Fifteen From Fifteen

A small thing that turned into something real

Quick note for the Substack crowd.

I shared a short ebook today called Fifteen for Fifteen — fifteen lessons drawn from fifteen years inside ServiceNow. I originally pulled it together as a kind of forcing function for myself: to distill what I’ve seen, learned, gotten wrong, and occasionally gotten right over a long stretch of time.

I posted it on LinkedIn this morning and, honestly, the response surprised me. A lot of thoughtful reactions. About 50 downloads in the first few hours. That’s gratifying in a quiet, non-fireworks way.

I know many of you follow this Substack for a broader mix — essays, memory, music, work, writing-about-writing, the occasional philosophical detour. This ebook leans more toward the work side of the spectrum. But the themes underneath it are the same ones I circle here all the time: building things slowly, paying attention to people, culture as behavior rather than slogans, and how long arcs only make sense in hindsight.

This little book is also a precursor to a much larger one I’m working on — Insurmountable Opportunity, coming in 2026 — which tells the deeper story behind the company, the people, and the conditions that made something improbable actually happen. Think of Fifteen for Fifteen as a sketchbook, not the finished painting.

If you’re curious, you can download it here:

https://wally-marx.com/

Thank you again for reading.

-Wally