It started with a shock.

One cold January morning, I opened my email to find a press release about a brand-new competitor called Bluewater. Never heard of them. Out of nowhere, they had a flashy announcement and a couple of blog articles circulating that made people pay attention. And just like that—they took some business.

That’s what happens in business.
One day you’re cruising along, featured in national magazines since 1989, in the local newspaper, and even rolling up to the Tulsa Chamber Convention with the Microsoft Innovation Demo Semi-truck. The next day, someone unknown pops up and nabs attention—not because you’re not doing enough, but because they simply show up with a little different message.

I sat back in my chair and let that sting wash over me. It wasn’t the first time. And it wouldn’t be the last.

When a Competitor Comes Out of Nowhere

Blogs were new. Most people didn’t even know what a blog was in 2000. But Bluewater figured out that publishing a few articles gave them credibility overnight. They didn’t have the track record we had. They didn’t have the depth of client success stories. But they had words, and words travel fast.

For me, writing had always been a skill I could lean on. Back in high school, I won awards for it. Even now, with my clunky hands, I could type faster than most people could talk. Yet for years, I had shelved the dream of being a professional writer.

I still remember the conversation like it was yesterday.

Sting of Being Out-Messaged

Lee Synnott, CEO of Ingram Book and one of our main board members, was the kind of man whose words you didn’t forget. Years earlier, I told him, “Lee, I want to be the John Grisham of the technology industry.”

He laughed—hard. “Kevin, we had to make John Grisham. And let me tell you, there aren’t ten rich authors in the world. Focus your efforts on more profitable things.”

I chuckled along with him in that moment, but deep down, it hurt. Because I knew he was right. And in that instant, a dream quietly died inside me.

Dream I Buried (and Had to Unearth)

Now, years later, Bluewater’s sudden rise forced me to revisit that conversation. I thought: If they can grab attention with words, so can I. Only I can do it better.

I remembered Microsoft’s strategy of “embrace and extend.” You don’t fight the new thing—you adopt it, adapt it, and then expand it. So instead of dismissing blogging as a fad, I decided to use it as a weapon.

I said to myself: If Bluewater’s writing is academic, rudimentary, and worst of all—boring—then I’ll write with energy, story, and real lessons. I’ll make it entertaining and useful.

That was the birth of Matrixforce Pulse.

Turning Their Weakness Into Our Advantage

I thought about my mission. It’s always been the same:
To help one billion people with streamlining technology so they can avoid risk and improve their businesses.

But here’s the truth that most people in IT won’t tell you: before you can implement technology well, you usually have to solve business problems first. People problems. Strategy problems. Clarity problems.

That’s where writing came in. Blogging wasn’t just a way to get attention; it was a way to teach, to lead, and to handle objections before they ever came up in a sales conversation.

I could answer the questions prospects were too embarrassed to ask.
I could show them what they were missing without making them feel stupid.
And I could do it in a format that lived forever online.

Excitement, Exhaustion, and the Edge We Needed

Honestly? I felt equal parts excitement and exhaustion.

On one hand, this was a new frontier. A new way to differentiate Matrixforce from everyone else. A chance to revive that buried dream of writing—not novels, but something maybe even more impactful.

On the other hand, I knew what blogging really was. A game. A black hole designed to suck up your time, constantly creating content so Google could sell more ads. It was obvious even now. The temptation was to write, write, write, and never actually serve your clients.

I felt the tension. But like the lessons from The Art of War, business isn’t about waiting on one battle to resolve before fighting the next. You have to manage multiple fronts at once.

So I decided blogging would be part of our arsenal—but not the whole arsenal.

Why WordPress

Now, I could have chosen to publish my own blog as part of our website. But there were two problems:

1. Coding. I didn’t want to waste time wrestling with code when the point was speed.
2. Google Blogger. I wasn’t about to hand our destiny over to Google Search alone.

That’s why I chose WordPress. It was new, but it was simple. No coding. Just writing. That’s all I needed.

Most folks seemed to start with monthly posts, so that became my rhythm. Discipline, a couple hours each month, and the goal was simple: write something entertaining that also taught a valuable lesson.

And the real secret? Each post would also address a sales objection. Something that prospects or clients hesitated about. Something they needed to hear before they’d feel comfortable saying yes.

That was the formula.

Bigger Picture

As I drafted this first post, I thought about all the years leading up to it.

From being featured in national magazines starting in 1989, to putting on local events that drew crowds, to showcasing the Microsoft Innovation Demo Semi-truck—it all built credibility. But credibility alone wasn’t enough anymore.

Attention had shifted. The new battleground isn’t just in the boardroom or the tradeshow. It was online.

And if Matrixforce was going to win, we had to be there first, loudest, and most interesting.

Closing Thoughts

So here we are. The first official post of Matrixforce Pulse.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. Truly. You could be doing anything else right now, and yet you’re here with me at the beginning of this journey.

This blog is about more than technology. It’s about the intersection of business, people, and the systems we all rely on. It’s about solving problems before they explode. And it’s about sharing the lessons learned from decades of navigating this crazy industry.

If you’ve ever thought about starting your own blog, my advice is simple: do it. Not because it’s trendy, not because Google says so, but because it’s a way to get ahead of your competition. It’s a way to own your message, your voice, and your story.

Bluewater taught me that. And for that, I’m grateful.

So let’s begin. Welcome to Matrixforce Pulse.

– Kevin Fream

Published by Kevin Fream

Many people don't understand their current situation and become frustrated in business and life, so I created the Delta Method and wrote the #1 Best-Seller "Change Your Game" - as featured at Harvard and NASDAQ as well as national TV news. Streamline your technology for competitive advantage using vetted IT support and take a divergent approach to personal growth. View all posts by Kevin Fream