Goodbye Ephricon!

July 31, 2013 was my last day working at Ephricon Web Marketing.

I worked there for 7 months as the Director of Client Services. It was a good 7 months. No, it was a GREAT 7 months.

The owner (Jon Payne) informed me yesterday that Ephricon has been purchased by another company. In the process, the job I have been doing was no longer needed. (Well, actually Jon’s job is no longer needed, so he is going to be taking what was my job. But it’s basically the same thing.) I’m really happy for Jon and for Ephricon. This is a good thing for them.

It’s also a very good thing for me.

Someone recently asked if my “honeymoon period” was over with Ephricon. I had never really looked at it that way because I liked the people I worked with and really enjoyed the role I was given. But the more I thought about it, the more I did realize that some of the initial excitement has worn off, which I guess is normal.

But more importantly, there were things I missed about my life before working at Ephricon.  I missed a lot of my previous students and clients. (They were still there and stayed in touch some. But nothing like before.) I missed working on MY OWN sites and building up my business instead of someone else’s. I also missed some of the freedom I had before taking the job.

But the one thing I will never miss was the crazy long commute in stupid Charlotte and Lake Norman traffic every day.  If you’ve ever driven from Mooresville, NC to Fort Mill SC during rush hour (especially if there is a single drop of rain on the road), you know what I mean.  I’m a very patient man, and it even drove me crazy at times.

So what can I say?  

Honestly, at heart I am an entrepreneur, a trainer, and an Internet marketing consultant. It’s what I love and I’m glad I’m back.  What exactly am I doing next? I’ll post that next. But first, a few parting words for Ephricon Web Marketing and the wonderful people that work there…

I loved my time at Ephricon and really enjoyed working with such a smart, hard working, and talented group. I wish nothing but the best for the company and each of them individually. They are likely going to go through a bit of a transition in the weeks and months ahead, but I will always highly recommend them, especially with the people they have now.

The Campaign Managers (CMs) are top-notch communicators and excellent SEO marketers. Honestly, one of the main reasons I let Jon talk me into coming to Ephricon was to learn more about what’s working now in SEO. I am very grateful to each of the Campaign Managers for helping me re-learn that. Together, they have taught me a lot.

HINT: I look forward to applying that (non-proprietary) knowledge to my own sites and some of my previous clients that used to work with me before Ephricon.

The Associates (that each work with a CM) were an absolute pleasure to be around. They have such bright minds and a desire to learn that it’s inspiring to me personally. So many people complain about young people today feeling entitled and not working hard. This is not the case with Ephricon Associates. I greatly enjoyed their awesome attitude and desire to try new things and learn.

The Design team (of only two) were the ones I spent the most time with. Garrett’s office was next to mine and I always enjoyed our conversations and his insights. I’ll miss you most of all, Garrett. (Ok, this is starting to sound like the end of Wizard of Oz, now.)

And what can I say about Jon Payne (the owner)? He’s brilliant. I’ve learned so much about business and SEO from him. He’s also a very caring business man, which I believe is rare. He cares about his clients and his employees very much. He personally works extremely hard, yet treats his employees with great respect.

Thank you, Jon, for letting me be a part of Ephricon for the 7 months you had me there. I think we both expected it to be longer, but it was a pleasure while it lasted. No hard feelings toward you at all and I look forward to staying in touch.

That’s all for now.

If you know me well, you’ll know that I’m not disappointed. I’m excited about the next chapter in my life. Although this was a bit of a surprise, there’s no hard feelings at all.

Stay tuned. Feel free to drop a comment below or email me. I’ll try to reply.