In 2013 I set out to build my own marketing software for local businesses, and tried to keep it simple at first, starting with direct mail since I knew everyone already understood it.

USPS Every Door Direct Mail was new at that time, and I thought, what if I could get many different local businesses to go together, split up an EDDM flyer, and share in the mailing costs?

So I built a system for that, went out and got businesses to advertise and mailed out my first 11x17, folded-in-half direct mail flyer. I was very proud of my accomplishment!

Unfortunately it flopped. There weren't very many coupon redemptions. Also, it was difficult to get a lot of businesses together, all at once, in order to complete and mail the flyer.

I share that not just because it was the beginning of my venture into local business marketing, but also to admit a lesson I learned firsthand: Things don't always work out the way you had originally intended, even after pouring your heart and soul into it.

But through that process I learned a lot and decided to focus my attention on the online opportunities that my software development skills could provide.

I started to grow a community of other marketers who had taken notice of my software and shared a common interest in local business marketing.

I then continued to experiment with different marketing concepts. If you can name it, there's a good chance I built some version of it and tried it.

Over the next decade I tried a lot of new things. I had several more flops that took a ton of time, but I also had some really unexpected successes. Most importantly I was able to see what people really wanted and what worked best.

In 2024 I set out to build a new marketing system from the ground up, implementing only the best strategies. For the first time I felt as though I finally had all the pieces for a successful product and just had to put them all together and make it happen.

With the software development for CartQ wrapped up in 2025, I am now going full-steam ahead with the ongoing marketing effort of video content creation, lead generation, onboarding of local businesses and growing the team of Certified Partners!

When I reflect back on 2013 and think about how far I have come since then, I look ahead to the future with a fresh, new perspective. You can't build a Saas product overnight. It might take years. But when you set out each day only trying to accomplish what you need to do that day, it adds up over time.

Thank you for allowing me to serve you with CartQ and hopefully make both of our entrepreneurial dreams become a reality!

As I was writing this "Our Story" blog post, I really tried think about how I can summarize the primary goals & values of CartQ, and this is what I came up with:

• Easy to navigate. Consistent look and feel.

• The required fields are kept to a bare minimum. Important fields have a default value or suggestion so you don't have to think too hard.

• The Onboarding Guide walks through each feature, along with examples.

• Fact: A busy local business owner doesn't want to have to log in and fiddle with things all the time.

• Wouldn't it be great if you could set up your account and things just work, without you having to touch it unless you want to make an update? This is the specific intention of CartQ.

• In addition to the typical automated offers like birthdays and anniversaries, you can set up all your yearly holiday promotions and any other cyclical special offers ahead of time using "Marketing Blasts" and they'll repeat automatically.

• Each feature is designed to capture the customer's information so you can follow up with them later on at a very low cost via email and text.

• For example, a customer can scan a QR code to view an online menu, but CartQ optionally introduces a page in the middle of that sequence that allows the customer to sign up to receive a free gift or continue on to view the menu.

• It's possible to build a massive customer list with CartQ that would be difficult to do through other, more traditional advertising methods that don't have a lead-capture mechanism.

When you click on the "Our Story" link, you usually want to get to know who it is that's behind the product. So here are a few details about me...

I like to run long distances and got into trail running in 2022. I really just like being outside, preferably in the dry, desert heat and sun. I try to do trail races as often as I can, despite the fact that I live in the Chicago area.

I also love to play the keyboard and play for my church, Highpoint Church, in Naperville, IL. In 2023 I had the privilege of recording some Christmas songs with my church worship ministry, Highpoint Collective:
https://open.spotify.com/album/778cqTb1rGMCz9I3b2wn10?si=SAWTIH7STaG7uPtco1xp8Q

P.S. Building a Saas is like learning piano...you have to believe that each time you practice it will add up over time, even if it doesn't feel like it at that moment. And come to think of it, also a lot like running a marathon! 😀

Can you relate to anything in this post? What stood out to you? Feel free to post your comments below! 👇