Erich Stauffer

Category: Writing

  • From Starting Over to Building Forward: 2025 and Beyond

    From Starting Over to Building Forward: 2025 and Beyond

    A year of learning to stay instead of restart

    The Pattern I Finally Saw

    For most of my adult life, I’ve been addicted to a very specific dopamine hit: the thrill of getting back to zero, but going forward I want to go from zero to one.

    Minus World

    In the past, I would start projects, relationships, businesses—pour energy into them until they showed promise—then abandon them just as they entered a phase of maintenance and growth. I’d then start something new, feel the rush of novelty, and repeat the cycle.

    • In business: I’d launch initiatives, see early traction, then pivot to the next shiny idea before harvesting the first one.
    • In relationships: I’d date someone, feel the intensity of new connection, then sabotage it when it required sustained commitment and vulnerability.
    • In creative work: I’d start blogs, YouTube channels, music projects—each with genuine enthusiasm—only to let them go dormant when the “messy middle” set in.

    I wasn’t failing. I was resetting. And resetting felt like progress because it gave me the emotional payoff of recovery without the sustained effort of growth, but I wasn’t actually going anywhere.

    This pattern became undeniable in 2023 when a long-term relationship ended—not because it had to, but because I couldn’t stay. We dated for a year and a half (the longest relationship I’d had outside of my 18-year marriage) and when she said she just wanted to be friends, it wasn’t just a breakup. It was an identity death.

    Because the narrative I’d been living—the one where I find a wife, build a home together, and create a new life—ended mid-sentence, I found myself in this “liminal space” between who I thought I was going to be and who I actually was.

    In April of 2025, I drew a hard boundary. That version of me—the one seeking confirmation through relationships, building my identity around someone else’s yes or no—was no longer allowed to run my future.

    I moved from La Crosse, Wisconsin to Viroqua, Wisconsin—a small town an hour south—into what I call “the blue house with white shutters.” Not because it was the house I wanted to own, but because I needed physical distance from the old patterns. I needed a space where I could hear myself again.

    This past year has been about learning a new way: to stay, to maintain, to leverage what already works instead of constantly starting over.

    And in 2025, for the first time, I practiced staying.

    What I Built in 2025

    In previous years, I would have abandoned half of this list to chase something new. This year, I practiced staying.

    Creative Output

    I played my first open mic. On January 18, 2025, I performed at the Listening Room in Viroqua. I’ve been writing music for years, recording albums in my bedroom, posting them on YouTube where almost no one listens. But I’d never performed live. Standing in front of people with just my guitar and my voice—no edits, no retakes—was terrifying. And I did it.

    I published two books. One fiction, one non-fiction. I’ve started many books over the years, but this year, I finished two and published them on Amazon – not because I think they’ll be bestsellers – but because finishing them worked a muscle I needed to strengthen.

    I released two musical albums on YouTube – home recordings, but the point wasn’t fame – the point was: I made the work and I shared it. I didn’t let perfectionism or audience size stop me from completing what I started.

    I continued vlogging. I’ve been making them since June of 2019. These aren’t just content. They’re a visual archive for my six kids and I to look back on years from now. Some things aren’t for algorithms. These are for legacy.

    My two oldest are in college and don’t see me as much anymore. The two middle boys are in high school—one texts me daily on TikTok to keep the streak going. The two youngest girls and my younger son hang out with me on weekends. As they age, I’m transitioning from being their “father” in the protective, providing sense to being their friend and guide. The vlog is part of that—showing them not just who I was when they were young, but who I was becoming in the years they might not fully remember.

    Professional Momentum

    Another year at Anatta. I work as a business analyst at an ecommerce consultancy, leading discovery and delivery for enterprise Shopify Plus replatforms—the kind with 3 million+ SKUs, complex integrations, and high-stakes clients. I serve as the primary liaison between C-suite stakeholders and cross-functional teams of designers, developers, and QA. I document functional and technical requirements, co-create solution designs, oversee sprint planning, and facilitate UAT.

    This was my second year there. In the past, I would have gotten restless and looked for the next thing. The title “business analyst” would have felt limiting. I would have convinced myself I’d learned all I could and needed a bigger stage. But this year, I stayed. And in staying, I deepened my expertise, mentored junior analysts, and became the person others come to for the hard problems—the ambiguous client situations, the complex integrations, the politically sensitive stakeholder conversations.

    I also started recognizing something important about the nature of the work I was actually doing.

    When a client with 500,000 products needed a marketing feed that wouldn’t require reprocessing all SKUs every time a single price changed, I wasn’t just “making a feed.” I was designing a sustainable operational mechanism—exploring API delta approaches, segmentation by category, building a system that could scale without breaking. That’s not requirements gathering. That’s system stabilization.

    When we ran enterprise Shopify go-lives, I built and maintained the go-live checklists across design, configuration, marketing integrations, privacy compliance, SEO, analytics—using them as an operating system to reduce chaos and missed dependencies. Not just documenting what needed to happen, but creating the control structure that made it repeatable across projects. That’s launch governance.

    On a project integrating Shopify and WooCommerce with Business Central OMS, Salsify, complex bundle logic, and multi-warehouse fulfillment, I drove standardization of definitions and flows so partner integrations could test and validate consistently. Fewer edge-case fires. More predictable throughput. That’s operational stabilization.

    I consistently operated as the bridge between C-suite stakeholders and delivery teams—translating executive intent into requirements, facilitating discovery sessions, aligning designers/developers/QA around shared understanding, managing UAT readiness. I coordinated external vendors getting testing access, understanding validation steps, aligning milestones to staggered go-live dates.

    For one enterprise client, I captured and organized a deeply complex integration ecosystem—NetSuite, Akeneo, Workato, Algolia, Segment, Klaviyo, Avalara, ShipHawk, and more—into a shared understanding the team could actually act on, then drove systematic follow-up question development. That’s not documentation. That’s coordination of complexity into an executable plan.

    I created implementation-ready tickets for wholesale versus allopathic navigation and journey changes, including flow logic for “Request Samples” and where data lands in the system. I made structural product decisions: who sees what, when, and how requests get operationalized.

    And across multiple clients, I kept pushing the same thesis: execution fails because structure fails first. Not tools. Not platforms. Structure. Roles, incentives, decision-making frameworks. I was choosing organizational and operating-model design as the primary lever, not just technology swaps.

    This is when I realized: I’ve been doing COO-level work just without the title: systems thinking across tech, people, and process; cross-functional coordination; and internal change initiatives. I’ve been acting as a bridge between business strategy and technical execution. The skills are there. I just don’t have the title…yet. But staying at Anatta gives me something crucial: stable income, enterprise-level case studies, and health insurance.

    Another year running Market Jack. My independent ecommerce consulting company. I’ve consulting on the side for years, but I used to treat it like a hobby—something I’d work on when I felt like it, then neglect when something shinier appeared. I’d take on clients, deliver good work, then let the pipeline dry up because I was chasing the next idea instead of serving the clients I already had.

    This year, I treated it like a business. I served my existing clients well. I didn’t chase new ventures. I just showed up consistently for what already worked. And something shifted: my existing clients started referring me to others. The work became steadier, not because I was hustling harder, but because I was staying longer and doing better work for the people who already trusted me.

    Framework Development

    I created the 4-Year U. framework. This is my life-architecture system—a way of thinking about long-term goals, seasonal rhythms, and sustainable growth without burnout. I’ve been living by this framework since my divorce, using it to rebuild after that identity collapse in 2020, but in 2025 I formalized it. I wrote it down. I structured it. I made it teachable.

    The 4-Year U. isn’t a productivity system or a motivational program. It’s life architecture. It’s designed to help people make progress on long-term goals without burning out, restarting, or losing hope. It highlights how to leverage over time—something I was teaching others but only inconsistently doing myself.

    The framework is built on four-year arcs (not one-year sprints or ten-year dreams), seasonal rhythms (winter for rest, spring for preparation, summer for execution, fall for harvest), and the idea that life unfolds best when you align with God’s design of cyclical growth instead of forcing linear urgency.

    Ironically, I built a system about leverage and staying power while still struggling to do it myself. But that’s the work of 2025—practicing what I’ve been preaching.

    I published my first two digital products for 4-Year U. A Life Planning Guide and a Debt Reset Planner. Small products, humble sales. I’m not making significant money from them yet, and that’s okay. The goal right now isn’t revenue—it’s practice. Practice creating page-by-page instead of launching big and then abandoning. Practice maintaining something over time. Practice building 0 to 1 instead of constantly resetting to zero.

    Each product took weeks to create. Not because they’re complicated, but because I worked on them slowly, deliberately, consistently. A page here. A section there. Building the muscle of staying with something through the boring middle when the novelty has worn off and the finish line still feels far away.

    And you know what? It worked. I finished them. I published them. They exist in the world now, generating small amounts of revenue and helping a few people structure their lives better. That’s not nothing. That’s everything.

    The Themes That Emerged

    As I look back on 2025, seven themes stand out—not as goals I set, but as patterns that revealed themselves through the work of staying.

    1. Integration and Synergy

    For years, I’ve kept parts of myself separate. Professional Erich (the business analyst, the consultant) stayed in one box. Personal Erich (the musician, the writer, the father) stayed in another. Creative Erich, spiritual Erich, broken Erich—all in separate compartments.

    This year, I started letting them integrate. My professional work in ecommerce—helping companies transition from chaos to structure, from reactive to strategic, from short-term sprints to long-term arcs—is the same work I’ve been doing in my personal life. The 4-Year U. framework I built to help me rebuild after identity collapse is the same framework that helps companies build sustainably.

    I’m not separate people. I’m one person with one way of seeing the world. And in 2025, I started letting that coherence show.

    2. Leverage Over Novelty

    The dopamine hit of “new” is seductive. New relationship, new business idea, new creative project. But novelty doesn’t build anything. It just resets the clock.

    This year, I practiced a different kind of dopamine: the satisfaction of small, incremental improvements over time. In Minecraft, I built the same world day after day instead of starting new worlds. In the 4-Year U., I created products page-by-page instead of launching a flashy website. In my social media channels, I posted simple videos to existing accounts instead of starting new ones.

    I trained my brain to get the reward from maintaining instead of starting. And I discovered something: maintenance is leverage. Consistency compounds. Staying with something long enough to see it mature creates value that restarting never can.

    3. Long Arcs, Short Actions

    The 4-Year U. philosophy is built on this: life unfolds best in long arcs, not short sprints. Not one-year goals that burn you out. Not ten-year dreams so distant they feel meaningless. Four-year cycles that mirror natural seasons—long enough to build something real, short enough to stay connected to the outcome.

    But long arcs only work if you take short actions consistently. Daily habits. Weekly rhythms. Monthly check-ins. Small steps that don’t feel dramatic but accumulate into transformation over time.

    This year, I lived this. Not just taught it—lived it. Paid down debt month by month. Worked on digital products page by page. Attended men’s group week by week. None of it felt heroic. All of it mattered.

    4. Identity-Work Alignment

    I used to think my work was just how I paid bills. My real self—the creative, the thinker, the builder—existed somewhere outside of business hours.

    But this year I realized: my professional work is who I am. I help companies and clients build structure from ambiguity. I guide them through transformation. I mentor others. I see patterns across systems—people, process, technology—and help integrate them.

    That’s not separate from my personal identity as a “sage-builder,” a guide for others. It’s the same thing. And when I stopped trying to keep them separate, both got stronger.

    5. Revenue Up, Expenses Down

    I’m building what I call “The Storehouse”—a financial foundation that creates optionality for whatever comes next. Whether that’s marriage, a family crisis, helping my kids, or seizing a professional opportunity, I want to be ready.

    Right now, I earn a stable income from Anatta and supplement it with independent consulting through Market Jack. I have monthly obligations including child support and housing costs, plus outstanding debt that I’m systematically paying down.

    My goal for 2026: significantly grow my Market Jack revenue, eliminate my highest-interest debt, and reduce my housing costs. By the end of 2027, I want to be debt-free except for student loans. By the end of 2028, I want to be positioned to buy a house.

    This isn’t about getting rich. It’s about building breathing room—financial and psychological—so I can say yes to the right opportunities instead of being constrained by monthly obligations.

    6. Contextual Work

    Not all work serves the same purpose. Some work is for income. Some is for regulation. Some is for legacy. Some is for learning.

    I used to feel guilty about my multiple creative channels—vlogging, music, ASMR breakfast videos, chess recordings, comedy experiments. I thought I should “focus” and pick one. But this year I realized: they serve different needs. The vlog is legacy for my kids. Music is emotional regulation. ASMR breakfast is a way to feel less alone. Chess is strategic practice.

    None of them need to “become something.” They’re already serving their purpose.

    The work that needs to grow and leverage is Market Jack and the 4-Year U.—those are my professional identity. Everything else can remain what it is: practices that keep me regulated, creative, and human.

    7. Emotional Regulation in Work and Personal Life

    Personal growth and professional growth are the same thing.

    When I’m emotionally dysregulated—anxious, resentful, obsessing over a past relationship—my work suffers. When I’m financially stressed, my relationships suffer. When I’m neglecting my body, my creativity dries up.

    This year, I started treating emotional regulation as infrastructure, not luxury. Daily prayer and Bible reading. Regular exercise. Intentional time with my kids. Therapy when needed. Boundaries around dating. Practices that keep me grounded.

    And I noticed: when I’m regulated internally, everything external flows better. Clients trust me more. My work improves. My creativity returns. Emotional regulation isn’t separate from success. It’s foundational to it.

    2026: Leverage and Activation

    My theme for 2026 is Leverage and Activation.

    In 2025, I learned to stay. In 2026, I activate what I’ve built.

    Here’s what that means practically:

    Professionally:

    • Maintain Anatta as my stable financial base (steady income, health insurance, enterprise experience)
    • Significantly grow Market Jack by doubling down on existing skills and network—no new ventures, just better execution on what already works
    • Position Market Jack as fractional COO services for ecommerce companies, built on 4-Year U. principles of sustainable growth
    • Create or acquire one income-producing asset that generates passive income by the end of the year

    Financially:

    • Eliminate highest-interest debt by December 31, 2026
    • Reduce housing costs significantly when my current lease ends in April 2026
    • Build an emergency fund
    • Start saving for a house down payment

    Physically:

    • Achieve and maintain a measurable standard of physical capability
    • Become physically reliable—a fit body that supports long-term goals, not just short-term aesthetics

    Relationally:

    • Operate from clarity and integrity in all relationships
    • Show up socially as a grounded man with a full life, not someone auditioning for rescue
    • Create intentional memories with my six kids on our regular custody schedule
    • Remain open to a serious relationship, but only pursue depth when my foundation is solid

    Spiritually:

    • Practice daily alignment practices that strengthen attention, discipline, and peace
    • Live from order and obedience—not performance or shame, but genuine alignment with what I believe

    Creatively:

    • Continue vlogging and posting for creative reasons, not metrics
    • Look for opportunities to create content that supports my identity or financial goals (Market Jack, 4-Year U.)
    • Let other creative channels remain regulatory practices without pressure to monetize

    Building 10 Feet Tall

    For years, I’ve struggled with a tension: I have the desire to build something “10 feet tall” instead of “10 things 1 foot tall.” But I’ve been afraid to choose one thing to focus on—caught between the dopamine trap of novelty and the paralysis of not wanting to choose wrong.

    This year, I’m making a choice.

    My one thing is: Fractional COO services for ecommerce companies, built on 4-Year U. principles of sustainable growth.

    This integrates everything:

    • My 20 years of ecommerce, business analysis, and operations experience
    • My 4-Year U. framework for long-arc thinking
    • My identity as a sage-builder who helps others build what they couldn’t build alone
    • My financial goal of growing Market Jack into a sustainable primary income source

    Everything else—the vlog, the music, the ASMR breakfast videos, the chess recordings, the comedy experiments—remains as regulatory practice. I’m not abandoning them. I’m just not asking them to become something they’re not meant to be.

    This is what integration looks like. Not forcing everything into one brand, but knowing what serves which purpose and letting each thing be what it is.

    The Long View: Beyond 2026

    This is a four-year arc. Not a one-year sprint.

    By the end of 2027:

    • Significantly reduced debt burden
    • Market Jack consistently generating substantial supplemental income
    • Positioned for a COO role (either fractional or full-time)
    • Moved back to La Crosse area, closer to my kids

    By the end of 2028:

    • Remaining debt paid off
    • Down payment saved, ready to buy a house
    • Financially and emotionally ready for marriage if the right person appears
    • Living the blue house with white shutters vision—not the literal house yet, but the identity it represents

    By the mid-2030s:

    • Debt-free, house-owning, with the option to scale Market Jack, take a full-time COO role, or build something new from a place of stability instead of desperation

    This isn’t about rushing. It’s about building properly. One season at a time. One year at a time. One day at a time.

    A Question for You

    If you’ve read this far, thank you. Seriously. This is long, personal, and probably more introspective than most year-end posts you’ll read.

    But I’m curious: What arcs or patterns do you see in your own life?

    Are you addicted to starting over instead of building forward?

    Are you keeping parts of yourself in separate boxes instead of integrating them?

    Are you chasing novelty instead of leveraging what already works?

    Are you rushing to the next chapter to avoid sitting in the liminal space?

    I don’t have all the answers. I’m figuring this out in real time, same as you. But I do know this: the work of staying—of maintaining, of leveraging, of building 0 to 1 instead of constantly resetting to zero—is harder than it looks. And more rewarding than I ever imagined.

    If this resonates with you and you want to follow along:

    • For ecommerce consulting or fractional COO services: marketjack.com
    • For life-architecture frameworks and digital products: 4yearu.com
    • For personal updates, vlogs, and reflections: Subscribe to this blog

    Here’s to 2026. Not as a year of reinvention, but as a year of leverage and activation.

    Not starting over. Just building forward.

  • X Marks the Spot

    X Marks the Spot

    After I got laid off from my last job, I started working full time on my consulting business while applying for jobs as a product manager. I also started posting more on LinkedIn and Twitter (X) as a way to engage with the product management community.

    I’ve been following Dan Koe and Sean McCabe (formerly SeanWes), both of whom have encouraged me (through their writing) to start with writing – so I wanted to share a few thoughts on what I’ve been doing and how it’s going so far.

    A follower or connection doesn’t usually count for much of anything on its own. However, those followers only allow me the opportunity to say something interesting and possibly attract new consulting business or product manager jobs.

    Trust Beats Consistency, and Consistency Beats Message

    Ultimately, if people don’t trust what you have to say, the rest doesn’t matter. What you say needs to communicate trust. If you are consistent, you will learn what to do. Practice leads to improvement, which leads to success.

    But the main reason I want to post every day is because I believe my income depends on it. But it’s also a form of journaling, which helps me think, create new ideas and synthesize thoughts; and it helps my brain work better.

    Finding Your Voice

    Most people don’t find their voice on social media because of consistency. It takes practice and time to find your voice. It is scary to post something where your friends at the companies you are posting about might find offensive.

    Before posting, ask yourself these questions:

    • “Can my audience learn something from this?”
    • “Would I have liked to learn this earlier in my career?”
    • “Do I have something unique or different to say about this issue?”
    • “What are people in this industry thinking about but are afraid to say?”
    • “Do I have a bias here, and is it apparent to both me and the audience?”
    • “Is the intention of my feedback to tear down – or to guide improvement?”

    But generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is to stick to what you know. When you find yourself overreaching your expertise, you risk your credibility.

    My goal is to post every day at least once. Eventually, I settled into every business day posting something that I saw interesting in the industry.

    I enjoy writing, and I have for most of my life. I’ve written many blog posts here and even some books, and although there were long periods of time when I didn’t write anything, I never lost my love for writing.

    Consistency Pays Off

    So far I’m in the early stages of developing the habits of daily writing, journaling, and posting, but I’m already seeing some effects from it in the form of increased interactions and direct messages. I’m going to keep doing it.

    I don’t know exactly where I’m going to end up, but having a plan and working towards a goal with intention will put me in a better position than randomly doing things and reacting to the world around me. X marks the spot.

  • Field Notes

    Field Notes

    I spilled coffee on my Field Notes.

    It went everywhere.

    Something so simple as setting down a cup of coffee caused an inordinate amount of chaos and care to clean up.

    But it was worth it.

    Sometimes things don’t go as planned despite making a plan.

    I’m okay with that.

    The body craves novelty just as much as it craves stability.

    A week ago my job was eliminated.

    My stability was taken away, replaced by novelty.

    I had mixed emotions of fear, anxiety, joy, and excitement.

    One door had closed and another door had not yet opened. I was in the hallway. I was on my own.

    But I wasn’t alone.

    I have God, friends, network connections, my skills, time, and sheer determinism.

    I’ve been praying, reaching out to people, and applying for jobs.

    I’ve been publishing content to and interacting on social media.

    And after a week, I only have one lead from one recruiter.

    But that’s ok.

    Now I can learn from what I’ve done, analyze it, and improve it.

    I know that writing or journaling is an important part of healing, brain development, and general success in life so I’m attempting to start a daily routine of writing.

    Right now it hurts a bit because I haven’t associated dopamine with it, but I’m hoping to rewire my brain to crave it – just like it craves novelty and stability.

  • My First Day at Blue Acorn iCi

    I read #donutrunbecausehappy as “don’t run because you’re happy” and I was like, ‘that’s the old me’, but then I realized that because I read it that way, I still have part of that mindset.

    Blue Acorn iCi’s onboarding officially lasts 60 days, but the initial, intensive learning period is 2 weeks. The first part (after the forms) was a bunch of reading. It then went into videos I had to watch of recordings. I was keenly aware that I was self-onboarding rather than being onboarded by a live person. However, I did have 2 people assigned to me. One was to teach me about the clients I’ll be working with and the other was to teach me how to be a BSA. I later realized I could increase the playback speed of the videos to 2x, which helped.

    I realized that a lot of the work has already been templatize’d and checklist’d. The rest are simple rules that are repeated in various situations.

    As I learned things and started comparing myself to others, I had to keep telling myself that I am a professional, I know what I’m doing, and it’s easy for me to learn new things. I then proceeded to learn new things very quickly.

    It’s occurring to me (even more so) that I’m going to be drawing from almost ALL of my past experience for this role (from client demos and working with developers at GoServicePro to executive stakeholder meetings and change control processes at Marine Credit Union to working with e-commerce and integrations at Skinny & Co to SEO and client work with my own consulting services). Even the call center work at First Merchants may come into play here. Blue Acorn even has credit union clients who they help with online check opening web workflows. A big store you’ve heard of also uses Netsuite and “Celigo” (Netsuite integration software), two applications I recently administered at Skinny & Co.

    It’s neat learning about clients they have from websites I’ve previously used. One of the companies that I’ll be working with is owned by one of the companies I worked with at Skinny & Co. This particular client I’m working with has been highlighted in the company newsletter as being a client that is utilizing Blue Acorn in ways it was never used before, which means the consulting range is wider than it’s ever been for this company. My client and another one of Blue Acorn iCi’s clients have competitors that Skinny & Co. have listed as competitors (i.e. True Botanicals and Tata Harper).

    They practice Agile Methodologies and the Scrum framework, which means they do 2-week sprints (vs a continuous flow as in Kanban). They use a Fibonacci sequence (ex. 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 13) of numbers to represent sprint points rather than a linear sequence.

    From a design perspective, they practice “Atomic Design” which is kind of like DRY (don’t repeat yourself) where things are created once and used in many places. A brand guide is a natural output of this as the design elements almost represents the ‘atoms’ in a 1-1 relationship. They call those elements in the style guide, “Design Tokens” or “style tiles” that when viewed together form a UI pattern library. The design tokens are more rigid while the pattern library can change over time based on use case iterations. They also design in high-fidelity first rather than low fidelity.

    There are a LOT of new employees here. People I’m working with have only been here for 2 days to 2 projects.

    There are many non-American-born team members. The Indian members are more obvious. The others appear to be Eastern European. In the one sprint meeting I was in, it was about 40% Indian, 20% EE, and 20% American.

    Almost all other coworkers were wearing t-shirts. I am choosing to wear a dress shirt everyday.

    There are many abbreviations being used everywhere by many different people. I’ve been looking them up and making myself a glossary.

    They use JIRA, which I have some experience with from Marine Credit Union, but the interface has changed since then.

    And as a side note, today I realized that what I learned from a single Shopify app podcast helped me in an interview to get this job (headless architecture and single page applications). It shows the power of intention as I was diving deep in my craft.

    At the end of the day I gave my manager an update on where I was at in the onboarding process. I was late by 4 minutes to a meeting today with her and my peers because I didn’t take my watch to lunch. It was really embarrassing, but I learned from it. I’m headed to the gym now.

  • 2016 Year in Review

    For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” -Proverbs 23:7 KJV

    Grandmommy Funeral
    Grandmommy’s Funeral in Tipton

    In January, my wife’s grandmother, Helen, died and my Grandpa Stauffer started to get sick. My oldest daughter turned 12 and my wife took her to Universal Studios. My mom ended chemo therapy and started radiation treatment. I flew to Orlando for work at GoServicePro.

    Erich at Goservicepro
    Erich at the WWETT16 Show in Indianapolis

    In February, my best friend, Jason Cobb, told me he was moving to Wisconsin. My brother, Mitch, moved into a new house. Skinny and Company offered me full-time employment. On the last day of the month, GoServicePro moved offices and I let them know I was moving on.

    Erich and Jason at the Hi-Fi
    Erich and Jason at the Wakey Wakey Concert in Fountain Square

    In March, my Grandpa Stauffer died. Our family decided to wait to get together. I began working nights at Skinny and Company and went full time March 28th. I started to notice that our kids were starting to grow up.

    daddy-and-amalia-2016

    On the weekends I would take the kids down to the park by the church. The Catholic church had decided to tear down the old church in the background as maintenance costs were too much to repair it.

    samuel-and-kevin-swinging-2016

    Working at Skinny was fun and exciting, but also challenging. We were setting up new systems and so I had to do a lot of learning really quickly. This also uncovered other areas, which needed improvement so there was a lot to do.

    erich-at-skinny-coconut-oil

    My mom’s cancer went into remission and her hair started to grow back. I admired her pursuit of health and her consistently positive attitude through the whole ordeal. Here she is at a band concert:

    moms-hair-2016

    In April I went and visited Jason in Wisconsin. It was a long drive up there and back, but I’m glad I did it. We walked along the Mississippi river and up on top of the bluffs. While I was there my wife told me she was pregnant.

    erich-jason-lacrosse-2016

    Later on that month I went to my first Pacer’s game with Skinny. That’s Mike, Luke, me, and Matt in the picture. Jordan, Landree, and Mike’s wife were also there (she was pregnant, too).

    erichs-first-pacer-game

    Samuel keeps growing up. He really likes going to the park. He’s my little buddy.

    samuel-in-tree-2016

    At the end of April we drove out to Missouri to see Peggy before going on to Dixon for the funeral for Grandpa Stauffer.

    kids-with-peggy-2016

    It was a good way to remember Grandpa.

    grandpa-stauffer-funeral-2016

    Here we are all together in front of the church where my parents got married.

    dad-mom-family-church-2016

    In May I finally setup my own office at Skinny. My brother-in-law, John, got married, and Suzanne and I went to a “Rev Indy” event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Skinny.

    erichs-skinny-office-2016

    By the end of the month, I stopped to smell the roses. I bought a season pass to Eagle Creek Park and would go walking there during lunch kind of like I used to when I worked at Worksmart Systems.

    smell-the-roses

    I took the boys out there, too.

    boys-at-eagle-lake

    We went to the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. It was my first time going. It was hot.

    race-day-2016

    And we started going to the Silver Beach off Lake Michigan.

    kids-silver-beach-michigan-2016-may

    In June, Jason and I went to Chicago. I’ve been to Chicago with Jason more than any other person (so far). We watched a Cubs game.

    We road bikes to China town to see the famous “Post No Signs” sign. It wasn’t there anymore, but we remembered it.

    In July I thought I was going to Atlanta, but I didn’t get to go so I went to the 100 Acres Woods instead.

    I went and saw my mom playing in the Greenwood band at a Greenwood park. She did good!

    Worlds collided when Hans from GoServicePro went out with me and Mike from Skinny and Company to Amber Indian.

    Kids got some ice cream and started growing up.

    In August I went on a walk around Tipton with Samuel.

    Magdalena left me a note.

    We went and visited Jason and his family in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

    And here’s us at the top of a bluff.

    Here’s the office I had setup for a while at Skinny.

    In September I bought a new bike (the first bike I’ve ever bought myself as an adult). My goal is to ride the Hilly Hundred in 2017.

    Me and Magdalena went for a walk in Carmel on the Monon.

    I took Samuel for ice cream.

    Kevin learned how to ride a bike.

    And I started going to the gym (or at least took at least one picture of myself at a gym).

    In October I told Skinny I was moving on and I had Mike and Matt take this picture with me (thanks to Allison for taking it).

    Carmina had fun seeing Skinny Coconut Oil at grocery stores around Indianapolis. She’s a good spokesperson.

    I went and visited Jason in La Crosse, Wisconsin and made a movie of the trip.

    The Cubs ended up winning the World Series. I had nothing to do with it, but I did visit them (twice).

    Jason and I went for a bike ride on the trails at the top of the bluffs.

    In November I accepted the job at Marine Credit Union in La Crosse, Wisconsin and moved into a hotel.

    I came home for a bit and ate some tacos with Hans.

    It was hard to say goodbye to my family after the weekend.

    Samuel learned how to ride a bike and we went for a ride to the park.

    In December I had a baby. We named her after Helen.

    And my parents flew to Hawaii.

    I bought the kids a PS4.

    My brothers came up for Christmas.

    I took Amalia to the park.

    Here’s to 2016.

  • Things I Want You to Know About Life

    My mom wrote this recently when the power was off. She had, “no WiFi, & time to reflect.”
    Power is off and sensors are beeping. So here goes:

    Things I want you to know about Life

    It can change in an instant.
    Don’t wait to do the things you love.
    Don’t waste time on things that don’t matter.
    Do something new.
    Think about others needs & feelings. Express your gratitude.
    See the beauty all around you.
    Listen more Get off your phone.
    Look up.
    Write personal notes, not texts. Handwritten notes  express your heartfelt appreciation
    Be trustworthy always.
    Build your character & integrity.
    Keep a journal to record the highlights you will forget.
    Good times can be very simple. Enjoy them as they come.
    Watch the sunset.
    Smell the rain.
    Read a child a book.
    Take them for a nature walk.
    And the power is back. Hallelujah.
    Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. Hours fly, flowers die, new days, new ways, pass by. Love stays. —a sundial
    Enjoy life!

  • Virtual Reality’s Mainstream Moment: Ready Player One

    Ready Player One: VR Goes Mainstream
    Stock photo from Adobe not related to book or movie by Ernest Cline.

    I remember it like it was yesterday: March 28, 2015, the day Ready Player One and its corresponding virtual reality (VR) game, The Oasis, were simultaneously released.

    While it is true that Avatar 2 released its own VR game months earlier in 2007 it wasn’t until Ready Player One’s “The Oasis” that VR games were considered mainstream.

    The Platform Wars

    Just like in the early days of gaming consoles like Nintendo, SEGA, and Atari, today’s VR landscape is equally segmented and even more fractured because of PCs and mobile devices.

    In the beginning, relatively cheap options like Google Cardboard or View-Master were under $20 while devices from Oculus cost $800 and required a $300 graphics card in a PC.

    Adobe stock photo of cardboard VR glasses to play games in 3D.
    Adobe stock photo of cardboard VR glasses to play games in 3D.

    The Adoption Curve

    Early adopters eagerly purchased any new technology no matter the cost, but for mass adoption the price point of a VR gaming unit had to fall under $400. That happened in March of 2018.

    Samsung, Facebook’s Oculus, and Microsoft all had solutions in the mix, but it was Nintendo who leapfrogged them all with a device that used low-power, cell phone processors and a simple headset device we all know as the Nintendo VoyR.

    The Network Effect

    The VoyR debuted with Mario Planet, but it was The Oasis that was a breakout hit. Although the elements of Mario Planet were familiar (Mario Cart anyone?), it was the built in friendship and messaging abilities that Nintendo built into the game that truly allowed it to prosper. Steam, Battle.net, Sony PSN, and Xbox Live all quickly followed suit.

    But VR wasn’t limited to gaming. Because of the success of Nintendo and other platforms, Facebook was now a place I could go to talk to my friends in 3D and group texts in iMessage could now be done via avatars with Apple’s new VR headset. Even Google was back in the game with Glass VR, Nexus VR, and Chrome VR.

    The Internet of Things

    VR applications opened up a whole new use for Internet connected devices. Apple Car drivers could now virtually do a walk through of their house to look to see if they left something or see who is at the front door when the doorbell rings.

    2018 also saw UBER “drivers” designated to serve a pseudo-AI role of making sure self-driving car passengers feel comfortable in much the same way self-checkout cashiers used to help people when they got stuck checking out some weird item.

    Augmented Reality

    Not all VR tech involved a fully immersive environment. Special “see through” versions from Warby Parker and View-Master allowed an entirely new market of face recognition CRM software for LinkedIn and Minecraft skins for your home.

    But maybe the biggest surprise was the return of the local arcade where specialized VR and augmented reality (AR) environments could be setup for bowling on the moon or playing real-life Mario Kart. But by far Dance Dance Revolution is the most fun.

    First World Problems

    The worst part about VR is taking the headset off and readjusting to the real world to do things like eat and use the restroom. That’s why VR headset makers quickly moved to create hybrid VR/AR headsets that let you see “both worlds” without having to remove the mask.

    And like in Ready Player One, sometimes people hide behind the mask and you really don’t know how someone looks in real life. But maybe that’s okay. Because you can’t judge a book by its cover and maybe you shouldn’t judge a person by the way they look in real life either.

  • Looking Back on Virtual Reality

    My grandson using a cardboard VR headset.
    My grandson using a cardboard VR headset.

    When my kids were teenagers I used to wonder why they spent all their time on Snapchat, Peach, and Tinder, but it’s been fun to watch them fret over their kids’ obsession with virtual reality.

    While my kids grew up playing Minecraft, my grandkids have grew up in Minecraft. For what it’s worth, I enjoy hanging out online. I have a house on Mars right next to Elon Musk.

    When I was young Facebook was something you looked at through a screen. It seems so primitive now, kind of how books seemed to us when dial-up first came around.

    I remember when I got my first headset (this was before VR contact lenses came out). Facebook had just started allowing people to meet virtually in rooms.

    At first it was simple. You could change the background on the walls and swap out chairs and furniture. It was kind of like The Sims. But then people started wanting to go “outside”.

    That’s when Facebook launched Oculus Outside, the online realm where we all now spend most of our time. 

    It seems odd that we all used to drive to work. At least now when we do need to go somewhere that driverless cars allow us to stay jacked in.

    I’ve tried different gear over the years – from Samsung to Microsoft – but my favorite is Nintendo.

    Nintendo mistakenly missed out on the mobile app phenomenon from 2007-2017, but leapfrogged and dominated VR starting in 2018 just as self driving cars started gaining popularity in America.

    I’m young enough to remember the NES and what it was like to play Super Mario Bros the first time. Now I help people who get stuck on Super Mario Planet as a full time job.

    If someone would have told me when I was 35 that when I was 65 I’d be doing virtual tech support for avatars inside a virtual world I would have said, “Only in The SDN.”

  • Nightwalking

    I like breakfast. I like it so much I started making an app to help me find biscuits and gravy. I talk about biscuits and gravy so much I rank higher than Hardee’s.com.

    I own the hashtag #passmeabiscuit on social media. One of my favorite restaurants is Lambert’s Cafe “Home of the Throwed Rolls.” But I gave all of that up.

    When I was young I thought big. I thought I’d own a large, vertical empire of companies. Instead of paying for gravel, I’d own a mining company. Instead of paying for contractors, I’d own a construction company.

    I wanted to own a mansion with not just one basement, but several layers of basement, kind of like the uber-wealthy in London do today. I have this thing about digging. I like to dig. Sometimes I think the only way out is down.

    Every spring for the last 2 years I’ve played Minecraft. I like to build roads. When I first started to drive I’d fantasize about building new roads, straighter roads. I wanted to connect more places. I’m a connector.

    I like meeting new people and connecting people I’ve met with new people I’ve met. I guess this makes me a networker. I like to encourage people. I’m an encourager. I’m an introvert. I recharge when I’m alone, but sometimes I get lonely.

    I live in Tipton. It’s a small town, but I’m not there that often. When I’m there I’m mostly at home, but sometimes I go for walks. There isn’t much places to go, but sometimes, at night, in the summer, there’s an intersection where you can find people. I go there sometimes.

    I’m not sure it’s be too different if I lived in Indianapolis. I’d still have to leave the house. I’d still have to find that intersection where people hang out. The nice thing about roads is that they all lead somewhere. You just have to keep going.