Who is Brandon SODERBERG and how did he transition from corporate to entrepreneurship?

Hi there!

I’m Brandon Soderberg, the dad and creator behind OAKED, a brand I built with my family to spread kindness and show people what’s possible with digital and affiliate marketing.

I spent about 15 years in the corporate world, doing the “40 hours a week for 40 years” path I thought I was supposed to follow. Just over a year ago, I was laid off—right before my third son was born. That moment forced me to really ask what kind of life I wanted for my family and myself.

Instead of jumping straight into another corporate role, I decided to learn how to make money online. I started with no social media presence, no digital marketing skills, and no audience. I took a low-cost beginners course, learned digital and affiliate marketing step by step, and began building an online business as a side hustle while still juggling family responsibilities.

As I gained skills and confidence promoting other people’s products, my wife and I took the next step and created OAKED, a passion brand built around kindness, giving back, and helping others start their own online businesses. We used the same digital and affiliate marketing strategies I had just learned to launch OAKED, then eventually built our own affiliate program and started featuring other creators.

So the transition from corporate to entrepreneurship was not overnight, and it definitely was not “get rich quick.” It was:

• A layoff that became a wake-up call
• Learning online skills from scratch
• Starting with affiliate marketing instead of my own products
• Gradually turning that into a mission-driven brand with my family

If you’re curious about the exact steps I took at the very beginning—like which beginner resources I used and how I structured my first 30–60 days—I’m happy to break that down next.

What part of my transition are you most interested in: the mindset shift, the practical steps, or the family/financial side of it?