I came up the hard way — through odd jobs, international moves, and a stubborn belief that the right skill could change everything. For me, that skill turned out to be digital marketing.
I came up the hard way — through odd jobs, international moves, and a stubborn belief that the right skill could change everything. For me, that skill turned out to be digital marketing.
For years I wanted to build something of my own. I taught myself to buy and sell — thrift stores, auction houses, reselling online. Eventually I found dropshipping and thought I’d finally cracked it. I hadn’t. The more I studied it, the more I kept running into the same wall: I didn’t know how to market.
I set it aside and moved to South Korea with my wife, where I spent some time teaching English — first in classrooms, then online to students across Asia. It paid the bills. But I knew I was trading time for money with no ceiling in sight, in an industry where supply had long outpaced demand.
So I made a decision. I would learn the skill I’d been missing — properly, from the ground up.
In 2024 I enrolled in Seth Jared Hymes’ Digital Marketing Career Blueprint. Two projects defined that period. The first was Google Ads: I built a full campaign from scratch — responsive search ads with headlines and descriptions tuned to excellent strength ratings, keyword research using Google Keyword Planner, strategic match type implementation, a comprehensive negative keyword framework, and a complete campaign structure documented in Google Sheets.
The second was SEO: I built a hiking blog from scratch around high-volume, low-competition keywords identified through research, and within months those posts were ranking on page one of Google. Both projects proved the methodology worked in practice, not just in theory. I then validated both skill sets formally — earning Google Ads and Google Analytics certifications through Google Skillshop, and SEMrush certifications in Keyword Research and Technical SEO & AI Search Essentials.
Now I needed a real client.
Digital Marketing Specialist | Web Developer | Board Member
No big budget. No established online presence. Just an organization that needed to grow — and a marketer who needed to prove he could deliver.
Nine months later: 136+ program sign-ups, a #1 Bay Area ranking, and referral traffic arriving not only from Google Search, but also from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overview.
I start with data, build around strategy, and stay focused on one question throughout: what does this need to do?
Results aren’t a bonus. They’re the point.
If you’re looking for a marketer who treats your budget like it’s his own and can show you exactly what he did and why — let’s talk.
