Stepping Out into the Unknown

When we left Seaborn, we didn’t have a perfect plan, we just knew we needed to do something that mattered. Something that genuinely made a difference in people’s lives.

The day we walked away from our high-paying jobs, it felt like a weight lifted off our shoulders. Truth is, we hadn’t been happy for a while. We loved our team (mostly), we loved our clients, but we weren’t in love with the company anymore. What was once a mission driven by people and purpose had turned into a machine, one that prioritized scale over service, systems over soul.

It wasn’t about burnout. It was about misalignment. The values that brought us in the door weren’t the ones being lived anymore.

So, we stepped out. With no map, no title, and no certainty, just a gut feeling that there had to be a better way to serve. The “what” would reveal itself about a month later. And when it did, everything clicked.

The Moment It Clicked

The moment it clicked was the moment Zoe and I finally understood why we had been so successful at turning Seaborn into a market dominator. In 2023, Seaborn accounted for 44% of all permitted work on Lake Washington. That’s a staggering number when you stop to consider it.

When I first joined, Seaborn had great people, but the company was missing direction. The team was skilled and hardworking, but there was a lack of structure, vision, and leadership. No one was really steering the ship. What we were able to build in just a few short years was impressive by any standard.

We always assumed that success came from how we treated our team and our clients. What we didn’t realize, until much later, was just how rare that level of caring had become.

We were still fielding calls from Seaborn clients the day we left. The incoming leadership team wasn’t focused on the customers or their feelings. They weren’t calling clients, weren’t offering reassurance, and certainly weren’t protecting people’s trust or their money. That left a lot of panic rippling down the lakefront.

It was during one of those calls that it hit us: the real reason we’d been successful was because we genuinely cared. We couldn’t stand hearing the panic in the voices of people we had once brought in as clients, so we did what we always did, we stepped up and tried to help however we could.

After one especially emotional call, Zoe and I looked at each other and half-joked, “We should just do this for a living.” At first, it was just a way to lighten the mood, a release valve after another gut-punch of a conversation with a frustrated client. But we couldn’t shake the thought.

We hadn’t done anything wrong by bringing those clients to Seaborn. We had done right by every single one of them. But we couldn’t help feeling a sense of responsibility. And more than that, a desire to fix it.

Later that day, I remember turning to Zoe and saying, “What if we actually did it? What if we built a company that gave people their time back, and did it with exceptional customer service?” One company to rule them all. (Okay, maybe we were getting a little dramatic, but the mission was clear.)

The idea was simple: simplify people’s lives and deliver exceptional service doing it.

We don’t always get it perfect, we know that. But we show up. We make it right. We don’t retreat. We don’t pass the buck. We step up to the plate and we deliver for our clients.

That was always our motto at Seaborn. And it’s the foundation EMC was built on.

Why We Started EMC

We’ve all been there; too much to do, not enough time. But for our clients, that reality is amplified. Imagine working 12-hour days, seven days a week, building breakthrough technology or redefining an industry. These are the people pushing boundaries, the market makers, changing the world, and they plan their day down to the literal minute.

Who has time to chase down vendors or troubleshoot a lingering issue? When you're constantly forced to choose between work and family, something has to give. And more often than not, it’s the personal side of life that gets dropped.

After we left Seaborn, we started wondering: If people were already struggling with just one part of their lives, what else was falling through the cracks? The answer, we discovered, was everything. Right now, life is harder for everyone. And that pressure is breaking down customer service across the board. When everyone is stretched thin, there’s less patience, less care, and less bandwidth to truly help someone else.

That’s where EMC comes in.

We built this company to be a shield, protecting our clients’ time, energy, and mental space. To give them back the freedom to focus on what truly matters: their work, their families, and their peace of mind.

We don’t just manage projects or properties, we care about what matters most to our clients.

Since launching EMC, we’ve never said “no” to a client request. (Zoe will tell you we probably should have said no a few times, but she doesn’t really mean it.) Her compassion runs deep. It’s who she is. And that genuine care is what makes her such an incredible communicator and advocate for our clients.

Pair that with my love of solving problems of all sizes, and you get the magic that makes EMC different. We don’t just execute tasks, we look at our clients’ lives as a whole. We’re always listening, always looking for ways to make a meaningful impact. Sometimes it’s solving a huge logistical headache. Sometimes it’s a small gesture that lifts a weight no one else even saw.

That’s the joy. That’s the purpose.

When we left Seaborn, we didn’t have a plan, we just knew we needed to do something that mattered. And we’ve found it. Helping people, plain and simple. Even if it doesn’t always make us money, that look of relief on someone’s face? That’s the real reward.

What EMC Is Today

EMC is no longer just an idea, it’s a thriving, high-touch concierge firm serving some of the most exceptional individuals and their families.

We operate as an extension of our clients’ lives, managing everything from estate operations and construction oversight to last-minute logistics and wildly specific personal requests. Whether it’s solving a high-stakes problem or handling the day-to-day details that quietly pile up, we take it on, discreetly, efficiently, and with relentless care.

Our clients are brilliant, busy, and often under immense pressure to perform. They don’t need more tasks on their plate, they need someone they trust to own it, solve it, and anticipate the next thing before it even hits their radar.

That’s the space EMC fills. And we do it without ego, without drama, and without excuses.

We built EMC because the world doesn’t need more services, it needs more service. And we intend to set the standard for what that looks like.

If that sounds like the kind of support you’ve been missing, let’s talk.

We’re not here to impress, we’re here to deliver. Thoughtfully, relentlessly, and with the kind of care that’s hard to find these days. 

Let us take something off your plate. You’ve got more important things to do.