I am focused on teaching personal leadership. What does that mean?

I help people who want to take responsibility for their life, break out of the corporate rut to take back control of their time, their money, and their life, by teaching them to see their career and their work as an entrepreneurial venture – teaching them they are a Company of One.

There are a ton of blogs and podcasts out there who tell you how to get rich quick, to go from working for the corporate world to working for yourself with passive income. But, let’s get real.

• Most of us are going to continue working in the corporate world.
• Passive income is NOT really passive. It takes hard work.

I think most realize these two points. So, instead of teaching people to just leave their day job, I am about maximizing the things we all want:

• Control of our time – Personal freedom.
• Control of our income – Stop being controlled only by my pay grade and 3% raises.
• Control of our lives – In general, getting back to where you are in control instead of an arbitrary system.

All of these are possible no matter where you work. The issues is, who is leading you?

A Bit Of Background About Me

Christian – I am a later in life Christian after many years of fighting against the truth. Being saved by Christ is my life. It is not only what I believe, but it is also who I am. But, I totally understand some of you may not believe this. Trust me, I get it. I am not here to preach to you. I have many friends who are of many faiths (including some who claim they have no faith). But I wanted you to know where I come from in my view of life.

Entrepreneur – I am a persistent entrepreneur. I start things on my own. I also start things in my role at the university (my day job). Since being in high school, I have always found ways to generate cash by serving the needs of others.

Faculty – I am also a university faculty member at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). I teach in engineering, and I lead the executive graduate program in Information Engineering and Management (or as we call it: IEM).

Speaker – One of the things I enjoy most is speaking. Even as an introvert, speaking is where I am at my best, and feel the most comfortable. You can see about my speaking on my speaker page.

Author – I am the author of Resumes are Worthless: How to Find the Work You Love and Succeed. The book defines the idea of a Company of One and teaches the reader how to live as a company of one.

Blogger – This is my blog, and it is not associated with the university. Here I write and share about becoming a company of one. Or perhaps a better way to say it, I am trying to revive that entrepreneurial spirit in you! (I know it is in there!). In this blog, I share ideas about how to find success at work – whether you work for an entrepreneurial startup or for a large company. Topics range from the company of one model, success, motivation, how to be an entrepreneur, education in America, and how to find your calling. My goal is to help you to revive that entrepreneurial spirit within you and to put it to work to change the world. If you are looking to love your work again—then this blog is for you.

My Bio

My background is in electrical engineering. I went to work for BellSouth (AT&T) right out of engineering school at Auburn University. I spent 13 years in the telecom world with BellSouth, mostly working in operations and a group called Science and Technology where we did the research and planning for the future products and services.

When I started to work in the corporate world after engineering school, I found the work and the corporate world un-fulfilling – many times downright meaningless. (Can you say “Dilbert”?) While I liked the things I did at work, the environment left a lot to be desired.

Over a short time, I morphed from the excited engineer who was ready to change the world into a person who spent their day going to meetings for the sake of meetings and working to meet measurements that I had no idea how they mattered to the business.

I had to find sanity! What worked for me? Realizing that I was in fact in business for myself – or a company of one. My job was not to work for company X or Y and get paid while doing a job – but instead everything I was doing was about earning a living. Some of that living may come by way of a “job” – but I had to look at that job as just one of my sources of income and one set of customers I was serving. I found a way to get freedom – to get control of my own time and income. I hated showing up at 8 and leaving at 5 -or whenever. It just was not for me.

I also found freedom with money. Not that I am about being rich, but money can have a major impact on buying freedom! And, I found out to do these things and take control was EASIER than I had ever imagined.

But my ultimate freedom has come from knowing Jesus Christ. That freedom money cannot buy!

Many entrepreneurial ventures came before, during, and after those years. These ventures have included everything from video games, wireless communications, homeschool education, real estate, investments, and a few others. Investors have backed some, but mostly I prefer the bootstrap experience. Now I am with the university and the entrepreneurial ventures still come – sometimes too fast.

I am married to Lea and we have four children – two daughters and two sons. My daughters are grown, one married with a son. My sons are younger and still destroying the house (not that this ever stops). We live in Birmingham, Alabama. I am a member of Briarwood Presbyterian Church.

Now you know where I am coming from. So this blog is to share with you the things I teach in my entrepreneurship classes and the concepts I use in coaching. And of course, I will be sharing the new things I learn every day. A lot of what I learn comes from readers like you!

This Blog

I typically post weekly on Tuesday. Each post is the show notes for my Company of One podcast. I work to write the post content so that you can consume the content either by reading or listening. To make sure you don’t miss my newest posts, you can subscribe by e-mail. (See top right-hand side.)

Common Questions

• Podcast/Radio Interview: If you are looking for me to be a guest on your podcast, radio show, or just an interview for print, please contact me directly via email.
• Guest Posting: Wanting me to guest post for you or you to guest post for me. Please contact me via email with the relevant information.
• Review your Book: Yes, given time, I am willing to review your book if you would like some feedback or opinions. I will provide reviews on Amazon if I really like what you have to say – but no guarantees.

Contact Me

You can contact me via e-mail or follow me on Twitter or Facebook.