From SQL Databases to 7-Figures: How I Built (and Rebuilt) Vertical Identity

Most people think entrepreneurship starts with a brilliant idea and a pitch deck. Mine started with a floppy disk and a SQL database.

Before the Internet Changed Everything

I was in the public records business before Google existed. Back then, “data access” meant physically buying records, loading them into databases, and building systems to make them searchable. There was no API. No instant lookup. Just grinding, problem-solving, and a lot of late nights.

That early experience taught me something that still drives my businesses today: technology changes, but the fundamentals don’t. Find information people need, make it accessible, and deliver it better than anyone else.

10 Years in Corporate America (And Why I Left)

After my first business, I spent a decade in corporate America. I learned systems. I learned scale. I learned how big companies operate.

I also learned I wasn’t built to work for someone else.

In 2015, after years of watching from the inside, I decided to restart. I launched Vertical Identity — a compliance and background screening company built on everything I’d learned, without the corporate bureaucracy slowing me down.

What Actually Scaled the Business

Growing Vertical Identity to 7-figures wasn’t about one magic tactic. It was about stacking smart decisions:

Responding to RFPs. Most small businesses ignore government and enterprise RFPs because they seem intimidating. I leaned in. These contracts provided stable, predictable revenue that let us invest in growth.

Building real systems. I implemented Zoho CRM early and made sure every process was documented and repeatable. When it was time to hire, I wasn’t teaching from scratch — I was handing people playbooks. We use RingCentral for phones, GoHighLevel for marketing automation, and follow the Traction (EOS) methodology to keep the team aligned.

Partnering strategically. We partnered with national labs for drug testing, which let us offer services we couldn’t have built in-house. Partnerships accelerated growth without requiring massive capital.

Finding the gaps. The background screening industry is crowded, but there are always underserved niches. We looked for gaps — industries with complex compliance needs, companies too small for the big players but too sophisticated for basic services — and we filled them.

Expanding Into Drug Testing Clinics

Once Vertical Identity was stable, I saw another gap: transportation fleets needed reliable drug testing — randoms, DOT compliance, post-accident response — and most providers were slow or unreliable.

I launched 911 Drug Testing, eventually operating up to four clinics across Arizona. We did on-site testing for fleets, handled post-accident calls at all hours, and built a reputation for showing up when others couldn’t.

The COVID Pivot

When COVID hit in 2020, the drug testing business slowed overnight. Clinics that had been buzzing with activity went quiet.

Instead of waiting it out, we pivoted.

I transformed the 911 Drug Testing clinics into 911 OccMed — COVID testing and vaccination sites. We won contracts with Maricopa County and the State of Arizona. At our peak, we had massive teams serving over 800 people a day with vaccinations.

This work was featured in The Arizona Republic, Phoenix Business Journal, and Latinaology.

When the pandemic subsided, I made the decision to close the clinics rather than try to rebuild the old model. The lesson wasn’t about the specific business — it was about the ability to pivot fast and serve what people actually need.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Building Businesses

None of this was glamorous. Background screening. Drug testing. SQL databases. There are no viral TikToks about employment verification compliance.

But here’s what these “boring” businesses gave me: freedom.

Freedom to live off-grid in Arizona. Freedom to buy a cabin in Alaska on a whim. Freedom to build new companies like Easy Trim because I want to, not because I have to.

The boring businesses often build the most interesting lives.