Biography

Alright—this is a biography based on a recording I made (Highly suggest doing transcripts for basis of writing if you're bad at it like me). It details my core philosophies, my upbringing, and the winding path of my career so far. Consider it a good way to get to know the driving forces behind Jens Heitman.

Who am I?

My operating system is built on a few core principles. First, the "Golden Touch": in every interaction, I aim to leave people better than I found them – through a compliment, an idea, an experience, simply adding value. Second, the "Thousand-Year Plan": I build my life with the perspective that my actions today will echo for centuries, demanding meticulous planning and foresight. This long view, alongside an inherent drive for freedom fueled by early experiences with arbitrary authority, shapes my path. While I view some intensely personal, long-term goals as inherently "selfish" – journeys only I can undertake – the feedback I receive often paints a different picture: reliable, charismatic, helpful, insightful.

Finding My Own Path

School revealed early traits. I was a social generalist, able to connect with diverse groups – from kids playing make-believe laser tag and discussing obscure internet memes to popular clique and sports groups – but one constant was that I was always absorbing information. Academically, I recognized patterns easily, often performing well without intense study. This sometimes led to clashes, like getting an reprimanded & earful for stating "I don't do work" with pride when asked to show my math calculations In class – a humbling lesson in pride versus perception.

While capable (AP classes, tech certifications like CompTIA), unchecked ADD/ADHD made focusing on uninteresting subjects difficult, fostering a skill for procrastination-fueled productivity – tackling arduous tasks under intense deadlines. Fiction reading was a passion; I visualize stories like movies, allowing me to read incredibly fast, devouring series like Harry Potter, Misborn, Ranger's apprentice, The Hobbit, Olympian... The list goes on.

Non-fiction, lacking that narrative flow, was always tougher. Overall, school felt like general exposure rather than igniting a specific, driving passion. Socializing wasn't essential to my happiness then; detachment, perhaps from moving often, was already present.

Approaching adulthood, my inner techie surfaced – hacking PlayStations, reverse-engineering programs, designing custom Call of Duty modes in MW2, all self-taught online around age 13-14. Logic spoke to me, pointing towards coding, cybersecurity, maybe even government work leveraging family connections.

That trajectory slammed into a wall during a cybersecurity internship in DC around 2017. The two-hour commute each way was brutal. When a VP offered rare work-from-home days, my team leader denied my request, offering no reason beyond, "I just want you in the office." as a hazing method. This arbitrary display of "authority" from someone I didn't perceive as superior as a human other than being older, sparked a deep disgust.

It cemented a core belief: my freedom is paramount. My livelihood, health, or mental state cannot be subject to someone else's whim. My wellbeing can not be put at risk because someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. That kind of dependency felt, frankly, pitiful.

Disillusionment with traditional paths continued in college. Pursuing Computer Science, I started to barely attended one class, never turned in work, yet often discussed concepts with the professor while there. Expecting to fail, I received a C. His reasoning: "You know your stuff." It hammered home a realization: people and relationships often hold more power than systems or merit, at least back then. Institutional learning felt increasingly disconnected from real-world fulfillment or the skills needed for the life I envisioned. My motivation evaporated. The breaking point came one day on the metro commute to community college. The train reached my stop, everyone got off, but I stayed, riding back and forth until asked to leave. I stopped attending classes.

On top of resigning from my job at Snapchat in Denver at the same time I was at a traditional low point.

For about a couple weeks, I maintained the facade for my family, leaving the house only to spend hours in my car outside the local gym – sleeping, researching, punctuated by long workouts – before returning home 9 hours later. It was a period of hitting rock bottom mentally, a necessary catalyst for change.

The Entrepreneurial Road: Sales, Spite, and Self-Reliance

My entrepreneurial journey began, fittingly, fueled by spite and a fierce desire for freedom. To break out of my introverted shell and master the people-centric world I now saw as crucial, I deliberately sought friction.

Forging Interaction

I took a sales job at a car wash – intentionally stressful, because growth requires friction. This led to bartending at Topgolf, further forcing interaction. During the car wash stint, I met Nicholas Alexander (Nick). He saw potential potential in me that I did not see myself just yet and told me in our first meeting

"I don't know what you're doing here but you've got juice"

(Something I didn't really understand at the time) and offered a spot on his roofing sales team. We exchanged info but didn't properly reconnect for a year.

Roofing Sales Round 1

After the car wash I went on to become a bartender at a local Topgolf nearby, (Great Chain) and continued to build up my confidence and capability to talk to people. After about a year I reconnected with Nick over a workout where he once again offered the spot on his sale team, I jumped in.

This was door-to-door roofing sales in Colorado, capitalizing on hailstorms. The work involved inspections, showing homeowners damage, and navigating insurance claims – leveraging Other People's Money (OPM), a powerful sales advantage. I learned invaluable sales tactics and the importance of process.

The major challenge was self-motivation; the freedom of a 1099 contractor could breed laziness, but my disdain for the W2 alternative pushed me. Our team hit around $3 million in sales my first year. I even briefly managed a small team, learning a hard lesson about loaning money when a trainee proved untrustworthy over $400 – a cheap lesson, ultimately, on identifying those who break trust over small sums. The relationship with ADHI ended due to company issues, but the experience reinforced that relationships are key.

The Corporate Detour (Snapchat)

Between roofing stints, I briefly tried corporate life again via Accenture, landing a role at Snapchat in SMB marketing. The experience was immediately off-putting. Pay felt low despite colleagues having advanced degrees, onboarding dragged (a month in, still not fully set up but getting paid – some would call it a blessing but it became hard fill the hours), and the culture felt misaligned, I always tried to connect with coworkers or leadership but my perspective on the job felt different. This was a SMB sales job that didn't offer commission, the team environment had so many arbitrary checkpoints and after vocalizing inefficiencies the final straw was my boss pulling me aside, saying, "I've got a really well-oiled machine here... I need you to fit in and be a cog... or not." Felt like it was straight out of a movie with how cliche the experience was looking back. I then put my resignation within a week. It was the final nail in the coffin for pursuing traditional W2 work. Maybe I just got bad dice rolls, but I'm glad; those experiences put me exactly where I am today.

Roofing Sales Round 2 (Nick's Ventures & Prime Star)

Reconnecting again with Nick, we navigated subsequent roofing sales ventures. We eventually partnered with Prime Star Property Solutions, where Nick established a residential division for the primarily commercial company. The first year (2019-2020) was another success, with the team hitting ~$4.3-4.7 million. However, as COVID-19 emerged, payments became late. I had accrued 60-70k in unpaid commissions when Prime Star shut down its residential arm due to the pandemic & embezzlement, stating they couldn't pay out.

While it hurt, it wasn't devastating. My sales skills meant I knew I'd be okay. The experience reinforced my perspective on money (reinvest in yourself, grow faster than institutions) and self-reliance. Ironically, during COVID, I received significantly more support via PPP loans as a business owner than individuals received in stimulus checks – another validation of the entrepreneurial path.

Exploration & Real Estate AE

Post-COVID, I explored various avenues: stock trading (appealed to my introverted side but lacked human interaction), solar and fire restoration sales, even training as an asbestos inspector (failed the test by one question, while again charming instructors into passing grades for coursework – more proof people > systems).

This led to an Account Executive role with a real estate company, my first dive into info products and online business operations. I generated $1.8 million in sales in the first year but parted ways after receiving only about a third of my commission. Again, I chose not to pursue the lost funds, viewing it as unproductive distraction from future growth. "Take what you can [learn], give nothing back [in terms of letting it hold you back]" became a practical mantra.

Nulight Consultation & Fractional Operations: Present Focus

This period marked the start of my own venture, Nulight Consultation. Initially focused on AI automation, leveraging my tech roots, I secured retainers and projects through my network. Landing a major client ($4k/month retainer + commission) allowed me to blend sales and AI implementation effectively.

This success snowballed, leading to more clients and evolving into one of my current primary roles: serving as a Fractional Director of Operations. I partner with companies, particularly those poised for significant growth, to diagnose operational bottlenecks, design scalable systems, and implement solutions – often integrating AI and automation – to drive efficiency and expansion. This role has been absolutely quintessential, providing explosive, life-changing growth through sheer force of impact and opportunity.

Core Philosophy & Future Vision: The Thousand-Year Plan

My driving force remains the "Thousand-Year Plan," guided by my personal "Seven Laws." a framework for building a life of compounding impact:

Experience: Achieve 1000 years of wisdom, lived or learned from masters.
Finance: Provide for generations I can impact.
Ethics: Do as you please, but cause no harm; wield power responsibly.
Physicality: Be capable of any experience (never limited by "can't," only "don't want to").
Spirituality: Find the divine within; recognize that religions point toward inner peace and self-trust ("You are the god of your own world").
World Presence: Cultivate a global perspective, not confined to one place.
(Relationship): Still evolving, balancing a long personal journey with partnership.

Jobs and money are means; lasting influence on mankind and my lineage is the goal. Near-term, I'm focused on hitting my first "apex" by age 30 – peak physical condition, strong financial footing, a powerful network – and continuing exponential growth from there. Passions lie in human growth, biohacking, longevity, philosophy (exploring purpose via absurdism, etc.), and the concept of self-cultivation (inspired by Wuxia novels).

Reflections & Moving Forward

Looking back, my journey often feels like a "solo epic." I knew who I was meant to become around age 20, and while I continuously grow, that core remains. However, mapping it out underscores how crucial connections, especially with Nick, were at pivotal moments. While my ideal relationship will likely be a result of my journey rather than its cause, consciously fostering connections is key.

One guiding principle comes from The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho): when you pursue your path, good coincidences happen. Life confirms this for me – open flight rows, meeting the right people. It reinforces I'm on the right track.

My most important lesson? The power of self-reliance coupled with an extremely long-term perspective. My advice echoes this: Start planning like you're going to live a very, very long time. Broaden your lens beyond next week to centuries ahead. Cultivate skills and habits that allow for infinite growth, so you never find yourself bored or stagnant. Learn to "take what you can" from every experience, especially perspectives – they are valuable currency.

If you'd like to connect, feel free to reach out: Jens@nulight.io.