My Journey To Becoming a Wizard of Ads Partner

The years just collapsed away. The clock had marched forward, but the friendship had not changed. Instead, the stories flowed like a babbling brook accented with mutual laughter. The person responsible for me becoming a Wizard of Ads™ Partner reconnected after twenty years at BarChef. 

I hired Dharmesh at the age of nineteen, straight out of high school to be my web developer. We loved working off of one another, innovating and creating TrainingTools.com, an offshoot of XtraNet. Content marketing, before it was ever called content marketing.

One day Dharmesh walked in and asked for the morning off. He wanted to attend an event put on by one of the Toronto radio stations where his friend worked. I said, “Sure.” Little did I know that a simple decision would have a lasting ripple effect on my life.

Dharmesh came back super excited, telling us how much he had learned and told us we should buy the books, etc. I don’t have to be told twice. I bought the Wizard of Ads books for myself, my partner, and my business consultant. We all read, digested, discussed, and implemented the teachings. 

Dharmesh moved on to become an entrepreneur himself. Co-founder of Resiada Inc. and Streampoint Solutions Inc., event management platforms. He currently employs more than forty developers. I’m so proud of the man he has become and the things he has done.

I sold my half of XtraNet to my business partner and started my next haphazard adventure. Eventually, I found myself at the Wizard Academy, attending a course with Roy. Because my prior business consultant, Stephen Semple, had taken a course and told me I had to go, “It will be the best course you’ve ever taken.” He was right.

During lunch one day, while attending another course, The Young Writers Workshop, with my two boys. Roy turned to me and said, “Do you want to be a partner?” When the deer in the headlights face returned to normal, I said, “Yes.”

If you’re ever in Toronto, you should have a drink at BarChef. It will change your life, much like Dharmesh changed mine the day he accepted the job offer. Dharm, I can’t wait until the next time we get together.