story.md
Told I'd never go to college. Built anyway.
They said: You're never going to college.
What happened: Went back at 27. Latin honors, Ohio State.
What happened: JD, Capital. Licensed attorney.
They said: Dropped out.
What happened: Toured as DJ G Live. Then finished what I started.
They said: I'm too much of the business.
What happened: Now I build systems that run without the founder.
Growing up with learning disabilities, I was told I was never going to college. I dropped out and went on the road as a DJ, DJ G Live, working in event production.
I went back to college at 27 and graduated with Latin honors from Ohio State. Then I went to law school at Capital and earned my JD.
A mentor told me not to practice. "You're going to hate yourself," he said. I'm a licensed attorney, but I chose not to make a career of practicing law. I build businesses instead.
The part I'm still working on
I come from a third-generation automotive family, so building things is in the blood. I'm a serial entrepreneur, and for a long time I was the leading force in every one of my companies. That also meant that if I wasn't there, nothing moved.
I work too much. I'm ADD as hell. I've done too much myself. I'm saying that here because most founders I talk to are carrying the same thing and not saying it.
So now I build the other way. At Pinnacle Ethos I build the systems that let a company run without the founder standing in the middle of it: inventory, commerce, internal AI, and the dashboards that tie them together. At YEC, as Head of Strategy & Technology, I get to do the same for a whole community of founders.
What I believe
You start a business to support the life you want to live. You're not supposed to be living in the business. I want freedom more than I want control, and I'd rather work with people I'd go on vacation with.
Offline
Outside of work, I live a grounded life with my adventure partner, Amber, and our three dogs. We spend our time off in the national parks, hiking and climbing.