2026
Python, Angular, React, Supabase, AWS, iOS
In 2016 I started my first company with no idea what I was doing. I didn't have any internships, so I figured what better way to learn business than by starting your own. That certainly was true as I stumbled along the path of entrepreneurship making many mistakes along the way. I was developing my own software skills as I built this business, and I utilized it as an outlet to showcase those skills as they grew. The first couple years I didn't expect much, honestly I didn't expect anything at all. I was able to develop a few websites and even did some graphic design work for other small business startups local to Cincinnati. I didn't charge much due to my inexperience at the time and need to win over clients. After a couple years, I got my footing and started to work on growing the business.
It was now 2019 and I had just started my Masters program at the University of Cincinnati in IT. I was starting to really get into the groove of things and felt confident in my software development skills, but I knew I still had a long way to go before I could start landing more clients and taking it to the next level. My first big break was when I reached out to a local restaurant to see if I could help bring them into the digital age. John and Molly Caldwell at Through the Garden gave me the change to help, and I didn't let them down. I became their IT guy and helped rebuild their website, integrate their point-of-sale system, and update their menus for digital and print. I did everything I could to provide value, I even helped when they had issues with their personal email accounts or when they needed help picking out a new email. I am forever grateful to them for being my first real client! My next big step was assembling a team to help me scale. This took some time but I was lucky to know several people that fit right in.
I brought onboard Matt and Josh first, who are both good friends and talented individuals. Matt spearheads the business development side of things and is a natural salesman. Josh is as organized as they come and keeps things on-point and on time. At this point I had graduated from my Masters program and felt extremely comfortable building whatever a client could need. Us three began to grow Open Digital, and their skillset freed up more time for me to build for clients. We were able to get an appliance dealer with two stores in Pittsburgh as a client where we focused mainly on automation for their existing processes. During this time, I brought on Mike and Jade. Mike is a marketing whiz who also happens to be my brother, and his knowledge of digital marketing was extremely beneficial to us. Jade is a good friend and extremely talented software developer, with an unquenchable desire to learn anything and everything related to technology. Us 5 have been working as a team now for several years and we're firing on all cylinders.
I've spent a lot of time working on this business and hope to continue to grow it over the years. Our existing clients are happy and I'm excited to see what new clients we can get in the coming years. We've become a full service software solutions business and I'm confident this team can solve any challenge thrown our way. Technology is changing faster than ever these days with artificial intelligence, and I feel our team is well positioned to capitalize on that. If you want to learn more about our business and how we can help you, reach out to me!
