At 13, I did an ab workout that changed my life.
Not because of the workout itself, but because of what came after. The adrenaline, the discipline, the feeling of having fulfilled something I set out to do. I loved that energy. So I set a goal: get a six pack. Every single day I woke up and made it happen. Six months later, I did.
Around that time I came across a YouTube video titled "What to do before you turn 18." It said to stop the video and go read two books: How to Win Friends and Influence People and Think and Grow Rich. I bought them on the spot and read them immediately. That was my ticket into entrepreneurship. From that day on, I knew I could achieve more, and felt like I'd escaped the default path.
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13
The spark
Discipline first, then the two books. After those I started buying and reading every business book I could get my hands on.
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2020
Sneaker reselling
The first thing I'd call a business. I bought limited releases from Nike and Adidas and sold them through my own eBay store, more than $20,000 in sneakers while still in school. On the side I shoveled snow, mowed lawns, and cleaned cars, anything to keep building. More than anything, it taught me I could build something from nothing.
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2022
E-commerce and drop-shipping
It took about a year to convince my parents, and because I was underage they had to cosign on everything. I tested over 30 products, failing again and again, before I found one that worked. I was up until 2am fulfilling orders and optimizing ads, then awake at 6 for a workout before school. I learned marketing, content, and how to figure things out with real money on the line. I also learned that what I enjoyed was seeing other people succeed.
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2024
Founded Backsplash
I picked an industry I felt I knew, kitchen and bath remodeling, and cold called. For four months I dialed 100 to 150 calls every weekday. My first client later brought me into his office as an intern, and onto the sites of his remodels. That work built my first client relationships and my company.
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Now
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