A couple of nights ago I showed my wife a mock-up of this website. She looked at it for a moment, then said:
"Why? Don't you already have a website?"
Then, half-joking but maybe not entirely:
"Boy, you really like stroking your ego."
I laughed it off in the moment. But it stayed with me.
So here I am - the first thing I've ever published on this site - answering her question. To her, to anyone else who's thinking the same thing, and probably most importantly, to myself - cause believe you me, I've had this question way too many times to count.
I started working for myself in 2023 and since then I've embarked on a few ventures. When I initially started Brave Numbers, it was to focus on helping small businesses with fractional high-level leadership in accounting & finance. After a couple of years, a few rejections and lots of self discovery, I believe I've arrived at the right formula to build Brave Numbers into something more. I (along with a friend/ex-colleague) bought a business in 2024 - I'm a franchise partner with Expedia Cruises – a physical location in Mississauga with a team of 30+ consultants that has been around for 20 years. It all started with a call from the founder of Tafée back in 2017. I invested early and started taking care of all the finance stuff since the beginning. That one decision to help and support a friend literally changed how I think about work, careers and business. I've also invested in a couple of startups - StartupFuel and Fitsentive.
From a personal perspective, I'm a son, a husband, a girl dad, a brother, a friend, an amateur footballer and fortunately/unfortunately - an Arsenal supporter (COYG!).
My interests and ventures span across industries and geographies. I wanted something that brings it all together. I came across sites like Linktree and Pageme but I wanted to "own" it. I sat with this idea for a year or so and got tired of sitting with it… so here we are.
That's reason one. A digital shopfront - that I own - where everything I'm doing lives and comes together.
I have a few different social media accounts from a personal and business perspective but no real strategy or cohesion. I also don't own anything that is posted there and that bothered me. If I own the website, I don't need to be concerned with platforms whose algorithms change at someone else's whim. I'll leverage those platforms because that's where people are. So, I'll share snippets via my different accounts and guide people to this website, the writing, the things that live here. The website is my digital shopfront, socials are signposts.
I've done some hard things in my life. Moving countries a few times and starting from scratch. Building a firm from zero. Buying a business. Backing founders with my own money before anyone else would. But social media has always been my weak spot.
I've never liked the idea of broadcasting my personal life. I'm not good at photo editing. My video shooting & editing skills are objectively bad. I tried posting briefly in 2023 and stopped after a few months - it felt performative.
But I know that growth doesn't come from staying in the corner of the room where you're already comfortable. And right now, this is genuinely uncomfortable for me. Which is probably the strongest signal that I need to do it.
I'm not pretending I'll be good at it on day one but I'm willing to put in the time and effort to find out.
I owe something to the people I work with - my partners, my employees, my clients. I owe them my best effort at growing what we've built together. And in 2026, I believe one of the most accessible ways to grow a business is to show up online.
I've personally seen this happen over the last few years and I want it - for the businesses I'm a part of, for the people I'm responsible for and for the teachers, mentors and coaches over the years who've believed in me.
I also want to make more money. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But I want to earn it the right way - by providing value, helping people, and being honest about what's working and what isn't. Not by overclaiming or selling something I haven't lived.
Eventually, this will work. It has to. The businesses will grow. And money stops being a factor in the decisions I make about how to live my life.
That's the dream. But it's not the actual point.
To me, the point is that in three or five or ten years, I want to look back and know I tried. That I worked hard. That I did the things that scared me. That I took this opportunity in front of me and I gave it a proper shot.
I want to make the most of this gift we call Life. I want stories I can tell my grandkids. I want my daughter to see her dad attempt something that wasn't guaranteed, watch it get messy, but still keep going.
I want to be the best version of myself that I can be.
So - to my wife's question: maybe she's right. Maybe there's a bit of ego in all of this. There very likely is.
But I want to believe there's something more honest underneath it. I turn 40 today and I've come to realize that the best things in life come to those who stop playing it safe. I've noticed that nobody - not the wealthy or the founders/CEOs, not the people speaking at conferences or the influencers - has it all figured out. And if everyone else is figuring it out as they go, I can do that too - I can do hard things.
This might not work. I might be wrong about all of it.
I'm doing it anyway.
— Mel · Toronto · May 2026