Big Changes at FortySeven Media

by Jonathan Longnecker

Friends, I have a lot to tell you. So sit down, pull up a chair, grab some milk and cookies and get ready. It's story time!

The Discontent

It all started several years ago - a slow, subtle gnawing in the pit of my stomach. Our business was great, my kids were healthy and happy, and my relationship with my wife was better than ever. But I couldn't shake this feeling that most of our day-to-day lives seemed - empty.

I was asked to give a talk at a gathering of guys who were trying to be better husbands and fathers - and before I knew it I had an entire presentation of why I was discontented. I dug into books like “Linchpin,” researched all kinds of statistics about home ownership and global income, and realized that I was having trouble reconciling all the time and money our big beautiful house was costing us.

In fact, I was having trouble reconciling what the American Dream was necessitating on multiple fronts - from debt to consumerism to education and beyond. The things everyone else seemed to care about and spend so much time and money on were slowly losing their meaning for me.

My wife felt this, too and had talked many times of traveling more. Exposing ourselves to people and situations outside our comfort zone. Maybe even of traveling full-time, ditching the house and mortgage and exploring the US on our own terms. We knew a few people who had done it. Could we do it, too? With 4 kids?

I'll be honest - I was the hold out here. Ashley would have sold everything and hit the road 3 years ago if I was ready. It just took me a little longer to realize what an amazing opportunity it would be. So August of 2014 we made the decision. We were going to drastically simplify our life and take our kids on an amazing adventure. We so crazy!

Business Changes

This was admittedly a huge decision not only for our family, but for my partnership with Nate as well. Could I really ask him to let me galavant across the country on my own schedule and trust that I'd still be as plugged in as I used to be?

The truthful answer is that Nate wouldn't hesitate to back me and my crazy dream. He'd already done a version of the same thing himself a few months earlier. But the more I thought about this “detangling” from our comfy suburban life, the more I realized I was craving the same thing in my business life. We had an amazing 10 year run, but it was time to seek out our own paths, if you will. We were both heading in new directions, and didn't want those directions to take away from committment we made to each other all those years ago.

So in January of 2015, we pow-wowed and came up with a plan. I was doing most of the day-to-day stuff with FortySeven Media already so I bought his share of the company so he would have the time and cash to start a new venture. The goal was to announce it in July after a 6 month transition, but something crazy happened right after we made the decision. He met a girl, fell in love and got married! So he was a little preoccupied this summer and our timeline got pushed back.

All that to say, the stars have aligned, the clients notified, the transition completed, and we can finally announce to the world that FortySeven Media lives on under Jonathan's care and Nate's new venture, PlotWhole is open for business.

More importantly, Nate and I are still the best of friends and are genuinely excited for each other during this next phase of our lives.

What's Next

Well, lots of adventures first of all! We've actually been on the road since May of 2015 and my wife and I have chronicled all of it over at our blog at BareNeckers. Go check it out if you have a few minutes.

As for FortySeven Media? It's something I've been pondering quite a bit. Nate has always been my right hand man - I can't remember a time when I did any project without him by my side. I'm realizing that I'll have to dig deep and find my own voice - something that isn't as easy as it sounds.

In the coming months I hope to unravel that mystery. It will certainly be a different kind of adventure!

As usual, you guys rock. Nate and I would like to thank you for following our craziness the past 10 years. We also hope you'll continue to keep up with us even though we may live at seperate URL's.

And with that my friends, the story is over. Or is it just beginning?