I started JoDi Services in high school during the early days of COVID, when small businesses around me were scrambling to stay afloat. Brick-and-mortar shops that had never touched a website suddenly needed an online presence overnight. I had no agency experience, no team, and honestly, no clue what I was doing — but I had a laptop, an eye for design, and just enough technical know-how to start helping. I built websites, ran customer support, handled emails at 1 a.m., and learned how to talk to clients like a real business owner (even if I still had math homework due the next day). It was scrappy, fast-paced, and full of Google searches — but it was also my first real taste of what it feels like to solve a problem that actually matters. What started with helping local cafés and salons quickly picked up momentum. Before I knew it, I was working with high-profile clients like COAR, a political risk and development consultancy working in conflict-affected regions, and a luxury architecture firm designing flagship spaces for brands like Apple, Louis Vuitton, and Balenciaga. That’s when it clicked: I was running a real business. Every project taught me something — how to communicate better, how to deliver when it counts, how to balance creativity with execution. JoDi Services was never about chasing clout or scale — it was about stepping up when people needed help, learning fast, and building something real from nothing. Looking back, it was my first startup. I just didn’t know to call it that yet.