I’ve tried starting businesses several times, but none have ever stuck long enough to grow into something beyond a year-long break from a traditional W-2 job. This time, I’m taking something I genuinely enjoy doing (most of the time) and turning it into a business. My goal is to escape the policies and procedures of typical workplaces and create something I’m excited to wake up and work on every day.
One thing I’ve always prioritized in a job is unlimited PTO. I tend to burn out from my dedication to my role, so having the freedom to take a week or two off every season to relax and spend time with family has always been important to me. With this business, I want to build a work-life balance for myself and my employees. Whether it’s permanent roles, flexible jobs for parents during school hours, or temporary positions to bridge gaps, I want my business to provide opportunities for my family, friends, and, eventually, some exceptional external talent who enjoy working here as much as I do.
At my core, small businesses are the backbone of America. That’s why I’m building a web hosting business that reflects the strengths of small businesses: lean, efficient, and focused. I don’t mean running with a skeleton crew, but why overspend on fluff? Sure, advertising is necessary, but I’d instead invest in what truly matters for business growth.
Over the years, I’ve seen many companies pour money into extravagant headquarters. But in today’s world—with Starlink, gigabit fiber, and remote work—why does anyone need a massive office? I want to create a tech and business stack that’s lean, practical, and accessible for people like me. Yes, giants like Cloudflare, Amazon, and Google dominate this space. Still, the reality is that a massive outage from any of the giants will take down a considerable portion of the internet someday. I want to build a business that’s as self-reliant as possible. If a client wants to use one of those giants, I’ll help them, but I’ll also educate them (a little Hank Hill style) on why smaller is often better regarding tech.
The starting point for this business will be a DNS service. After years of brainstorming how to launch 509 Network, it finally clicked: DNS is the foundation of the internet, and it’s where the average person starts caring about what happens online. That’s the perfect layer to begin with. The DNS service will be called Peachnado, and I’m hoping to open it up for early use in the coming days.