Meet Dan Furman

Thanks for stopping by. I always think a good “about” page can help set a website apart. I don’t trust companies who have a lousy about page.

Ok, you came here to find out about me, so what can I tell you?

I’m a Gen X guy who writes for a living from his North Carolina home, helping companies of all sizes communicate and market better. The rest of this site details what I do, so I’ll talk more personal stuff here.

Let’s start at the beginning… (don’t worry, there won’t be too much kid stuff here).

That’s me, my brother, and my sister. Plus some nice, healthy 1970’s secondhand smoke!

I grew up in upstate NY, about 2 hours north of NYC. And I’ve been a “writer” since I can remember. I can’t explain it, but I was always able to write exceptionally well – it simply makes sense to me.

My first job was in my father’s iron shop. I ran these machines at 11. By Myself. Really.

Then I became an adult and entered the workforce.

Until my early 30’s, I had many interesting jobs. Blue collar, white collar, no collar, retail, sales, construction, IT/programming, management, entrepreneurship – you name it, I did it.

This varied background has served me very well. I was always a go-getter and a fast learner, so I was quickly invited into the inner circle and handed responsibility almost everywhere I landed. This allowed me to see up-close how different industries really worked.

My writing and creative marketing ability was also evident, and put to work everywhere: B2B, B2C, retail, professional service, hospitality, etc.

However, in all of these positions, I never really found my thing. Although I liked a bunch of them, nothing really fit. I’m also a real pain in the ass for bosses who like to micromanage. I know what I’m doing – leave me alone.

In 2001, I left my last “real job” as an e-commerce programmer for a large manufacturer and started working for myself.

I began my self-employment journey by offering my e-commerce programming services on a young internet, and I made a pretty successful little four page website that converted nicely. Then in 2002 I made another crude website for some golf clubs I was thinking about making/selling, and that website worked pretty well too… people were reading every page.

The lightbulb started coming on. Plus the e-commerce software that I was making a living on was getting phased out. I needed to branch out.

My professional activities quickly morphed into offering writing and marketing – I realized I was very good at engaging people with words, sales conversion, UI/UX, and the whole digital marketing thing.

And 20+ years later, I’m still very good at it. Better in fact – as the web has evolved, so have I. This is what I was meant to do – write, market, communicate, and sell…

Ok, enough career stuff. This is the “meet Dan” page, so let’s do more of that.

A Bit About Me Personally

Here’s something cool: I married my wife Maryellen a month after we met.

Really, we met in July 1999, and were married in Vegas that August. And we’re still going strong. My takeaway here is to trust your gut – it’s almost never wrong. Plus, flying out to Vegas and getting married on a whim is astonishingly exciting!

We live in North Carolina, moving here from New York in February 2021. Yes, we moved in the middle of a pandemic – seemed like a neat thing to do. We’ve had lots of dogs (our current one is pictured above), and a nutty cat whose hobbies include eating plastic, destroying stuff we like, and waking us up at 4:13 am. Good times.

Besides the creative side of me, I’m also a pretty logical/techie guy – I made my first website in notepad in 1996, I’ve taught myself to program, and I generally stay up-to-date on all things digital. I’m intrigued by AI even though I do believe it will radically change work for all of us, sooner than later.

As far as interests, I’m a big movie buff and avid videogamer, I enjoy high-end audio equipment, I read daily, autumn is the best season, and I like all things scary. I’m a fan of craft beer (and brew my own as well), and am skilled with my Big Green Egg grill. I’m also a long-time fan of the Yankees, Jets, and Knicks. I had a hockey opening so I have adopted the Carolina Hurricanes as a local team.

What else… I like to eat, but also try to stay in reasonable shape (mostly my home treadmill along with some weight lifting at the gym, although I am far from a workout nut). I hack around the golf course from time to time, I own pistols and enjoy the shooting range, I like rock concerts, I’m interested in the stock market, I stay up late, I like using tools, and a Saturday spent puttering in my garage and yard is a good one.

I also enjoy discussing big-picture/macro events and history, and while I lean a little left socially, I’m not really into politics. I don’t belong to a political party, watch or read political “news”, or share dumb memes on Facebook. I just quietly vote for good people across the board. Honestly, I think the anger many display over politics reduces your quality of life. Because you’re never happy about it, ever. Think about that.

I *do* like local work though, and in my last town, served on the Planning Board until I moved. I’m on an architectural committee locally, and I’m also an 18-year member of Toastmasters (and an excellent public speaker.)

I always seem to need a haircut too.

If you’re an old friend or business associate, feel free to reach out and say hello. Heck, if you’re an old enemy (not that I had many of those), I’d like to hear from you as well.

And to the old micromanaging bosses I butted heads with… well, I hold no ill will. I hope you are enjoying your life, and that your career has worked out as good as mine has!