My Message: “Dismiss the skeptics with the middle finger!”

Yes…I said it…give them the middle finger and prove them wrong!

What is your passion?
Many times, I am asked to speak to college students and they always want to know my path. They want to know what I do and how I was able to get where I am today. I always ask them, what is their dream job? I ask them to tell me, what would they do if money did not matter!

Many students struggle with that question, having a hard time to frame the wisdom of what tomorrow might hold, given the frankness and reality of their upcoming graduation. I ask them…what is you passion?

Once we identify their passion, then we talk about what it means to that passion to the marketplace and scale the opportunity.

Students must begin to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit of passion, finding a niche and leverage the passion to fill a market opportunity; finally, scaling the ever loving be-jesus out of it! Passion is key…then bring it to market.

Grow your network!
My next piece of advice is to grow your network. Grow it like a chess match, leveraging every relationship base to build the next relationship. I spend years and years building relationships, taking people to coffee, spending time interviewing people over lunch…listening to their stories.

I love to research the individuals I meet for lunch and coffee, understanding who they are and their spheres of influence. I leverage each meeting to growing that relationship…leading me to meet another person. I love the chess match of meeting people, interviewing that person, and leveraging that trust to build other relationships.

Surround yourself with people you trust!
As I build my network, I surround myself with people I trust. These individuals are my mentors, my business colleagues, my family, and friends. These are people that will help me when the times are tough or celebrate with me when the times are awesome! I love to build the network, covet those relationships, and leverage the opportunities when times are appropriate.

The middle finger!
I like to silence the nay-sayers. It is very simple, everyone that tells me I can’t do something…I give them the middle finger and prove them wrong. The worst thing someone can tell me, “you can’t do…”. Yep…it is the thrill of the challenge to prove them wrong and give them the middle finger. The world of business is a marathon that encompasses a series of sprints and lulls. I love to leverage these downswings and upswings to outlast the naysayers and put the proof in the pudding!

Honestly…sometimes it just feels good to give the naysayers the middle finger! My life, my story, my narrative…my ministry!