From Tragedy to Transformation
From Tragedy to Transformation
- A Little About Me
- My first Director position, I grew a company’s sales from $1.5M to $14M in a single year.
- Oh, and did I mention we hit those numbers during the softest economy since the Great Depression?
- By 2005, I had never opened an excel spreadsheet, owned a cell phone or sent an email in my life.
- By 2015, I was a self-trained, highly regarded sales executive, who had put multiple companies in Inc. magazine’s fastest 500.
- Walked away from a hard-won career at the height of my earning potential – oopsie
- Wrote a memoir about my experiences that will probably ensure that no one will ever hire me again
Kyle is the father of four, an adoring husband and eternal risk taker. Raised in a small town in the Midwest, his fast-paced career eventually lead him to become a highly respected sales executive in the San Francisco Bay Area. In little over 5 years, he sold over $70M in early stage technology, put multiple startup companies in Inc. magazine's fastest 500 and was instrumental in taking a company to acquisition. And at the pinnacle of an extremely lucrative career, he shocked everyone and walked out of Corporate America. Life was meant for so much more to a person with his background.
What almost nobody knew about Kyle was that at the age of 35 he was a frightened ex-convict walking out of 6 ½ years of prison, harboring regret, shame and insecurity. People who knew him counted him out. But not Kyle. He entered the work force with no connections, having never sent an email, and little more than the belief that he would make his statement in this world. In just 10 short years he rose to the top of his game earning over $750K the year he left. He was regarded as one of the best in his field of expertise. Kyle was tenacious and resourceful enough to go from earning $10 / hour to a decade later being a highly sought-after sales executive. And he did it with no college degree.
The message is clear in how he lives his life and within every topic he presents: never count yourself out, never cower to your fears. Everyone has a gift that can change the world.
- A Little About Me
- Favorite Sound: My Daughter’s voices screaming ‘Daddy’ when I walk in the door.
- Favorite Movie Character: It’s tough but I’d have to go with Melvin Udall
- Favorite Super Hero: My wife.
- Favorite Band: Depends on what I’m pairing it with. Too important to pick just one.
- Favorite Word: Let’s not go there…
Once people hear the story, I’m often asked,
“How did you rise above all that tragedy?”
From as far back as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with what drives success. Even as a young adult I would listen to audio tapes, read books, attend seminars, watch documentaries on athletes and coaches alike. The passion to win, to achieve, to overcome, was that thing inside people that I was always attracted to.
The irony, is that the real magic bullet to every great comeback story isn’t so much the competitive nature or the talent or the intelligence – that’s all just the ticket to the game. The true competitive advantage lies somewhere inside the mistakes, inside what drives us to get up, to dust our britches off, to plow through every brick wall that is put in front of us. And often inside our fear and doubt and discomfort is where we find the will to do the impossible.
In a world where you can be full of fear yet still find confidence, where you’re riddled with doubt yet take the leap every time, where guilt and determination meld together to create that unstoppable edge; is where superpowers are born.
The secret to how I rose above all that tragedy.
I’m not here to be the anomaly; I’m here to be the example.
My life is a shining example that rules and conventions were made to be broken. From being a young man with a bright future, to an intravenous drug user, to a convict who was counted out, to eventually a highly respected Sales Executive at the top of his game and an adoring father, I’m undeniable proof that nothing is insurmountable.
My story is an example of what life can be when you have courage, when you have forgiveness, when you have hope. I am that guy you can point to and say, “Look; I’m not the only one.”
