More about this site…

This site began as a personal scrapbook in 2015, a place to share ideas before Substack existed and when I had little interest in Medium. With enough about me already on LinkedIn, I wanted something different.

I created this platform to advance ideas and "pay it forward" for those interested in entrepreneurship. Given the nature of the internet, I knew I needed to include credibility milestones—proof that my ideas weren’t just theories but ones I’d successfully put into practice. More than that, I wanted a platform of my own. Social media didn’t feel right, so I set out to build a more authentic home for my thoughts.

In late 2017, I discovered Quora, which became a new outlet for answering specific questions on topics I knew well, as a way to help others. While Quora is full of opinions, I focused only on sharing what I knew to be effective or accurate. It was a space where my experience and ideas could be scrutinized and challenged, as they should be. The real-time debates and differing opinions, along with the friendships formed, have been something I’ve greatly enjoyed. However, my engagement with Quora made this site less relevant, though I still felt the need for an anchor—a place to store my thoughts.

Over time, as I wrote more elsewhere, this site became less of a form of expression and more of a guestbook, like the ones you find at old lodges—except I’m the only guest. Now that I live at Moose Lodge, this site has evolved into just that: a place to store my thoughts.

Moose Lodge

I acquired Moose Lodge in December 2021 as a place to both live and work and as a professional retreat for co-workers and collaborators, and a place that was central to my clients in all parts of the US and the globe. This is my grand experiment! Is it possible to build a successful career and ideal lifestyle at the same time?

To my colleagues and clients in other countries it was a glimpse into life here in the US. I’m an easy flight to most major cities and the time zone makes it much more workable than the Pacific Northwest where I lived for 43 years. I moved here to be closer to family and I wanted to find a place that was more conducive to the kind of work I do and this odd combination of writing and consulting.

The lodge itself is just a name for a home named after my old dog whose nickname was “Moose.” The home was designed and built by Tom Jowett, the VP of Architecture for Bass Pro for 32 years who’s distinct style can be seen in all stores as well as Big Cedar Lodge near Branson, Missouri. This house is known as the “Bass Pro House” to many locals.

Navigating This Site

The "Journey 1, 2 and 3" and “Moose Lodge” pages are password protected because they tell the story of the daily adventure of finding Moose Lodge, and it was written specifically for my close friends, so they knew where I was and what I was doing. That journey began in mid 2021 and continues every day, even now. The “Journey” was the punchline to an even longer story. I wanted to share my experiences with those who already knew me well and wanted to keep up with this unusual idea.

The writings seem far too personal for the general public and it served as a way of keeping my friends up to date now that I’m living far from all of them. Like any good movie or book, you need context, and the Journey pages without context wouldn't make much sense to the general public. There was nothing more complicated, other than my desire to maintain a private life as I was living the story of finding and adapting to life at Moose Lodge.

Quora

As for my Quora stats, because they matter to some; 36+ million content views, 2,900+ answers, 160,000+ followers, 13,000+ personal followers, 217,159,000+ Quora Digest (email recipients) with 857+ answers, or 29% of all my answers making the Quora Digest as of this last edit. I’ve never asked for followers, upvotes or views and I’ve never participated in engagement farming or outside marketing.

My E@RTC weekly blog has 90,000+ unique visitors annually and I never sign my name. You’d think it was a different person, but nope. It’s me. I also write a humor blog under a pen name.