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Op-Ed: My Soundtrack to 7 Million in Sales and Changing Seasons of Entrepreneurship

Ideas are stillborn; vigor and relentless aggression are required to bring them to life, and I believe music has helped me do that.

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I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life.

When I was a teenager, one of our neighbors asked my dad if I would mow his lawn; at which point, my father signed me up for the task. That was my first day in, what was to be, a life long journey as an entrepreneur.

Fast forward fifteen years, and the landscaping company I founded that day has grown to 7 million in sales with over 100 employees. Recently, I navigated a successful exit from that company. I have come full circle as an entrepreneur, and more so than anything monetary or material, the journey has been the reward.

This journey has afforded me untold experiences, one of which, albeit strange, is an interesting observation of the changing seasons of entrepreneurship. In my personal experience, there is a soundtrack associated with those seasons. In retrospect, I naturally gravitated towards different musical genres while building, growing, and selling my company.

 

‘Ring of Fire’, the Start of an Entrepreneurial Journey

When I first began to turn my small business into a real business, the early springtime of my journey, I worked incredibly long hours. Most work weeks were seven days long, but I didn’t care — I was building a business. The progression of building something from scratch, seeing an idea in my head manifest into reality fueled my passion.

The work was not an option; I managed to stay motivated. During this period, I made very little, if any, money and performed manual labor from sun up to dusk. I listened to country music, lots of it, because the message resonated with me as a working man. Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Cash, Aaron Tippen, and Charlie Daniels cheered me on through those long days.

 

Johnny Cash; Source: bbkingblues.com
Johnny Cash; Source: bbkingblues.com

 

‘Plush’ Sounds to Get Business Moving

A few years later, my little business was thriving, and I had progressed to late-spring. I made a decision to double down and level up.

At this point, I was 24 years-old and managed to get the right talent on my team. I was aggressive with my sales mentality. I cold-called all day for years, hearing “No” 99 times to get to one “Yes.” I was determined to get the business to break through.

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