My father, Bruce Smith, built a thriving sign company in Reno, Nevada with 65 employees and a stellar reputation. Then in 1985 he made a fatal decision: he expanded into electric signs beyond his natural abilities. By 1990, he'd lost everything—thirty years of work, gone. I watched it happen and swore I'd never make the same mistake.

Fifteen years later, I did the exact same thing. By 1997, I'd built one of the first grand format digital printing companies in the world. Fortune 500 clients. Two Olympics. Two Super Bowls. National recognition. I was flying—literally ahead of everyone else in my industry. That was my finish line. But I didn't recognize it. So I kept expanding, buying equipment I didn't need, taking on debt I couldn't manage. By 2000, I'd lost everything, just like my father.

For the next 25 years, I tried everything to recapture what I'd lost. I built hundreds of websites. I got a Master's degree in Internet Marketing. I pivoted, adapted, and hustled—swimming through every stroke I could think of. Then in 2024, while reviewing my journals, I finally saw the pattern I'd been blind to: I'd already won my race in 1997. I just didn't know it. The skills that got me there weren't going to get me to the next level. I was supposed to exit, pivot, or transition—not keep building. That moment of recognition changed everything.