In 2004, a spyware infection destroyed my computer. Nothing on the market could fix it. So I hired a programmer and we built something that could. We called it SpyZooka, launched the world's first 100% spyware removal guarantee, and grew it into a real business making real money.
Then I got sick. A rare parasitic infection that no one could diagnose for years. While I was down, I made the worst business decision of my life — I gave away 49% of a company valued at $10 million to the wrong people. I received nothing in return. They took everything that was working and broke it. Revenue dropped to almost nothing. I ended up paying them to go away, plus another $100K to attorneys who did nothing. Later, I provided information to the FTC that led to $4 million in fines against them for selling illegal products. Small consolation.
I rebuilt SpyZooka from scratch. Then I started MadWords — an AI-powered content engine built on everything I learned in 20 years of SEO. The kind of tool I always wished existed. No venture capital. No team of 50. Just me, one loyal partner, and the stubbornness to keep going.
The endgame isn't another exit or a corner office. MadWords will be the best content and CRM platform on the planet — something as powerful as Salesforce that doesn't need three years of training to figure out. SpyZooka will use AI to end spyware for good and eventually move into enterprise. But the real mission is bigger than software. I've spent 15 years fighting a parasitic infection that most doctors don't even know exists. The revenue from these companies will fund research to cure mosquito and tick-borne illnesses — and put safeguards in place to make sure governments and researchers never create another one.
I'm currently in West Texas with a 200-pound Caucasian Shepherd, working on the next chapter. If you're reading this, you're early.