Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like? Did you have any particular experiences/stories that shaped your adult life?

I grew up in Southwest MI.  First in Sister Lakes, MI, and then middle school and high school in Sturgis, MI.  My father is an entrepreneur, as were both of my paternal grandfathers.  I always knew business and being an entrepreneur was my calling.  We lived a pretty average middle-class life both with some highs and lows.  I couldn’t ask for better parents to have guided and raise me to where I am today.

I was always lucky to be around people that would give their time and advice.  The same is still true today.  Where it was picking a college, choosing a major, or business/life advice there always seems to be people willing to help.  I always make sure I am available and willing to help those that are on their own life journey seeking advice.  I plan to pay it forward as much as I am able.

Living on Round Lake in Sister Lakes, MI has driven my personal life.  Summertime in Michigan cannot be beaten.  My happy place is on Bostwick Lake in Rockford, MI with my family doing whatever on and around the water.

What is something you wish you would’ve realized earlier in your life?

That people don’t think about you as much as you think they do.  And if they judge you, that is on them, not you.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

Not to…

No one knows what you are capable of and if they tell you that you shouldn’t do XYZ because they think you will fail, well those people should be decapitated!

Tell me about one of the darker periods you’ve experienced in life. How you came out of it and what you learned from it?

Fear of failure.  We all have it to some extent.  It doesn’t matter how confident you are or how much success you have had.  In one of the brightest times in my career, I had this overwhelming fear of failure.  It was always present.  And when you are fearful, you don’t make the best decisions.  Your fear drives your decisions, your interactions with others, and your personal life.  It is never good.

Make the decision to not fear.  Fear doesn’t do you any good.

What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your success so far?

Never giving up and never listening to the detractors!

What is your morning routine?

Haha!  I don’t really have one.  My morning and each one of my days are driven by my goals and priorities which can change from day to day, week to week, and month to month.  I keep lists within lists and the tasks that are derived from those lists which are driven by my goals drive my day.

What habit or behavior that you have pursued for a few years has most improved your life?

Goals!  You better have them otherwise you don’t know where you are going or if you have gotten there.

What are your strategies for being productive and using your time most efficiently?

Goals!  I try to not overschedule myself.  Your calendar, and your email, can run your life.  Living to your calendar and responding to emails isn’t the goal.  Achieving your goals is the goal.  Allowing yourself the flexibility to pursue what is the most important thing that day always keeps me the most productive even when I procrastinate!

What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why?

I could not name one book that has influenced me the most since it has been an amalgamation of books.  I often joke that most business books should be an eight-page pamphlet instead of a book because the basic ideas are just that, basic…which is good!  I have never read a book where I leave it feeling this is the manual I need to follow.  There are usually a couple of fantastic takeaways from each book but you can’t take all of it as gospel.  And what works for one person/business most likely won’t work in exactly the same for all.

Each book I read, and I nearly read entirely business books only, supplants an idea.  That idea leads to the next book which leads to the next.  And depending on what stage of business/life I am at during the time of reading directs me to that next book.

Take each book as an opportunity to learn a couple of things and you will never be disappointed…and it will lead you to the next great book/ideas!

Do you have any quotes you live by or think of often?

Each year I have some quotes I read daily which is once again driven by where I am in life.  They sometimes change throughout the year.  My current favorite that I read daily is the Serenity Prayer which is as follows:

God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish the difference between the two.