Fighting Focus

by Drew Winkles

What is the one thing in your life that is non-negotiable?

For me, it's creating my own career.

I've worked for other companies and, truth be told, I fared well. Promotions came, responsibilities grew, and I adapted quickly. But there was always something missing. Sometimes it was that my full skill set wasn’t being used. Other times, there was no room to grow, or worse—hard salary caps that punished ambition. The reasons are plenty, but the feeling was consistent: I wanted more.

Not more money (although that’s part of it). More meaning. More control. More ability to build what I saw in my head without having to pitch it to someone whose vision was smaller than mine. That’s what led me to start Citrusworx, WINK Guitar, and SubLime Studios.

Three completely different fields—software, luthiery/audio gear, and games/entertainment—but all cut from the same cloth: creative engineering with freedom at the center.

I’ve always wanted to work for myself. Since I was a teenager. Since I realized I was good at many things, but didn’t want to silo those talents into one job description. Starting these ventures wasn’t just a business move—it was a promise to myself that I would stop waiting for permission.

But here’s the part no one glamorizes: finding the balance between these projects has been hard. Like, really hard. Some days it feels like I’m sprinting in three directions. I’m still figuring it out—how to prioritize without guilt, how to focus without abandoning ideas that still matter to me.

What I’ve come to understand is this: I can’t do it all. Not alone.

If I want Citrusworx to deliver real software, if I want WINK Guitar to be more than a cool brand name, and if I want SubLime to release actual games—I have to start outsourcing. I have to bring people in, delegate the stuff I don't need to micromanage, and trust that other skilled folks can help bring this vision to life.

And just as importantly, I’ve had to shift my mindset about learning.

I used to wait to be trained. To feel “ready.” I thought I needed to master everything in my little study corner before I launched anything real. But that’s not how the world works. The world is happening right now, and it's not waiting for me to feel prepared. It rewards those who learn by building, not those who build only once they’ve “learned enough.”

So I’m choosing to show up differently now. I’m carving out a day to really figure out my schedule—not just my to-do list, but a sustainable rhythm that respects my goals and my limits. One that includes shipping, writing, collaborating, and, yes, resting too.

Because I’m not just building products.

I’m building a life I believe in.