David Brinkman

David Brinkman’s business was thriving. 3PV was a company in the independent third-party verification business responsible for ensuring that what a seller sold was what a client bought. The business was predominantly used by telephone companies when switching home phone services from one company to another. Do you still have a phone hanging on your kitchen wall today? Exactly. 

Then in 2012, the company began to crash. They gradually went from 100 employees to 12 employees. The dynamic of the team changed as well. What was once an air of abundance and wealth became a mindset of conservation and frugality. David feared losing his business, so he tightened everything – his wallet, his ideas and his risks. His monthly targets were no longer about growth, they were simply about staying afloat and being able to pay all his employees. David was chronically stressed and worried about his bills and the impending crash of his company. He decided to direct 90% of the company’s efforts toward building up a company he started just a few years earlier, AssureSign. 

AssureSign was way ahead of its time. They enabled electronic signatures and made it possible to execute documents online. While AssureSign continued to grow, 3PV continued its decline, keeping the top line revenue flat. The objective became to grow AssureSign at a pace equal to or greater than the decline of 3PV. They were successful at keeping pace for 3 years.

David took another hit when his best friend and groomsman at his wedding decided to leave his team. “I don’t think this is right for me,” his friend said. David interpreted this to mean, “I don’t believe in you or this company.” David was devastated as one of his biggest supporters left the business. 

As fate would have it, David heard Kim Ades speak at an EO event the same day his friend left the company. David talked to Kim after her compelling presentation and decided to take the plunge. He wasn’t looking for a coach—Kim just walked into his life and changed it for the better. She was genuinely caring and his biggest cheerleader. This was one of the best investments he could have made.

David had many fears and self-limiting beliefs that were holding him back. He spent so long just trying to survive that he couldn’t even imagine a thriving future for his company. Kim helped David find his self-confidence and project that to his team. He attacked his work with a renewed sense of vim and vigor and made a bold five-year plan for his company. The plan was to sell his company to a larger organization where AssureSign’s technology would be a game changer. He was concerned that his plan was too daring and stretched. But as he continued to work with Kim, AssureSign began to blossom. 

Four years into his five-year plan, his team not only achieved but surpassed their goal. They sold AssureSign to Nintex for more than they estimated five years ago. Thanks to Kim, David was able to let go of his stress and see a future for his company. David was thriving professionally, but he was also thriving personally. David’s wife saw remarkable changes in him. “Before Kim, there were years when I didn’t hear you laugh,” she told him. Now David is living life to the fullest. Having sold his company, he has the time and resources to do whatever he wants and pursue his passion for supporting and mentoring young people.