For years, I helped build something I was genuinely proud of.

The Data School trained some of the best Tableau consultants in the world. We had cohorts in London, New York, and Hamburg. Hundreds of analysts came through the program and went on to do incredible work.

And I loved it. Until I didn’t.

When we decided to scale, the right move was to let the other coaches take on more of the training. It was great for their careers and great for the business. But it meant I was doing less of the thing I actually loved doing… teaching.

I’m not someone who does well with complacency. When I stop growing, I notice it quickly. And somewhere along the way, I had stopped growing. The passion that had driven me for years started to feel distant.

I didn’t talk about it much. But Eva knew.

In April 2023, we were in Houston, Texas. I was there for an Ironman. Eva was there supporting me, as she always does. One evening we sat down and watched a webinar series by Stu McLaren about building membership businesses.

I remember sitting there thinking, this is it.

Not in a dramatic way. More like the feeling you get when something finally makes sense. Everything Eva and I had been talking about, what I might do next, whether I could build something of my own, how could I spend more time with her and our unborn baby, started to come into focus.

The Data School was selective by design. Eight people per cohort. Location dependent. Thousands of analysts who wanted that level of training simply could not access it. I had always felt that disappointment.

That evening in Houston, I started to see a way to change it.

I didn’t make any decisions that night. But something had changed. I knew that if I was ever going to bet on myself, the time was getting close.

Part two comes next week. That’s when things got real.

-Andy