My journey from inventing a product in my garage to appearing on national television in front of 30+ million people was a virtual roller coaster! I learned so much from the whole experience and wanted a way to share some of those insights, so welcome to my blog! I believe that everyone can benefit in some way from these Lessons From The Tank!
Cut The Anchor
We were anchored in the middle of a lake when the storm rolled in. A group of us had been jumping off rocks, floating around, doing exactly what a summer afternoon is supposed to look like. Nobody was watching the sky. By the time we noticed clouds building on the horizon, they were already moving…
Give First
We were walking the property when she stopped. There was a stream cutting through the tree line and it dropped maybe six feet over a shelf of rock before settling into a pool below. Nothing dramatic. Just water doing what water does. But Alisha stood there for a moment and then turned to me with…
Anything With Two Heads Is A Monster
My wife, Alisha, and I recently found ourselves in a double kayak, paddling through the mangroves outside Miami. Full disclosure: neither one of us had any idea what we were doing. We had never been on that particular tour, we had no real plan, and somehow, we ended up at a place called Raccoon Island.…
Who Has The Ball?
I grew up playing a game called “Kill the Man with the Ball.” If you grew up in a neighborhood like mine, you already know exactly what I’m talking about, and you’re either smiling or rubbing an old injury. For those of you who had more supervised childhoods, allow me to explain. The rules are…
Lessons From Best Buy: Part 3
Convenience is not loyalty. And the day a better option shows up, you’ll find out the difference. I want to tell you how this story ended, because I think it’s the most important part of the whole series. After everything I walked you through in Parts 1 and 2, I still left a deposit. I…
Lessons From Best Buy: Part 2
When you build a system designed to lie to your customers, don’t be surprised when your customers stop trusting you. I want to be clear about something before I tell you this story. I did everything right. I needed my iPhone screen repaired and, before making the trip, I decided to call my local Best…
Lessons From Best Buy: Part 1
I stopped into a Best Buy recently to have my iPhone screen repaired. Simple errand. In and out, or so I thought. I wasn’t through the door two minutes before it hit me. A loud, sharp, high-pitched alarm. Then silence. Then, about thirty seconds later, the exact same sound from a different direction. Then silence…
What Do You Do When The Barn Falls Down?
If you follow me on social media, you know that my family and I recently bought a 130-acre farm. And one of the first projects we took on was restoring an incredible barn that was built in the 1800s. We were excited to bring it back to its former glory. Then my phone rang. It…
If Not Now, When?
I was 17 and still a little sweaty from gym class, and that’s when I saw her. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and she was talking to a friend of mine down the hall. And then, our eyes met, and I KNEW I had to meet her. This was my…
“Not My Problem” Is A Real Problem
There are two types of people in any company. The first type says, “That’s not my job.” The second type says, “Let’s figure it out.” I’ve built my career around the second type. At FlexScreen, we never had the luxury of sitting back and waiting for someone else to fix things. We were building something…
Dear Leaders, Your Most Important Decision Has Nothing To Do With Business
A guy reached out to me a few months ago. He was smart, hungry and early in his entrepreneurial journey. He had a solid idea, a little bit of traction and a lot of energy. But buried in the middle of his message was one line that stopped me cold: “My wife thinks I should…
Take A Step Back
Admittedly, “take a step back” is not something I would normally say. I tend to live life in the “full speed ahead” lane at all times. But did you ever look at your face in a magnifying mirror? I did recently, while I was trying to shave in some dismal hotel bathroom lighting, and I…