![]() Having said that, they expected me to do well. Even if they didn’t have any money, they put in something to make sure I knew they had unlimited confidence in my ideas. My parents and sister have contributed emotional support and funding to every business venture I’ve ever done. They let me try lots of new things and they always did what they could to support me. It may sound cliché, but my parents and my sister were the most influential people in my success. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that? None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. It is an “Infinite” goal and remains a driving factor in building my business today. That “more” goalpost is always moving and evolving. But I knew no one was going to hand it to me. I knew for a fact that I wanted more, even if I couldn’t describe what that “more” was yet. I was always challenging myself and pushing toward more and better. I started my first real company in college. I got my undergrad degree and my MBA in less than four years. I was always the team captain and the best student. I always wanted to be the best, be the leader, and prove that I could do more than everyone around me. I felt like I deserved more and I was determined to get it. I can’t say there was a specific “who” but there was definitely a “what.” I grew up with a big chip on my shoulder about what I could achieve. What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story. The recurring theme was “be good, do good, achieve your potential, and go get what you want”. It was the perfect blend of having everything I needed (most importantly the love and support of my family) and not having everything I wanted. More than ever, I appreciate the fact that I had a wonderful upbringing. Things came so easily for me and she was the one that always challenged me and kept me grounded. I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I realize she knew what I really needed. I always saw her be so positive with everyone, while being hard on me. She was a force of nature and was always surrounded by good friends and good food. She was like a second mother that didn’t tolerate any nonsense from me. In particular, my Granny Lulu had a profound impact on me. ![]() ![]() Luckily, I grew up with three of my grandparents living in our home. I also learned to appreciate the process and embrace the excitement of creating something. And I promised myself, I would figure out how to do it well to avoid the heartaches that come from a failed business. I always knew I would grow up to be an entrepreneur. Even when something failed, he would gear up to try something else. He tried many things and worked incredibly hard. In addition to being an army officer, my father was also a serial entrepreneur. That was the only way I could afford to go. As an example, I sold more raffle tickets than the rest of my senior class combined to pay for my senior cruise. I always found ways to make money and enlisted my friends to help. Plus, I had a large extended family (over 20 cousins) and I got tired of hand-me-downs. My parents espoused a good work ethic and told me I needed to earn the extra things. Fortunately, I enjoy meeting new people and school and sports provided an easy bridge to new friendships.Įarly on, I knew that I had to earn what I wanted. Plus, I was always the new boy in town so I learned to make friends quickly. ![]() I think I saw more places around the world as a kid than most people see in a lifetime. We didn’t have much money as a family, but we were always exploring. I had a very happy, adventurous childhood. I loved seeing the world and learning about other cultures and philosophies. I think the military is the ultimate meritocracy and I’ve incorporated the idea of meritocracy into every company I’ve created. Growing up in a military family means moving frequently and being friends with people of all backgrounds. My father was an army officer and my mother was a school teacher. ![]() Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory? Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. ![]()
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