My First Start-Up Failed. Here’s Why This One Won’t.

This isn’t my first attempt at a technology start-up. My first venture wasn't a failure; it was a scouting mission to gain critical intelligence. I learned the hard way that you cannot beat Big Tech on their terrain, playing by their rules. That venture wasn't a failed business; it was an invaluable lesson in what not to do. I found all the traps by walking straight into them.

Now, I'm returning with a new strategy. A reimagining of the proven business model: software as a service. The market for business management software alone is a vast and valuable territory at over $80 billion. We don't need to conquer the whole empire; we only need to establish a strong, independent province to prove our model is superior.

We won't win by outspending. We will win by out-caring, out-listening, and by employing a financial structure that makes us immune to their primary weapon: capital.

We win with humanity and actual service.

Next week, I will introduce you to the first generals who have joined the cause.

Finley Knowles

The first general to introduce is obvious. My father and wise counsel, Finley Knowles.

To understand my dad, one must first understand the world that shaped him; a family culture where civic responsibility was not just a career choice, but an inheritance. The Knowles family’s commitment to public service is a story deeply embedded in the history of Tennessee. He stewards a legacy of public service and a family tradition of civic duty in Tennessee that stretches back to the Revolutionary War and culminated in a generation of leaders who shaped the government of Hamilton County.

After leaving ministry work from the Church of the Nazarene, he became the Chief Administrator for the Hamilton County Clerk’s office serving under his father. He is a graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University and pursued graduate work at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, including work toward a doctorate in public administration. This commitment to formal education was validated when he earned the designation of Certified Public Administrator from the University of Tennessee.

Decades ago, Finley was already fighting the battle against bad software. His award-winning 'tax wizard' was not a gimmick; it was a tool built on empathy, designed to empower local businesses, not subjugate them; the very philosophy at the heart of Project Agent X.

Finley knows how to fight on difficult terrain. His success in navigating the SBA bureaucracy and raising millions for Camp Garner Creek is the hard-won intelligence our mission needs. His 'Ten Bucks a Month Club' is the grassroots, community-first funding model that will make us immune to Big Tech's capital.

Finley embodies the principle of 'service as strategy'. While Big Tech is building tools of surveillance, Finley has been proving that technology could be used to genuinely serve a community.