Today we’d like to introduce you to Clark Weckmann.
Hi Clark, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was raised on a farm in southern Illinois, Where 162 and 157 meet and where I spent my youth learning the value of hard work. If the work wasn’t put in, there truly was no return. I was a happy young man living the country boy lifestyle with a sunburnt neck. This all changed in third grade. I saw my father cry for the second time in my life. He told me everything was gone, all of it—a terrible fire. I was in disbelief. When we made our way around the northern tree line, I saw nothing but smoke, fire engines, flames, and pools of aluminum where my life had been just hours before. It’s still unknown what caused the fire. Speculation said it could’ve been the air show that day, an unfound electrical fire, or a careless farm hand, but we’ll never know. I didn’t know that most folks worked for other people. That wasn’t my way of life. As a teenager, I worked part-time jobs after class and hated it. Most teenagers do. The money was okay, and the jobs were comfortable, but I was building someone else’s dream. I decided I wanted to build my dream, so I spent all my time learning front-end development and any framework I could. This was when I realized that being color blind and building user-facing applications are the best combination.
I swapped to back-end development and fell in love. I worked on countless projects for myself and several open source projects that are still around today. I ended up founding WKMN Development as a business solution agency for anything online or networking related. I was lucky to break even early on, but hard work paid off. I made many friends, enemies, and business partners along the way. Small side projects started to gain traction. I eventually had to get a second phone number, a third, a fourth, and so on. Now I spend my time doing what I love for a career. I’m thankful for everything I have, and I know I couldn’t be here without everyone I found along the way.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve lost everything, almost ruined my marriage, and had to go days without food to keep my dream alive. Eventually, I lost my home. I should have given up at certain points, but I was too stubborn to see that. With the help of many people along the way, I eventually started to recover.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about WKMN Development?
WKMN Development specializes in SOHO (small office/home office) network solutions, web design and development, and internal application development. Lately, we’ve been interested in marketing and end-user applications. We stand apart from the rest by understanding that each business is different. There is no standard price model or product. We do not believe in cookie-cutter solutions. Every business has great solutions, but it’s not a one-click process. We need to get to know the business personally; our clients can call us and speak freely. Questions are encouraged as well as changes to the plan. Each business gets a complete walk-through and custom-built plan. A small T-shirt shop can benefit greatly from a simple e-commerce solution, but that may not be necessary or priority number one.
What would you say has been one of your most important lessons?
Early on, we learned that trying to do everything ourselves doesn’t work. We need subject matter experts for specific scenarios. Freelancers and contractors are essential assets. Security is something that should never be over looked either.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.WKMN.dev
- Instagram: @wkmndev
- Facebook: WKMNDev
Image Credits
WKMN Development
