Ten years ago, I answered a simple Craigslist ad for a web developer.

What I walked into was a company running ecommerce on three spreadsheets — hand-coded HTML inside Excel cells, manual product fitment lists, and outdated inventory processes.

Over the next decade, I didn’t just “do my job.” I transformed the company:

• Automated and streamlined operations, turning manual chaos into scalable efficiency

• Expanded the online catalog by orders of magnitude, unlocking growth potential

• Drove multimillion-dollar revenue gainsthrough organic SEO, ecommerce innovation, and data strategy

• Built backend systems enabling non-technical teams to publish listings without code

• Modernized service operations, replacing paper invoices with in-field digital workflows

• Equipped techs with fast, searchable access to parts, vendors, and equipment info

• Used deep understanding of HTML/CSS/JS and web apps and analytics to ensure large catalog was indexable, crawlable and able to weather the increasing amount of Corr Algorithm Updates, along with harnessing extensive product data to continue to curry favor with the new, data-hungry Google Search and Shopping Free Listings. 

• Applied deep HVAC expertise in (Tridium and i-Vu certified, and residential system diagnosis) to craft precise content and media outreach strategies that boosted the brand and established credibility to please E-E-A-T earning Google’s AI overview citations. Earned backlinks and media coverage from HVAC.com and The Washington Post coverage along with establishing an effective backlink building campaign.

• Achieved it all through low-cost, rapid development and smart integrations— giving us enterprise-level capabilities and the ability to scale without PPC or paid ads, punching far above our weight

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The Reality Beneath the Surface

Despite carrying this weight, I’ve often been met with rudeness, dismissiveness, or indifference — not out of malice, but because the work I do lives in complexity, often invisible to the eye.

Out of fear of facing costs or the unknown, blinders were put on — and over time, the heavy burden I took on so others could run the business more comfortably was forgotten.

In many ways, I absorbed the stresses of ownership, giving the team room to focus on growth without distraction. I became a quiet support system — and like all things that work smoothly, it became easy to overlook.

Despite hospital stays, surgeries, personal loss, and returning to work with humility and cooperation, I’ve still been labeled as “the IT guy” — with little acknowledgment of my role as the architect of ecommerce, digital marketing, SEO, and innovation.

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The Jungian Turning Point

Carl Jung wrote,

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”

In his view, we are not meant to shrink ourselves to fit others’ definitions. We are meant to integrate all our parts— the creative, the strategic, the visionary, the practical — and step into wholeness.

For too long, I allowed myself to be reduced to a title that did not reflect the scope of my work or the depth of my impact. But Jung would remind us that individuation— the process of becoming our full selves — means no longer waiting for outside validation.

Jung also said,

“A man who is unconscious of himself acts in a blind, instinctual way, and is in addition fooled by all the illusions that rise up from the collective unconscious.”

In other words: if we don’t define ourselves, the world will define us by its own shallow categories.

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Lessons I’m Taking Forward — and Sharing With You

For anyone in ecommerce, digital marketing, SEO, or tech who has felt unseen or underestimated, here’s what I’ve learned:

• Set boundaries. You cannot grow into your full potential if you’re drowning in everyone else’s expectations.

• Own your story. Share your achievements openly — don’t wait for others to notice.

• Know your worth. You are not “just the tech person” — you are the architect of growth, innovation, and stability.

• Respect yourself first. If you can’t be loved, be feared. Respect will follow — and ensure your expertise is taken seriously.

• Protect your health. No project or role is worth compromising your well-being.

• Lean into your expertise.Whether it’s HVAC, SEO, or ecommerce, the value you bring matters.

To my peers in ecommerce, digital marketing, SEO, or tech who carry invisible weight: you’re not alone.

It’s time we remind people who we are — and why we matter.

I’m rooting for you. And starting today, I’m standing up for myself, too.