Humble Beginnings
My mom worked hard as a single mother and provided everything we needed but she worked full-time with only Sundays off. From a young age I knew I needed to be successful to design and enjoy the lifestyle I desired.
I started off as a heavy duty mechanic’s apprentice and figured I would save wisely, invest and build steady wealth. After a serious car accident I had to change my vocation period, At that time I was fortunate enough to meet a man who was extraordinarily successful in network marketing, and willing to introduce me to a company and whole new world of opportunities.
Be The Exception
I didn’t go to University – I went to Europe to open a new market with the company. I immersed myself in learning, had an amazing mentor who took me under his wing and showed me how to build a large organization of distributors and expand internationally. It was great! I loved being an entrepreneur. Learning and growing, at least until I came home to find a much different market experience. It just wasn’t the same energy or momentum as opening a new market in Europe.
The Pitch Business
My father had seen a lot of success at that time with a new product, and I committed to work with him for a year. Pitchmen were fun, charismatic and they all worked very hard to make a great living. It was a fun business and I made a lot of money for a young man, but living my life out of a suitcase and travelling from show to show wasn’t the lifestyle that I wanted.
The Stock Market
After hearing of so many success stories and wealth coming from the stock market I ordered my securities course and shortly thereafter was hired on as investor relations for a small cap Nasdaq company. Once again I had a great mentor. The knowledge I acquired was far more valuable than any university degree I could have earned. I was convinced working in the stock market was my future and went out on my own building my own investor relations firm, investment banking division and financial newsletter. Despite many challenges in the market we experienced considerable growth and a ton of success, (particularly in the.com era) it seemed we could do no wrong. I was hurt by the .com crash, but came back with a more conservative, slow and steady mentality and the next 8 years focused on the basics, doing IR, small financings and relationship building – paying most attention to a few good growth companies. The market crash of 2018 seemed worse than the.com bust.
The Pitch Business
I survived by going back to the Pitch Business, (well sort of…) selling shammys at the local market one day a week making nearly 5000 bucks a month. I was able to keep food on the table and with the extra time focus on the “big picture’ for my next chapter in business. For the past decade I had my feet in two separate canoes (the market and corporate) and I took this as my clear sign to now focus with the corporate canoe only.
Back To Being A Pitchman
So it was back to my family roots, working as a pitchman. In 2008 when the market was no longer an option and I still had to support my family I was able to earn more than twelve hundred dollars per day selling shammy‘s at the local market – it was there where I realized ‘I’m a people person’ and wasn’t designed to be at the computer 12 hours a day. I started developing and bringing back products that made life a little bit easier and put smiles on peoples faces. My time in the equity markets had passed and I was on to a new and exciting chapter in my life.
Dream Big and go for it. Fail Fast and Fail Forward, you’re gonna fail – its part of the process. The secret is never quitting, get knocked down but always get back up and keep on fighting. It’s How Winners Win.