Back in 2001, I was 23, standing in the ashes of my first real shot at something big—a small-town grocery store I bought with no experience and a lot of grit. It didn't just fail; it imploded. I'd misjudged everything—demand, margins, cashflow—and when the doors shut, I was left with debt, a bruised ego, and a hard truth: money isn't just numbers on a page. It's the lifeblood of any dream, and if you don't understand it, it'll bleed out fast.
That mess wasn't the end, though—it was the beginning. I needed a way to get it right, so I started scribbling. In Microsoft Works, of all things. I built a simple tool to track my cashflow—week by week, dollar by dollar. Rent, groceries, tax refunds, even the occasional splurge—it all went in. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. For the first time, I could see where I was headed, not just where I'd been. By 2007, I'd moved it to Excel, tweaking it as I went, sharing it with friends who needed the same clarity.
Life kept throwing lessons my way. I ran a cafe that barely broke even, launched a digital marketing business that taught me hustle, and consulted for others who'd hit their own walls. Every stumble—every late invoice or unexpected bill—sharpened that tool. It wasn't about achieving financial failure (that's impossible); it was about learning to spot the cracks before they split wide open. Over 20 years, I've reflected on that grocery store flop more times than I can count. It taught me that people can take control of their money, not let their money control them.
In 2025, I decided it was time to stop tinkering alone. That survival spreadsheet evolved into spnd.io—a financial toolkit designed for people who've lived real financial struggles, not just those who study them. It's for anyone who's ever wondered where their money goes, who wants to clear a picture of what's possible. From my grocery store wreck to this, spnd.io is about turning hard-earned lessons into something useful—something that helps you spend smart, plan steady, and build the life you want.
