decided we should cash in our chips and move to Oregon where we could afford to own a home outright. We sold our house just as the market was beginning to decline and put everything into storage. We were homeless, but we had money in the bank. Selling the house had been stressful. We felt that before we began the careful process of starting a new life in the northwest, we should take a small vacation to Kaua’i where we had married 25 years earlier.

If you thought there had been changes before, just wait till you see what happens next.

To make a short story a little bit longer, we forgot to go back to the mainland. Over the years, we had always dreamt of moving to Hawai’i, but we had never quite been able to afford it. Whenever we had a little more money, the prices were always still a little bit higher. This time, we came across a modest property just as our vacation was coming to a close, and we decided we would take part of the money from the recent sale of our California home and buy it. We would get our foot on the train, so to speak, just as we had over the years in California, and this way we would eventually be able to retire on Kaua’i. We were no strangers to sweat equity. Claire had been transitioning her work life to be an interior designer. We would fix the place up and rent it out.

The property had two sides, a so-called “kitchen” side and a “studio” side. Space was at a premium, especially on the studio side. To make the most of the space, Claire recommended a wallbed, so the studio could have a living room during the day and a bedroom at night, just by folding the bed up against the wall. We had had one in our California home, so we knew it would be great.

But Kaua’i is a small place. There were none to be had on the island. We went online. We found a kit. We bought wood and tools at Home Depot (a recent addition to the island at the time; Costco was still a year away). We made our own wallbed. Nobody died. In fact, the bed looked pretty good. A light bulb went on: we’re not the only ones with space constraints. Maybe we can start our own business…

So we took the rest of our California real estate money and found the cheapest house we could find with a garage that would serve as our boot strap work shop. We figured, either the business would take off, or we would fix up the house and sell it instead, and then get back to Plan A in Oregon. Just as we closed one escrow, we opened another. We were on our way.

The wallbed business started well enough, as did the house renovations. But elsewhere, things were taking some bad turns. My mother fell and broke her hip. Six months later, she died just before I made it back to Iowa to try and help with her recovery. Less than a year later, my father was T-boned as a passenger in a car accident. He survived over two months in intensive care before passing away.

And then there’s been the housing crash… and the Great Recession. Not a great time to be heavily invested in real estate (as in two mortgages), or housing-related business (such as wallbeds); but a good time for reinvention. Enter Wealthy Associates.

THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I’m excited to take my skills in writing and business management and merge them with WA’s training program to start the next chapter in my professional life leading to financial independence. I’m an excellent communicator, adapt to changing conditions, learn quickly, and know how to persevere, which I believe will work well within the WA system. I’ve been out of the loop on a small island in the Pacific, and have a lot of catching up to do. But as I’ve been saying all along, the one constant is change; nothing new about that.

I first heard about WA on a site called http://reviewopedia.com/workathome/my-recommendation/ , but I began considering WA more seriously after I spent considerable time on Eddy Salomon’s site http://www.workathomenoscams.com/ , working to weed-out bogus online work at home options. (Thanks Eddy, I’ll be sending some of my WA gold your way as soon as I can track you down here). Going through all the preliminary materials from Kyle & Carson set my expectations pretty high. As of Day 1, I haven’t been disappointed. I’m especially happy with how well your note system and My Schedule Calendar are integrated with the rest of your site.

In the past, one of my biggest failings has been the failure to cultivate and maintain a network. I’m looking forward to turning an old weakness into a new strength. As I work through the WA trainings, I’ll be looking for buddies and getting ready to offer my services for article writing as a starter.

In the meantime, thanks for listening! If you need a break, I know a great place you can stay on Kaua’i—complete with custom-built wallbeds. Just drop me a line…

Ted.on.Kaua’i