What’s the origin story of your business?
Nicholas was my wife, Nancy’s, brother who passed in 2008. My relationship with him was on and off. He wanted me to be a mentor to him and every time I refused. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and our last conversation was all about the things we were going to do once he got out of the hospital. After he passed, Nancy said we should do something different. I’ve always loved mentoring and getting to help others so we decided to start a non-profit that would allow us to mentor young men and women without a present father figure in their life. We named the non-profit the Nicholas Foundation and even our logo is a picture of Nicholas.
What is unique about owning and running a business in Murfreesboro?
You definitely meet a lot of people. People are going to find out what you’re doing and who you are. You get to see things from behind the scenes and see who people really are. Sometimes that can be scary but it does make it easier to help those that you can.
As a business owner, what keeps you up at night?
I worry about whether or not we are reaching the right kids. I wonder are we helping the kids that really need it or are we reaching those that don’t.
If you could wave a magic wand and make one problem go away in your business what would it be?
I would have to say strategizing. The school systems can be hard to get in with and can make it hard to reach the right kids. It would be a lot easier if we could just set up a pipeline system that takes us directly to those that need us without all the interference.
If you could travel back in time to the day you started your business, what advice would you give yourself?
I would tell myself to pick people wisely. You need to know what you’re doing and not trust that everybody wants to help you achieve that. You need to remember that some people don’t have your best interests at heart.
What time of the day are you most productive?
I am most productive anytime after noon. The later in the day the better for me. Nancy is more of the morning person so we balance each other out well.
What’s one thing you’d say to a person starting a new business?
Do as much research as you can before you start. If there is someone already doing what you’re doing try to learn as much as you can from them. Partner with them if you can. Also, make sure that this is what you want to do and what you’re passionate about.
Learn more about the Nicholas Foundation by Visiting their website!
