Beginnings

Born October 25th, 1977 to fabulous parents and a high pitched sister in Youngstown, Ohio.  That did not last long (6 months) and Mom and Dad moved us back to Raleigh, North Carolina where I grew up.  Youth was spent as a variety of  deciduous forest exploring, flea market bartering, motorized vehicle tinkering, and general mischief.

School

I graduated from Garner Senior High School in 1997 and spent my freshman year of college at Barton College, neither of which were so fun.  I spent the remainder of my college experience at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, which was a lot of fun.

Hobbies

I enjoy writing, mostly tales about my life.  I enjoy reading, mostly non-fiction about ways to create excitement and variety in my life..

I started playing rugby my sophomore year of college and continue to partake every now and then.  The highlights of my rugby admission are the friendships forged with the UNCW Clammdiggers throughout college and that continue with Cape Fear Rugby Club and Santa Monica Rugby Club, winning the Division 1 National Championship in 2005 and 2006 with Santa Monica Rugby Club, winning Silver in the 2001 and 2005 Maccabi World Games, and as an inaugural member of the US Falcons – North American 4, 2005.

I love sailing and believe the sea talks to me.  Everything about it, from the aerodynamics of sail shape to celestial navigation; from weather forecasting and survival skills to social interaction with those braving her might.

Travel is a passion.  My wander lust has taken me to nearly every state in the union and to 21 countries to date.  When abroad I exercise rigorous effort to learn local customs and unusual experinces.

Work

Salesmanship first reared its head around 5 years old when I set up a stand in front of my house to resell presents given to me around the holidays.  That didn’t sit well with some, but the return on investment was exceptional.  My first job in college was as a door to door salesman hocking Kirby Vacuums.  If you don’t know the meaning of difficult, try selling a $1,200 vacuum.

I started my first company, Apollo Financial Systems, at 19, owning, managing and selling automated teller machines, which I sold 8 years later.

At 23 I founded a minor league football team, The Port City Diesel, which I ran for 3 years.  Working like crazy  never felt so good…I didn’t make much money, but man, was it fun.  I dream sometimes of returning to work in sport administration.

Soon after arriving in Los Angeles in 2005, I earned my license to sell real estate and embarked on what has proved to be a most rewarding and challenging career.  I was proudly invited to join Sotheby’s International Realty – Brentwood Brokerage, where I was employed from April 2006 to August of 2010.  After a walk about that led me across two continents, I returned to Los Angeles to join Coldwell Banker – Brentwood Brokerage in the Spring of 2011.

In 2007 in an effort to expand my family’s business, InternetCE, I managed the digitizing of all curriculum and brought the company online.

Starting in 2009, I began to help friends and associates with their sales efforts.  Not only did I begin to aid in actually selling their business’s products, but my role evolved into helping them define their sales process.  I now consult with numerous businesses, under contract, to identify their markets, gather and package their sales collateral, and set up their marketing systems.

Spawned from work as an agent, I founded a software company in the summer of 2010.  The site will launch in the Summer of 2012.  

My Take

Happiness and gratitude are choices that I consciously make every day.