Episode Zero

My name is Daniel Swain, and I own an web design agency called JDS Web Design.  I have been building websites for over 13 years, or since August 2007.

A little more information about myself.  I was born in Louisville, Kentucky.  I had two wonderful but completely different parents.  My father was a huge believer in keeping me busy with team sports.  Team and character building was tremendously important to him.  From the time that I can remember, I was apart of a basketball, football, or baseball team.  Every weekend was filled with playing on a court, field, or diamond.  My mother looked at life a little different.  She believed in assimilation by association.  She signed me up for all types of groups and organization.  Most of the organizations were civic, service or faith based. I was introduced to many future engineers, chief financial officers, comptrollers, and priest at an early age. Robert’s Rules of Order became my second bible.

Staying busy and being around progressive individuals was a great foundation for me.  This base help me to decide to attend college, and ultimately graduate from college.  I am the first member of my family to graduate from college. I was very busy during my college days.  I was a member of a fraternity, debate team, English Club, Government Circle and Student Body.  After college, I got my dream job as a campaign aid.  Working for a State Representative, was an amazing experience.  I meet the mover and shakers. After about 18 months, I was approached about a position in a start up.  I left government to work in Corporate America.

I would staying with my former company for close to 20 years.  Moving up from an entry level position to director. My company would move me from Louisville, Kentucky to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Atlanta, Georgia.  During the summer of 2007, my former company and I decided to part ways.  It was a difficult time to find another job.  The country was in the midst of a recession.  One day, while I was over my neighbor’s house.  I was asking him about what, why and how to start your own company.  My neighbor had been layoff about 6 months prior.  He was starting up his own company.  After about 20 minutes of conversation, my neighbor’s cell phone ranged.  He took the call, and became very agitated.  I asked him what was wrong.  His web designer had not completed his website.  I mentioned that I have been building websites for about 5 or 6 years.  It was actually a hobby, and I was not very good.  He asked to see some of my projects. I show him a couple of template sites.  I was hired on the spot.  My first project was for $2,500.  A hand shake, and single malt scotch drink was all that I needed.

This would be the beginning of JDS Web Design.  It took me about 30 days to complete his site.  The site was up until 2018. I begged him many time to allow me to redesign it, but he truly loved my first site.

In the early part of 2008, I enrolled in one of my local community college.  I wanted to learn more about website standards and how to incorporate my agency.  While studying at night, I was introduce to my business mentor.  He was a retired insurance agency owner.  Over the past 12 years, he has been instrumental in my development as a business owner.