Notes from a Multi-Business Life

I have a tech job. I help run a coffee shop. I own a signage business. I co-own a coworking space.

There are days when this feels like a gift—like I’ve been entrusted with multiple experiments in meaningful work. And there are days when it feels like I’m standing in the middle of four rooms, each of them calling my name at the same time.

None of this was planned. These businesses came into my life through different seasons and reasons: opportunity, conviction, timing, need. Some grew out of partnership. Some I walked into with open eyes. Some came with more risk than I understood at the time.

What I’m learning—slowly—is that managing these threads isn't about optimization. It's about attention. Each business has its own rhythm, its own people, its own kind of care required. What works in one context often doesn’t translate to another.

Running a sign business (like FASTSIGNS of Irvine) is very different from leading engineering teams at Webconnex. Managing a coffee shop (like Buenas) demands a different pace, a different kind of presence. And at FLDWRK, our coworking space, I’ve seen how shared environments shape the way people relate to their own work.

There’s no system that makes it all seamless. No magic workflow. Just a daily rebalancing. What matters most right now? What can I leave undone? Who needs a thoughtful reply, not just a decision?

If there’s any advice I’m trying to take right now, it’s this: don't drift into a version of leadership that flattens your presence. Each of these places—each of these people—deserves more than just your drive or your judgment. They need your attention. Your care. Even your questions.

I’m also trying to hold tighter to this: Not everything has to grow. Not everything needs to be rescued. Sometimes the most faithful move is to pause, prune, or let go. That part’s still hard for me.

This season is asking something different of me. Not slower, exactly—just clearer. More discernment. Less reacting. A harder look at what’s truly mine to carry. I’m still moving fast most days, but I’m trying not to confuse motion with faithfulness.

I’m not sure what’s next. But I know what’s here: a full life, a set of good people, and work that’s worth showing up for—even when it’s hard.

This isn’t advice. Just a note from the middle of it.