1986

Sam and Jim meet at James Madison University as pledges of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity. Despite what may seem a bit geeky on the surface, the fraternity also had women (called brothers, too... Jim married one, in fact).

Jim would later lead the fraternity while Sam sold people on joining the fraternity.
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December 1987

Sam graduates a year and a half early. No. It was actually a semester late.
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May 1988

Jim graduates. On time. Of course.
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1988 – 1997

Jim changes employers once after 9 years. Sam changes employers 7 times.

Both are in Northern Virginia.
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Fall 1997

Sam and Jim meet every couple of weeks for early morning bagels before heading off to their respective jobs... very early.

During one of their discussions, Sam talks about an idea he's had for many years for National Sales Radio, a radio format for salespeople on the road (a group of which he'd been a member for so many years). They both liked the idea but realized how difficult it might be to do something with it when neither had any radio experience. Then Jim asked...

"What if we did it on the web?" and the excitement began.

As they begin thinking things through more formally in the following weeks, Sam whines about his current work situation. He explains how he was talking with his manager about his desire to move into the vacant VP of Sales role and his frustration with the manager's response...

"Would you just sell, Sam? Would you please... just sell?"

Jim smiled. "That's the name."

And they both smiled... and began to move.
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December 1997

JustSell.com domain is purchased for $90.
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January 1998

Budget is broken on a copy of FrontPage 98 so Sam can start learning how to make a real website (please... he's a salesperson... the noblest of professions).
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February 1998

On Friday the 13th, to mock superstition, they incorporate the company as MaxPitch Media Inc., a name they think has a sales ring to it but also implies they'll be working at a "maximum pitch."

Very quickly, the realization that the name is difficult for people to say and remember has them focusing more on the JustSell® brand and name when talking about the company.

Family and friends begin to make investments in this dot-com community for sales managers and professionals. Crazy days in Northern Virginia's AOL country.

Sam and Jim think they'll make money selling things that are helpful to the sales professionals of the world (travel, books, training materials, etc.).
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March 1998

Sam begins full time. Jim works before he goes to work and then when he gets home from work.

Sam begins his journey of gaining 30 pounds.
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April 1998

On the first, they publish JustSell® on the Internet for the first time.

Jim buys a copy of QuickBooks. Sam cringes at the thought of spending money on accounting details.
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June 1998

Jim begins full time (a few days before his second child is born... actually, his wife had the baby).
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November 1998

Selling things to the JustSell® community in the first months isn't making enough money to eat. After a few sales training organizations ask to be listed on the site, they launch The Sales Bureau sub-brand and begin to take paid listings and broker training and keynote speakers.
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February – December 1999

Angel money sought, pitched and secured. VCs never thought the potential for the business was big enough (a little demoralizing at the time).

First office space in September (1700 square feet of industrial flex space...
very non-sexy, but they loved it).

First technology person hired. First salesperson hired.
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January 2000 – February 2001

Got up to a team of about 8 people and tried many different routes to making money... continued brokering of training, taking website and email newsletter advertising, building a sales recruitment website, selling leads created from news profiles.

Sam begins his journey of losing 30 pounds.
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March 2001

A bad Northern Virginia commute and an office lease coming up for renewal prompts Sam to blow into Jim's office...

"What the hell are we doing here? We could do this business from anywhere in the country."
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July 2001

Company relocates to Richmond, Virginia (the new sales capital of the world).
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January 2002

Things get very rough. The team is down to four people total.

Sam and Jim make the decision to focus exclusively on selling web and email advertising.
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February 2002

Things begin to get better.
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March 2002 – April 2008

The team grows. Sales joy continues. Products and sites are launched. Lessons are learned.
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May 2008

After many years of the MaxPitch name being difficult to remember and say (and meaning absolutely nothing to its customers), the team develops its new name of Give More Media... hoping to help people embrace the fundamental truth that if we give more, we ultimately enjoy more.
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Present

Loving our people... those we lead and those we serve.
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