After nearly thirteen years, many months of agonizing personal deliberation, and three further months of attempting to wrap up projects as cleanly as possible, June 1st marked my departure from Small Dog Electronics. Finding myself in utter burnout was not an easy reality to come to grips with, and deciding to make such a large change was downright scary, but everyone stood by me and I believe we’re all going to better off for it.

I am grateful to have spent many formative years at such a great Apple Specialist, helping keep Macs—and more recently iOS products—in use on users’ desks and in their bags, as well as helping customers better use them. I am glad to have to helped Small Dog Electronics transition from an ecommerce retailer by opening up several brick and mortar stores, plus celebrate their 20th anniversary. I am very thankful for the many opportunities presented me which allowed my climb from a lowly Sales Associate, through various IT & software development roles, to my final couple of years as Director of IT, Development and Security.

Working at a small company, especially one run by a father and son team, for such a long period of time really made it feel like family. As with any business—or family, for that matter—there were ups and downs, and I saw a lot of people come and go, but have many great memories and was deeply conflicted in leaving them behind. That said, while no longer working alongside of them, I’m still a happy customer and will continue to see them on occasion, both in their stores and around town. I hope to see them continue to shine in the coming years. Being a small retail company working with Apple and against big competition the likes of Amazon is no small task.

I have been a long-time fan of Apple products, especially Macs, and have worked hard to help keep them in-use. In high school and college I did so through my website, the Classic Mac Workshop, later with Brown Computer Solutions, and most recently through all my roles at Small Dog Electronics. Apple had some rough years there, but they rebounded and have clearly absolutely flourished. Apple is now a massive, wealthy company with an amazing and diverse line of products and services. Apple doesn’t need my help anymore, at least not in terms of selling their products.

While I wanted desperately to continue helping Small Dog Electronics grow and change—and I do think I played my part in that—I firmly believe that they need some fresh blood and perspectives, especially in my former role. So, with my health at risk due to prolonged burnout, the time had come to let go and allow both myself and the company find new directions.

I took all of June off to decompress, vacation, and try to realize that—for the first time in a decade—I’m no-longer on call 24/7. That has been an experience in itself. So, with July upon me, and our nation celebrating its independence, I too am celebrating my own.

I don’t have a firm direction yet, but have funds and projects planned for July. Beyond that is pretty wide open and I will always have plenty to learn, so expect to hear more from me as I explore this newfound freedom.