Many of you probably don’t know what SelfReliant “is” – and that’s alright, because up until now, I haven’t either.

Transitioning from a successful patent brokerage firm to another model of doing business has been much harder than I imagined, and made for a difficult ‘08 and ‘09.  2010 is going to be different though, and the move we’re announcing today has the potential to be the start of something really big.

Michael Innes has been a friend since middle school, when we met through the never-dull exploits of our mutual contact, Reese Rankin.  In fact, we’ve worked together in a startup before – the imaginary startup Reese called, Rejgond Inc.  I’m not sure where the name came from exactly, or what it means, or even what we were going to do with it – but in middle school and high school, it didn’t matter a whole lot.  But as Michael is fond of saying, “Girls play ‘house’ – we played ‘company’”

First off, let me say that Michael is actively looking to relocate from Seattle to Raleigh, and is staying here with us in Brier Creek in order to manage his job hunt.  Michael was trained at the University of Washington as a User Experience Designer and has prior experience with Microsoft.  I invite you to visit his portfolio website at http://eptin.net to get an idea of some of his previous work.  If you have a full-time position for Michael, please get in touch with him right away.  But even you have a small project or short contract, you will now be able to contract with SelfReliant to get a slice of Michael’s time and expertise.

This is all a part of SelfReliant’s re-launch.  Working with Michael, we’ve re-imagined SelfReliantLLC.com and will be making the new site available shortly.  As I mentioned above, 2010 will be the start of a new company:  we are now officially a small and talented team of consultants, looking for clients who want to move their ventures onto the web.  Whether you want to ‘activate’ a robust social media presence (me), build an iPhone application (Carolyn), or conduct professional user experience testing (Michael) – our team can bring you or your company to the next level.

And what sets us apart?  The same thing that always has:  our focus on education.  Unlike consulting companies that you may end up becoming dependent on, the SelfReliant team is committed to the idea that in order to add the most value, we’ll always give you an opportunity to facilitate your own learning.  If you don’t care about web design, graphic design, open source software, social media, etc… just tell us, and we’ll deliver great results for you or your company, and then move on.  But if you want to take your personal learning to the next level so you won’t need us in the future, we will always offer an array of training products:  1-on-1 tutoring, group seminars for your employees, or custom e-books for your future reference.

SelfReliant’s unique educational philosophy will remain intact – and come into play here as well:  the best learning experiences occur when you are actively involved, making mistakes, being surprised by outcomes, and taking risks.  For the other entrepreneurs reading this, you know that any venture provides a constant experiential learning opportunity. You are all self-educators, and we are here to help you on your journey – encouraging your creativity and ambition.

Working with the SelfReliant team in order to further your online learning will remind you of the famous Yeats quote:  “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”  Receiving training from Carolyn, Michael, or myself – or any future members of the SelfReliant team – will always feel like the guidance of a mentor, who is interested in catalyzing your learning on your terms.  Becoming self-reliant isn’t something you can learn from a textbook or lecture – it’s a skill set that the best entrepreneurs use and develop every day, as they find themselves constantly dealing with new and ambiguous challenges.  SelfReliant will always be your partner in the development of that skill set – if you want our help and guidance.

If not, then remember that we are first and foremost professional consultants, ready to help you complete your online projects at a price that fits your budget.  We already have a significant portfolio as a team, and we’re eager to show you our stuff.  Email us today for a quote or more information:  alex AT selfreliantllc.com