It all began with a shocking epiphany I had one night in 2009.
I was talking to a childhood friend, Mike. As kids, we had similar dreams. He was going to start a business and I was going to open a dental practice. By our 20s, I had a little dental practice and Mike had a little agriculture company. And that’s where our similarities would end.
I grew to rank in the top 1% of producers in the country, expanding my one practice to the size of 6, with 30+ employees. I was investing 10-15% of my income. I thought I was on the right path.
Mike, on the other hand, working as a CEO, had grown his little business to ... $1.67 billion.
I watched him buy his first lake house, where he, Margie, and the kids spent their summers together while I was stuck in my practice as my kids enjoyed the summer sun without me.
I watched as Mike bought his first boat, then his second, and pretty soon a mansion on the beach in Florida.
I watched his success from afar, until one evening, sitting together by a firepit and enjoying a glass of bourbon, Mike said those fateful words to me...