Three years ago, I left the security of a corporate job to jump into the unknown and start my own business.
The pendulum swung all the way to entrepreneur my first year. I pursued business ideas I contemplated over the past decade – no constraints, no complicated stage gate processes, and unbridled freedom to pursue my interests.
I developed five business plans – everything from Baker’s Bakeries to Mag Mile Mochi. At the same time, I freelanced and continued working on early versions of Trendless. Trendless was the clear winner. This heightened era of experiential brand creation we find ourselves in is too exciting to not be a part of and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my CX and innovation career.
This February marks Trendless’ 2-year anniversary. It’s no exaggeration when you hear about the extreme ups and downs I experienced – one day I’m crushing it, then the next day I wonder what in the world am I doing? Is this going to resonate? Will people want my services?
Launching Trendless into the world has been the most rewarding experience – putting my work out there, my point of view, my own content, and starting to build my brand. I’ve grown in ways I never could have imagined over the past few years. You hear entrepreneurs and freelancers say it all the time. It’s so true.
My goal with Trendless is to demystify and simplify CX. I benchmarked my competitors, and, to be blunt, too many CX professionals overpublish and flood the CX space with overly-complicated processes, methodologies, and endless CX POV articles. I’ve been told that I have to publish or engagement will decrease, but at some point, I have to question whether what I’m publishing is delivering real value or just adding to the noise.
I asked marketers and non-marketers to read the CX posts I read. It became pretty clear CX practitioners operate in a bubble and only they can decipher the theories. Countless studies show the vast majority of businesses are confused about what CX really is, how to create one, and the exact value it delivers. Businesses succeed at CX when every employee, team, business unit, and external partner not only understand the brand's desired CX, but also how they deliver it both individually and collectively. Maybe the confusion is meant to create business, but that’s not my style.
Now, I’ve published a lot in January to share more about my Trendless approach to CX. On this platform, my blog, you’re my customer and it’s my goal to publish content that is clear and succinct. I want you focused on the core of what Trendless is and how it delivers your CX blueprint to create exciting brand, product, and service experiences.
My promise to you: I won’t post about CX topics that have already been covered. You can read their posts. I’m focusing on practical CX content that helps brands and internal stakeholders build great CX programs. The quality of content will dictate when I publish, it may be once a month, it may be a few times a month.
Finally, I’m proud to introduce Trendless as a certified LGBT-owned business through Illinois chapters and the NGLCC nationally. I wasn’t always able to express who I am in previous roles. But now that I’m an owner, it’s important for me to help advocate for LGBT businesses and work with organizations that recognize the importance of diversity.
Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed my story and I intend to share more moving forward.
thinkTrendless, Jeff