Last week was my last day at Zingle; the company I started in my mom's art studio 13 years ago. I have so many emotions, and so many people I want to thank.  I am beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to act on a vision, bring it to market, and then successfully sell it (pass over the reins) to a bigger company that will expand the product and value for our customers.   I want to thank the past and current team-members of Zingle, a Medallia Company, who helped me build an amazing company. You are all rock stars and I have enjoyed working with each and every one of you. To our customers and partners, thank you for taking a chance on Zingle and trusting me and our team with some of the most important experiences in your businesses. To my investors, thank you for taking a gamble on a first-time, solo founder with little to no experience; you helped me and guided through some of the most important stages of our growth.  To my family, I am grateful for the guidance you provided me. You taught me never to fear failure, and you instilled in me the importance of hard work and determination. To my friends, I appreciate your countless hours of advice and your willingness to help me generate momentum in the early days (even when some of the methods were unconventional :). And finally, I want to thank my wife, Cassie, who has been an untiring source of love and support throughout this crazy journey.  You encouraged me to bet on myself; I could not have built this company without you by my side ( ❤ ).   For anyone sitting in front of cup of coffee with a notebook of ideas. It should always start with a problem...then turn those problems into a solution....then with hard work and great people in your corner, you can make just about anything happen...   I invented the first platform that allowed customers to text a business (and vice versa). It seems obvious now...but let me know tell you there were plenty of nay-sayers in the beginning. It takes believers, staying power and creative tenacity to see an idea through 13 long years. Today, Zingle powers customer engagement for over 3,000 companies in over 70 countries.  I created this video to honor the memories, thank the people and the customers who helped make Zingle happen, and perhaps most of all >>> inspire the next generation of future founders to believe in themselves and take the risk to act on their dreams... #startups #founderstories #businesstexting #team #customerexperience #grateful #thankyou