Warning!
The following describes my journey to how I came to create GimmeCredit. It’s a bit long, so…
TL:DR – Taking career risks was ingrained in me from an early age and continues to guide me.
Through this process, I’ve learned a ton about myself and how I might help others, and at this time the best way is through empowering individuals to navigate their professional journeys confidently by providing foundational knowledge and guidance from experts.
Please continue reading to learn more about how GimmeCredit came to be.
Some Background:
Origin:
The entrepreneurial spirit has always been present in my life. Some of my favorite early childhood memories are of riding with my grandfather around town for his small fire-inspection business. My parents once ran a co-op with Tommy Hilfiger called People’s Place. I remember running around the racks of clothes, listening to music in their record shop, and bothering the guy who repaired guitars. While I was in high school, my Dad started a Baseball Card and Comic Book shop. I’ll never forget the 4-AM wakeups to load the station wagon for card or comic shows, often hours-long drives away. After high school, I moved to Buffalo and worked at my Uncle’s popular restaurant, which when he started had just a few tables. He continues his success in the hospitality industry today.
Taking risks to start something new was ingrained in me from an early age. Watching my family and friends take those risks profoundly shaped my perspective on life and work, instilling values that continue to guide me. Which is why, after a bit of a journey, I started GimmeCredit.
Professional Career:
After earning a degree in Finance & Economics, I felt I owed it to myself and my family to pursue a career in that area. As any recent grad understands, to get a job, I needed experience. I was determined to get some. I did everything I could to get in the door at Smith Barney, even offering to work for free (though they ended up paying me for my time). Although the duties of the position weren’t exactly thrilling – data entry – the knowledge and connections my managers shared were invaluable, helping shape the next steps of my budding career.
Several months later, after much contemplation and more than a few tears, I left my adopted home of Buffalo and relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. With the help of a contact in the finance industry, I soon found an entry-level position at the Boston Company (yes, a real name), which managed retirement investments for some of the largest companies in the country.
I will never forget the people I worked with over those couple years, the friendships we forged, and the experiences we had together. Yet the work did not connect with me, and I dismissed career development opportunities that could have solidified my position in the finance world. I was beginning to question whether finance was my true calling. And if not, what was? At the same time, and for reasons I’m still not sure why, I joined a side project to help develop the company’s internal website – to get employees to use it more in their daily tasks. While not particularly exciting, it did ignite my passion for helping people do their jobs better, ultimately improving their lives, even just a little.
My journey continued when my then-girlfriend, whom I met in Buffalo and would eventually marry, was accepted to grad school, in Ithaca. While she would attend her program, I would need to find a job.
Unfamiliar with employment options in the area and still uncertain about my future in finance – I thought my only options were large grocery chains or one of the local colleges or universities – I found myself scanning the employment section of the local paper. I stumbled on ads for new businesses and decided to apply for the business development role at a small internet startup.
As I settled into my new role – far from the traditional path I once felt I needed to follow – I felt it was a refreshing change. At that time, the internet felt wild and open – anyone could launch a business and capture attention, especially with a free giveaway. I quickly found I was a terrible salesperson, but also discovered a talent for navigating the ever-evolving landscape of our small organization. Serving as a liaison between clients, our development team, and leadership, I effectively orchestrated the creation of audiences, websites, and marketing campaigns, using analysis techniques taught by my mentors in finance. While unsure if what I was doing fell into a conventional job title, I was hooked and learned everything I could about web development, becoming the go-to person for those needs.
I continued with the company for several years, relocating from Ithaca to Pittsburgh, and eventually settling in Rochester, all the while working remotely. Unfortunately, the company ultimately shuttered for various reasons (the most significant being the investment in a two-way market idea that was acquired by Yahoo for hundreds of millions of dollars). While I was happy for the owners and appreciated their flexibility and generous severance package, the experience ignited a new sense of purpose within me; how could I be more in control of my own career?
During this period, I experienced both personal elation, marrying my wife, and profound loss with the passing of my father. Navigating grief while also facing a layoff, I found myself at a crossroads, uncertain about my willingness to take career risks and my confidence in my abilities to succeed. Opting for the safe route, I accepted a role at a local training organization. Though I wasn’t entirely sure what the company did, I understood the fundamental responsibilities of the role; project and people management.
The role was demanding, but I was well-prepared. My previous experiences helped me navigate the intricate dynamics between clients, the company, and project teams with confidence. Despite the challenges, the experience honed my skills in collaborating with people in diverse roles, ranging from corporate executives of Fortune 500 companies to the world’s foremost subject matter experts. These engagements exposed me to the inner workings of various industries, sparking ideas for developing products to address the unique needs of organizations.
As 2011 drew to a close, news arrived that our business had been acquired by its largest competitor. The following months provided a crash course in the realities of mergers and acquisitions, showing firsthand how employees are treated when this happens. I found myself among those informed that my services would no longer be needed, despite having dedicated years to mastering the ins and outs of the business and nurturing long-standing client relationships. Witnessing the departure of my colleagues and the abrupt end of professional connections was gut-wrenching. Yet, amidst all the change, my determination burned brighter.
In early 2012, as my termination notice was about to expire, I was uncertain about my next move and eager for a role where I could have some autonomy, even start my own thing. It was then that a close colleague mentioned an opening at an eLearning company in Ithaca, New York called eCornell. While I had heard of eCornell, having seen a job posting in the local paper years earlier, I wasn’t entirely sure about their work or affiliation with the university. Initially hesitant to take the role—I wanted to do my own thing, or how long I would stay if I did—I eventually decided to explore the opportunity. I’m happy I did because as I got to know my new colleagues, I forged a lifelong connection with my new boss.
Over the course of my eight years at eCornell, I experienced unparalleled professional growth and embraced self-driven learning to the fullest. Working alongside exceptional individuals—coworkers, school administrators, professors, and subject matter experts—each day was an adventure, delving into topics ranging from aquaculture one day to entrepreneurship the next, and more. While my role at eCornell provided me with the career I had desired, I was hungry for something else. I began to delve into team management, process optimization, and customer relations, exploring how our work impacted the lives of those who used our products.
I started working closely with a Professor of nutrition and his team to promote their popular Plant-Based program. While I didn’t connect with the topic at first, the way people responded to the program did. They overwhelmingly had great things to say about the experience and how it impacted their lives afterward. This aligned with the interests I had been working on over the past few years and I was fortunate to join the team in 2019, where I was able to engage with their customers and apply what I had learned while at eCornell.
Things were going well for the small company. We were developing a first-of-its-kind Sustainability program with the world’s top minds and organizations while continuing to help improve the lives of our customers, healthcare practitioners, and their patients.
Then in early 2020, the Pandemic hit, and everything changed. Amidst the chaos of that year, I also lost my grandparents, only months apart. The small, family-owned business too was showing signs of struggle, and they brought in new leadership who quickly reinterpreted the mission we all had worked so hard to establish. Eventually, I found myself unemployed.
Compared to everything happening in the world at the time, this wasn’t anything I hadn’t experienced. Although I was at the peak of my career, doing work that truly mattered, having it taken away gave me a feeling that it may be a while, or never really, that I might get back to something comparable. I wasn’t sure what to do.
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, I’ve always had a knack for identifying problems and imagining a fix or better solution. I often share these ideas with friends and colleagues, sometimes bribing them with drinks for their attention. I tuck these concepts into what I call “the Warfe-Hopper” – a mental receptacle where ideas simmer and incubate until they’re ready to come to life.
I’ve got a whole separate notebook filled with these ideas, but one, in particular, emerged from my experiences in helping others achieve their goals. As I reflected on how I could contribute positively to people’s lives while also making a difference in our environment
Facing unemployment and grappling with strong emotions about an uncertain future, that point in my life, where I may never get another chance to start a business, start something, I realized that this was my opportunity to create something meaningful. I decided to create my own opportunity while supporting others who may be experiencing similar circumstances. That’s when GimmeCredit was born.
But I had several doubts as I’m sure most people do when in the same situation. Questions flooded my mind: Was my idea any good? What would people think? What do I do next? Then a close friend, a fellow entrepreneur, suggested I chat with one of his colleagues about a program that helps people develop their ideas – a business incubator called NextCorps.
Keeping an open mind can be challenging, especially if you are a seasoned, experienced professional who has had some success. Having rubbed elbows with Ivy League faculty, helped build masters programs from the ground up, and earned professional certificates from esteemed institutions, I felt I had the skills, tools, and know-how to get things done. Diving into the incubator program and truly listening showed me just how wrong I was.
While immersed in the incubator program, a friend and mentor (and former boss) asked me to assist with his business, which focused on helping individuals explore passion careers: fashion, design, and entertainment, to name a few.
I can appreciate a nice pair of sneakers—back in high school, I had pleaded with my family for a pair of Nike Air Assaults, which were the most expensive piece of clothing I owned, and for reasons I’m still not sure why, I decided to cut them into low-tops. My Dad was furious.
But back to the new role. My eyes were opened to a vast world of careers that interested young people. Most balancing school and part-time jobs, longing to break into their dream job, but weren’t sure how. The path to entry was foggy, and what to do once you got there was even hazier. The company brought clarity to these individuals.
Unfortunately, the business encountered challenges, much like the broader professional development industry, and had to let most of the employee base go, including myself. I felt a sense of disappointment—that I had let my friend down. Despite the setback, my inner fire never went away. I remained determined.
The Present:
Meanwhile, as the incubator program was coming to an end, I was asked to pitch my idea to a panel of judges. I wasn’t selected for the next phase of the program, but they offered me a spot in their accelerator program to continue developing my idea. This opportunity allowed me to dig deeper into my project.
Through research, I found something common among professionals—many have long, fulfilling careers almost by accident. While some fields like healthcare, engineering, or the trades require rigorous education and training, there are plenty of professions people can master through unconventional avenues and unexpected paths.
Amid this realization, I knew what I needed to do, what GimmeCredit was: a platform empowering individuals to navigate their professional journeys with confidence and purpose, leveraging foundational knowledge and guidance from expert networks.
As I navigate this ever-changing landscape, I’ve come to understand that sometimes the most rewarding roles aren’t the ones we seek out intentionally but rather the ones that find us when and where we least expect them. With this clarity and the values my family instilled in me at an early age, I embrace the challenges ahead, steering GimmeCredit toward fulfilling its mission.