I knew the word entrepreneur by the time I was seven. I couldn’t explain it really, and as such couldn’t give my friends an accurate definition of what my dad’s job actually was. It’s a far cry from a firefighter or a pilot, that’s for sure. And when our brood of ten rolled into Canada, this big ol’ family from the States, settling into a quaint coastal town, I had no real idea what my Dad did for a living.
He wore a suit and tie, my Dad, rarely underdressed, no matter the day. He drove a fancy sports car, pulling on his driving gloves when he knew we were headed for some good curves. He flew an airplane, often finding some imaginary curves in the sky, I imagine. And, rounding out the hobbies, he had a luxury motor yacht, too. The man was decidedly not languorous.
In the mind of a small child, being an entrepreneur meant making your own rules, doing what you wanted, and somehow supporting your family in the process. Dad had been a company man before we hopped the border, a VP for an international typewriter firm, with semi-regular hours that involved intermittent travel. Now? He was a gemologist and an island broker, and perhaps combining the two hobbies/professions, for all I was aware. I just knew he was his own boss, flying off to appointments and carrying around a briefcase filled with sparkling gems and their accompanying appraisals.
Dad was an ideas man the whole of his life, and fantastic at executing things, to boot. These things combined made him perfect for the life of an entrepreneur, and I’d wager that as he sits at the Tiki Bar in Cabo San Lucas today, he fights off the various projects and schemes he might put into place. He is, after all, nearly 80-years-old.
That said, he still is out there plugging away at the business he started up there a dozen years ago. He runs the show mostly from his perch at the bar, slowly sipping his Captain & Diet Coke, wheeling and dealing, making sales. And I can’t imagine the day he will ever stop. Entrepreneur life chose him as much as he chose the life.
His choice in this type of work has been as financially scary as it has been rewarding. His life has been filled with creativity, start-to-completion projects, and the ensuing fallout – some extremely positive, some very difficult. And, no matter the outcome, he’s ticked off more boxes than most of us have in his bravery to just DO, already. And that? Is super admirable. Cheers, Pop!
