Before my Grandfather’s influence, I lived in an unstable environment with no rules or boundaries. My father was to blame for this, my mother tried to hold the family together but to no avail. When I was 3 years old we packed up and moved to my grandparents home.

My Grandfather was a self made man. He operated on a 6th grade education but was able to over come that thru self study, hard work, and a personal drive for success. He ran a feed store, an insurance agency, and a tax business in his lifetime. Though he was not a millionaire, he was financially comfortable and provided for everyone. He dressed up in a shirt and daily every day, even past retirement age He had a structured life from the time breakfast was served to the exact time dinner was served, not to interfere with the news and Walter Cronkite. It was his consistency, focus, structure, and honesty that I based my life on as well. He also gave me a taste of making money from home and the entrepreneurial spirit.

I turned out OK. I have a wife and 2 kids, a house in the suburbs, a full time career and a side business as well. My dad left us when I was three, my goal was to rectify that by never repeating that cycle. Our wedding anniversary is in July, it will be our 20th! Thanks Grandpap for everything!