Just a quick note to let you all know that last week my wife gave birth to our second son, Hunter Jay Stauffer. Both boy and mom are doing great, and Austin is a big fan of his baby brother already.
Part of the reason I'm writing this is to thank all of you for making it possible for me to enjoy this time without the stress of worrying about my business.
You see, my first son was born in January of 2009. Things were a little different then.
In Oct. 2008, StevieSnacks (the predecessor to Texas Blues Alley) turned one year old. On the anniversary of my first lesson ever, I released 5 Boxes Essential Licks. The success of that course (albeit small in comparison to a typical course today) was so amazing that I began to wonder if this hobby could turn into a career.
But with a baby on the way, I pushed those dreams off and continued running StevieSnacks in my nights and weekend hours.
I began working on a course that was (at the time) my masterpiece: Essential Fretboard. Demand for a course like this was high, and I was pretty sure that it could open the door to a new career.
I worked on Essential Fretboard for about two months straight until Austin (my first son) was born in January 2009. If you're a parent, you understand what happens to hobbies when a baby is born. Because I still had a full-time job as a software engineer, my free time evaporated. Progress on Essential Fretboard slowed to a crawl.
I worried that StevieSnacks would die on the vine, and this anxiety followed me every single day. In the midst of the incredible joy that accompanies fatherhood, there was also incredible worry and stress.
Sales did plateau over the next three months, but they didn't dry up. People kept showing up to the site and buying courses. Week after week after week. And slowly, as Austin grew, I began to make progress on Essential Fretboard again.
I released the course in April of 2009 and the response was overwhelming. But despite the success of the course, the months of worrying had taken their toll. I remember feeling numb the evening after the course came out. The sales were piling up and I couldn't even summon a smile to celebrate.
Despite my burnout, any doubts I had about the viability of this new career were erased. Three months later I left my job to run StevieSnacks full-time.
Eight years later I'm doing it all over again. Except this time, thanks to the support of so many of you, I'm actually able to enjoy this time without the constant fear of my business drying up.
So for that, my whole family thanks you :-)