My Entrepreneurial Journey: In Words, On LinkedIn

I recently wrote about my love of the written word. While I love a great photo or video, the written word is something I've always connected with since I was a kid spending hours in the Downtown Greenville (South Carolina) Library and now as a voracious reading adult.

As an entrepreneur, I've tried to focus my writing on not just the successes and milestones, but on the journey itself and the various current affairs topics that shape my experience as an entrepreneur, particularly an African-American one in the tech industry in Austin, Texas.

I started out writing things on Medium like "How I raised the first $1 million for our startup without VCs or AngelList" and "What happened after we got rejected by YCombinator" which helped me build a bit of a following, then I started contributing to other publications such as Huffington Post, pop-culture site PopSugar, travel-tech site Tnooz, and tech/startup site Austin Inno. All of this helped me go from writing about other people, as I did in my book, "Real Role Models" (UT Press) and the ensuing promotion, including this article for The New York Times. Later I converted to LinkedIn, which has most definitely become my favorite platform to write about my experience as a founder-CEO and share thoughts on entrepreneurship and building a business.

Here on LinkedIn, I've focused my energies on sharing the various stages of building my company Localeur, the tech and travel industries at large, and current events that influence my standing in these industries. Here are some of my favorite posts on LinkedIn over the years, which have helped me build a following of more than 100,000 people (something I still can't fathom, and am so thankful for). I hope you enjoy re-reading some of these articles or reading these for the first time:

Things I Learned Traveling 250 Days Last Year

Entrepreneurship Isn't About Being Your Own Boss

When I Didn't Get Promoted, I Promoted Myself

The Typical Day of an Entrepreneur is Atypical

Learning a Life Lesson from My Lead Investor

What Running Has Taught Me About Entrepreneurship

Why I'm Not Reading the Anti-Diversity Memo by the Google Employee

Entrepreneurship Goes Way Beyond Tech

Mixing Business With Friendship? Not Impossible, But Tread Carefully

I Definitely Was Not Always the "Best Communicator"

If You Think "Anyone Could Do That," You're Probably Not Going To

Jay Z is More Than a Successful Rapper

How I Measure Employee Performance

I Guest Lectured the Same Business School that Rejected Me

I Was the First, But I Won't Be the Last

How Cable TV Became the Most Honest Reflection of American Culture Today

Why Exactly is Vice More Valuable Than Yelp and The New York Times?