After founding and selling two wildly successful start-ups in the past 15 years, I’m just begun the next chapter in my life.
As most of you know, Joe Palko and I founded TheFerretStore.com back in 1994 and grew it to a $10mm a year business with 39 e-commerce properties before we sold it to Drs. Foster & Smith in 2007. In April of this year, we sold the second company we founded, Solid Cactus, to Internet powerhouse Web.com. Prior to the acquisition, I was the Chief Operating Officer of the company and responsible for its daily operations and the 150 employees that make up “team Cactus.”
After the sale I decided to take a step back, but still remain active in the company. My new role began a few days ago and I’m already loving it! I am now in charge of the marketing department which is responsible for maintaining all the Solid Cactus websites, developing ad campaigns and creative, our social networking efforts, our bi-monthly customer magazine eBiz Insider, and anything that falls under the category of “corporate marketing.”
It’s a fun and creative job and I have a great team in Shavertown that I work with.
In this new role, I’m actually considered a “consultant” and work as a remote employee. I passed on my office suite to Joe who is now the division GM and he now claims the private bathroom that was a “must have” when I designed our corporate headquarters. I hope he can adjust to the bright red walls and red carpet that I selected as the decor of choice! When I’m in town to meet with my team, I’ll be hanging wherever there’s a wireless connection in the building. But I’m not complaining!
I’m now spending almost all my time at my Palm Beach residence. I spend the work-day at the Boca Raton Resort & Club‘s Beach Club where I have an annual rental on a beach cabana which is now my new “office.” So in between working, I spend a few minutes laying out in the sun or swimming in the ocean. Plus, I still have a private bathroom, this time, with a shower!
Life is good, and so is the view!
Here is a video tour of my new “office.”