When I started Gutterwise Marketing in 2023, I had no clients, no portfolio, and no fancy office. I was a college student at CU Boulder running a marketing agency out of my dorm room. Fast forward two years, and by the time I founded NaiL A.I. in 2025, I had served clients across the country and learned more about running a real business than any classroom could teach.
The biggest lesson? Show up in person. In a world obsessed with digital everything, the contractors and business owners who win are the ones building real relationships. I flew out to meet clients face-to-face, attended industry events, and made it a point to understand the day-to-day reality of running a roofing or gutter business.
Another critical lesson was the power of mentorship. Joining Dennis Yu’s AI Apprentice Program through BlitzMetrics changed my trajectory completely. Having mentors who had already walked the path gave me frameworks I couldn’t have figured out on my own — from content strategy to building personal brands to scaling agency operations.
If you’re a young person thinking about starting a business, my advice is simple: start before you’re ready, learn by doing, and find people who are where you want to be. The degree is valuable, but the experience of building something real is irreplaceable.