Last updated: October 2, 2026 · What’s a /now page?

Currently building automation, helping business owners think through valuation and what comes next, putting my first book into the world, and living in 198 square feet while doing it.

2026

October

  • Spoke on government contracting. Led a session on knowing the opportunity, knowing your number, and making the decision.

September

  • Published my first book. The Principles of MESLO: The Art & Science of an Estimate is now published in paperback and Kindle, with broader distribution underway. Recorded the audiobook, too.
  • Moved our oldest daughter into college. Helped her move into her dorm and begin a new chapter.
  • Went to the WeTrain Washington Annual Gala. Reconnected with people and helped support a great cause.

August

  • Trained and certified eight Hispanic contractor firms. Taught the MESLO curriculum over a four-week cohort.
  • Started turning MESLO into a live workshop. Developed a half-day pricing workshop for contractors, along with worksheets and field materials to take the framework beyond the book.
  • Looked back at four years of lifestyle change. I was down 79 pounds from 2022 and wrote about the difference between competing with everyone else and competing with your former self.
  • Hiked Oyster Dome.

July

  • Driving lessons with our twins. Backing up, parallel parking, parking, and the basics.
  • Attended a Sweet 16. Reunited with old friends, many I hadn’t seen since graduating high school.
  • Hiked Whistle Lake Trail in Anacortes.
  • Started building a Python automation engine. Began experimenting with turning company data and reports into automated workflows, reducing hours of manual work to minutes.

June

  • Driving lessons with our youngest daughter. Town roads, country roads, and highway driving.
  • Went to McMenamins Goon Fest and Adelman’s Peony Gardens for the last Peony Festival.
  • Joined an impromptu Operation Code Seattle meetup.

May

  • Started developing new talks and workshops. Began turning MESLO, estimating, and government-contracting experience into speaking material.
  • Hiked Latourell Falls.
  • Spent time on the Oregon Coast for a friend’s birthday.

April

  • Onboarded and trained with a new business brokerage. Began formally building the M&A side of my work.
  • Worked through a potential business acquisition. Dug into ownership, seller financing, transition, and what it would actually take to make the deal work.
  • Started taking MESLO beyond the book. Began developing tools and materials that could turn the framework into something business owners could actually use.

March

  • Saw Jupiter on a clear night from the Oregon Coast.
  • Started shooting video content for @principlesofmeslo.
  • Started building principlesofmeslo.com. Built the initial MESLO landing page in Next.js as a home for the book and framework.

February

  • Traveled toward the Cascades for espresso.
  • Spent Super Bowl Sunday and my birthday with friends.
  • Traveled to Mount Vernon to remove a massive tree stump. Tacos and whiskey to celebrate.

January

  • Worked on a GSA Multiple Award Schedule offer. Another step deeper into the machinery of federal contracting.
  • Traveled to Louisiana to visit an old Army friend. Helped him and his virtual assistant operationalize their back office and, before departing, visited the famous Daiquiri Express.

This page is an ongoing record of what I’m doing now. For essays and longer ideas, visit Writing.