You Don’t Need a Plan—You Need a Starting Point
(Posted on Friday, August 15, 2025)
If you’re early in your career, here’s something I wish someone had told me when I was 22:
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
But the earlier you start exploring, the more time you give yourself to figure out what actually fits.
That was absolutely true for me.
After college, I didn’t have a master plan. I followed what seemed interesting—radio, writing, working for a rock promoter. Some of it was fun. Some of it was chaotic. None of it turned into a long-term career.
But it taught me something important: momentum matters more than clarity.
Eventually, I landed in media sales. That’s when things started to click.
I was learning how businesses worked, solving problems for clients, seeing results in real time. And it rewarded effort—the more I put in, the more I got out. That led me into financing media companies. Later, I started a few of my own.
I never could’ve predicted that path at 22. But I found it by moving, not waiting.
Rebooting at 40
Years later, after one of those businesses failed, I had to start over. At 40, that’s not easy.
But I had something I didn’t have at 22: experience, a track record, and a reputation for delivering results. So I went back to what I knew—media—and started rebuilding.
That reboot led to a 10-year run that was financially rewarding and professionally fulfilling. From there, I took on new challenges. Became a CFO. Then a CEO. Eventually, I joined a media company where I got to build again—this time with a bigger team, more capital, and a sharper sense of where I could add value.
You Don’t Need a Perfect Plan—Just Movement
If you’re just starting out, don’t let the pressure to “figure it all out” keep you frozen. Your career won’t move in a straight line. That’s not a bug—it’s a feature.
The key is to stay curious. Follow the threads. Try different things. Learn what energizes you and what doesn’t.
And when something starts to click? Lean in.
Because every experience you rack up becomes a resource you can draw from later—when you’re pivoting, rebooting, or leveling up. Especially when life throws a curveball (and it will).
You don’t need to know the endgame. You just need to be willing to start.