Ten Years of Service

It started as a wild idea, swept on the winds of a little shock and an idealistic pursuit. It's birth-place: New York City. Specifically, a big borough, with a tough reputation: The Bronx.

Eight years prior, I was building a career as a photographer. I worked for various daily and weekly newspapers. Shooting sports was my favorite. But things began to change.

My interests began to require an independent path. Working for others—on staff—just never seemed to work out more than a few years. Conflict. Angst. Boredom. These things are not good ingredients for a successful career in a corporation. Simultaneously, my doctor noticed I was prone to spontaneous lung collapse. We didn’t know if it was due to chemistry for film processing or lifting lots of equipment in and out of the car. He suggested I consider a career change—especially while I was not yet 30 years-of-age.

I was stunned. Yet, I was also curious. What could I do with what I know? How could I change?

A mentor named Mahmud Ramza, in Brooklyn, NY, gave me a book to read: Law of Success. This giant book by Napoleon Hill was my guide into the unknown. I learned to take my first steps into understanding the importance of discovering my Definite Chief Aim: To provide the highest-quality digital photo retouching service throughout the world. Another mentor, Dina Terry, coached and guided me with the technical parts of establishing Photo Grafix such as getting our own phone line, bank account and landing our first big jobs.

Ten years since the journey started, I’m still a long way off from attaining the fullness of my Definite Chief Aim. Yet, I can see it getting closer and closer. My path is clear. Surely, without your support as our customers, students, family and friends, I’d still be wandering and wondering where I would be in 2009. Thank you.

P.S. We'll be adding snapshots from the early days of Photo Grafix Genesis at our Facebook Fan Page. Be sure to log in and sneak a peek!