Mike TG Introduction

[Mike TG]

Hey everyone,

So I've been a member since last year after reading the book. I decided to the read the book again and get involved. So here is my intro...

I am 27 and just had my first kid with my wife. My first business was at 12, doing lawn care in Phoenix, AZ where I grew up. I fell in love with it (business, not lawn care, although I didn't mind that either). My dad was an entrepreneur although he mainly owned his job for his whole life, so I use the term lightly.

I joined the Marine Corps out of high school and went to Iraq a couple of times, as well as a dozen other countries. Good times but the military, while a noble profession, is a slowlane personified. My hat is off to the guys who do 20 years. That is not for me.

While I was still in the service, I started a B&M business with my brother and Dad. Despite the mistakes I made (lack of true control, not validating my partners because of family) I got the advertising and marketing down and we ran 100K in revenue through the company in 3 months. Not huge, but I learned a ton. Long story short, partners bailed and I wasn't able to move to where the business was due to military commitments. Although I took a 5 figure bath when it shut down, I consider it tuition paid. I can't tell you how much I learned from actually running a business. When you consider the cost of an MBA, I got my education at a discount.

Fast forward and here I am, 1 month from getting out of the Marine Corps. I really feel what MJ says about the gravity of a slowlane job. I advanced quickly in the military and could retire at my current rank. I have done 10 out of the 20 years required. BUT (and this is a big but) I have no desire to drive in the slowlane. Never did. Now that the war is ending, I can get on with starting the rest of my life. Very exciting times.

That's it. I hope to add some value to the forums. I read voraciously (<-- my old English teacher would be proud haha) about business and am constantly looking out for good resources. I'll pass them along wherever applicable.

Also (and I am going to start a different thread on this) I had a unique job while in the military. I was a Human Intelligence specialist. This included interrogations, human source operations, counterintelligence, debriefing, etc. I found that a lot of my training on human interaction directly applied while I was running the B&M business. I am here as a resource if applicable to you. I haven't decided whether to post it in the insider or general forum. We will see.

Thanks for reading and I can't wait to meet everyone!

Mike TG

 

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