Blogger Stories: Jeremy Wright

Blogs opened more than just a few doors for Jeremy Wright who runs the world's 3rd largest blog network. Social media paved the way out of the darkness and into a world where the lightness of success meant no more sleeping in the bottom of abandoned buses.

Blogger Story Teller: Jeremy Wright, Ensight

I’d like to say that I had a master plan. 5 years ago I was an unemployed bum with a few positive marks on my resume. Okay, two positive marks. First, I’d done Microsoft’s first website. And second, that I’d helped lead the Y2K project for the UK. The problem being that the Microsoft website was more than 6 years earlier, and the Y2K thing wasn’t very helpful immediately after the event (even though our project was a roaring success).

So I was effectively an unemployed bum with no prospects. And while going from that to a published author, marginally respected blogger, occasional speaker/consultant and owner of the third largest blog network in the world (b5media) might imply some kind of plan, the truth is that it was more blindness than planning. Literally.

You see, there was a time when I was legally blind. I was offered a job at a dot-com on the far, far, far east side of Toronto. The only reason I took it was that my signing bonus was free eye surgery.

The eye surgery was interesting (there is no smell in the world like burning eyeball). Being able to see was awesome. And the dot-com sucked. But I was hooked. I started a blog, got into programming and IT, and I’ve somehow stumbled from one opportunity to the other without falling over, getting too drunk or losing my pants (literally and figuratively).

Along the way I’ve met lots of great people (including quite a few from the sidebar hear). If there’s any moral to this story it’s that desperation can lead to some really great opportunities. I no longer sleep in the bottom of abandoned buses, which is good. But I can still hear the sirens, smell the decay and feel the cold from long winter nights. The desperation isn’t gone, it’s just more refined.

Comments

[Jeremy Wright]

Joey: Not sure what you mean by "working with the team". I'm one of two who is currently full-time...

But the forums, newsgroups and Skype are always on and active for all 4 founders.

[joey]

And i hear you are the only b5 owner who's actually working with the team?

[Ron]

that's why you're the boss.

[jayvee]

nice one! and after one year, we're still going strong!