Jesse Ekkerd

Commercial Pilot turned Business Owner

Issue #354 October 5, 2023

About

Jesse Ekkerd is a commercial pilot turned business owner and the founder of Drang Digital, a content marketing agency for aviation training institutes.

While many things come to mind, my MacBook Air M1 takes the crown.It felt expensive when I was a broke pilot, but I had a hunch that the new M1 chip was great value. I was right.My MacBook has paid for itself hundreds of times over and can handle anything I throw at it. I could not have built my business without it.

Photos

4 images

Gear

11 items

Computer MacBook Air M1 8GB

Laptop Stand Twelve South BookArc Vertical MacBook Stand Buy

Keyboard Apple Magic Keyboard

Mouse Logitech MX Master 3S Buy

Microphone Shure MV7 Buy

Monitor Dell 27” U2723QE 4K USB-C Monitor

Lighting Elgato Key Light Air x 2 Buy

Monitor Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Mac Desktops and Displays

Webcam iPhone XS as a Webcam via Camo

Chair Herman Miller Aeron Buy

Headphones Apple AirPods Pro

Interview

4 questions

› How do you manage work-life balance?

I often receive judgment from people who believe that I have no "work-life balance."I like my work. I like business.I don't have hobbies outside of work. I spend time with my girlfriend if I'm not working or working out. I love my life, and my work is a significant part of it!What is there to balance?

› How do you spark creativity?

Freedom! Location freedom allows me to decide where I want to live (and for how long).The ability to live in a low cost of living area is a significant advantage when running a bootstrapped business.With a fully remote team, I can utilize talent in the US and Europe while keeping my personal expenses low - a nice "profit hack," so to speak.

› How do you spark creativity?

I like sparking creativity through constraints.This applies to many scenarios.In business, I like creating creative solutions through financial and time constraints.In writing, I spark creativity by niching down on my reader. Writing for the whole world is complicated; writing for a 19-year-old student pilot in the US dealing with a specific problem is easier.

› What do you think is the main benefit of remote work?