Navigating the Twists: A Tale of Ups, Downs, and Endless Gratitude

Intro

Spent a good three hours this weekend wrestling with tech to whip up a Reel from some awesome photos. Tech said “nope,” so here I am, dishing out the lowdown in text form. Strap in for the ride through my journey—straight from success to humility and a whole lot of thankfulness.

The Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster

A couple of years back, I was in a maze of confusion. Form August 2016 to March of 2020, I thought my life was set. In 2016, I bootsrapped my 1st business armed with a problem-solver attitude from my employee days and a dream of breaking free from the 9-to-5 grind.

Early on, things clicked:

✅️ Bagged $147k in my first full year
✅️ Emerged as a boss in a budding industry
✅️ Kept it real tight with my local support crew

Life seemed like a breeze, but that was just the calm before the storm.

The Swagger and the Fall

Amidst the wins, I pulled a rookie move—got a little too high on my own supply:

⛔ Ghosted my community.
⛔ Started thinking the world owed me for ‘cracking the code.’
⛔ Rode the success wave thinking it’d never crash.

Big mistake. The fall hit hard, waking me up to a reality that was lonely, gloomy, and full of question marks.

Round Two: The Universe’s Redemption

Somehow, the universe cut me some slack. It led me to this wild bunch of entrepreneurs—crazy talented, insanely cool. I owe them big time. Here’s to second chances and the folks who make them happen.

Gratitude on Repeat

Counting my blessings:

???? Thankful for the camaraderie in the trenches.
???? Thankful for opportunities that rose from the chaos.
???? Thankful for doing biz by the beach—yes, dreams do come true.
???? Thankful for sunsets like the ones that make you feel small.
???? Thankful for stumbling upon my zen in the midst of the storm.

The Wrap

In this share-fest, I’m laying it out to emphasize the power of staying grounded and drowning in gratitude. Success isn’t a pitstop; it’s a journey. And I’ve learned, with a bruised ego and a heap of gratitude, that the real magic happens not when you’re flying solo at the top but when you’re knee-deep in shared victories and the crazy connections you make along the way. Here’s to building communities and understanding that success is a team sport.

Author

Wayne Ledoux

Wayne Ledoux is the founder of Team Mayhem, a digital marketing and systems consultancy specializing in growth for ADU and tiny home builders across the United States. With more than 15 years of experience in digital marketing, Wayne has helped construction and development businesses move from referral-dependent operations to predictable, scalable client acquisition systems.

Wayne’s work sits at the intersection of performance marketing, sales systems, and operational leverage. His team designs and manages end-to-end growth infrastructure including paid media, lead qualification, CRM automation, sales process optimization, and AI-powered tools tailored specifically to the ADU and residential construction markets.

Under Wayne’s leadership, Team Mayhem has delivered measurable outcomes for builders, including clients generating $500,000 in revenue within 24 hours, $1.7 million in 30 days, $3.5 million in 90 days, and multiple builders closing five or more ADU or tiny home projects in a single month. These results are driven not by volume tactics, but by systems that align marketing, sales, and follow-up into a single, repeatable machine.

Wayne is also the creator of Up to Code: The Complete AI Home Customizer, an AI-driven platform designed to help homeowners and builders visualize, customize, and scope ADU projects more effectively, bridging the gap between early interest and qualified demand.

Known for his direct, no-fluff approach, Wayne focuses on helping builders think beyond short-term lead generation and instead build durable pipelines that support long-term growth, team stability, and personal freedom. His perspective is shaped by a background in military service, formal marketing education, and years of hands-on experience building and scaling service-based businesses.

Wayne regularly shares insights on digital marketing, systems thinking, and the future of housing, and is a sought-after advisor for builders looking to scale with clarity rather than chaos.