Opening a business. This is mentioned in my series resume to retirement. There was a break between my job at Fidelity Investments and my last job at JPMorgan Chase that lasted 17 years until my retirement. During that 1+ year break, I opened a hockey training franchise. I am a level 4 certified coach with USA Hockey, and this was something that would be fun, and I hoped would be something that would work out. In the end, after a bit over 1 year, I had to close with no regrets. Any business needs to operate and pay its bills, but also pay the owner to survive. That second part was the problem. I built the business from the ground up. I had two synthetic rinks, a weight training area, and I sold some gear and sharpened skates. I had to do all the setup, marketing, promotion, and training. I acquired and trained over 100 kids and partnered with some organizations. I had no regrets. I learned so much from that experience that I believe it helped me in my last job managing projects and people. It was a great experience. This was not a failure, sure I had to close but I was successful on so many things. I know it did not seem that way when I closed, but as I looked back at what I did and what I accomplished, it was quite an accomplishment.
Daily Prompt: A Risk I Took And Don’t Regret
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About Kevin, I spent 40 years in FinTech before retiring to
Rio de Janeiro to trade software releases for a front-row seat
to the beautiful absurdity of life in Brazil. This blog is my digital
porch, a place for unpolished commentary on book reviews,
daily gripes, and the random thoughts of a guy who finally has
the time to pay attention. I’m an observant realist with a deep
appreciation for history, a good quote, and the perspective that
only comes after the career ends. I write to stay sharp, to stay
honest, and to keep the conversation going.
Comments
10 responses to “Daily Prompt: A Risk I Took And Don’t Regret”
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That’s so cool. It’s no easy thing to build a business from scratch.
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Thanks for the reply. Yes it was a lot of fun and hard work!
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You’re most welcome!
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This is fantastic. I’m learning so much about one of my fave authors! Look at all the lives you touched via this business and coaching. You defintely made a difference in many budding hockey journeys.
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Thanks for the reply. It was fun working with youth players. Funny they are all in their late 20’s and early 30’s now.
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So fantastic! You took a risky, bold move, and the results were amazing! Building business from scratch takes a lot of time and courage, and it’s not easy. So proud of you ☺️
For me, I took a huge risk. I renamed my future business name from a gamer-like name to Aptivi. At first, my blog traffic dwindled, then went up exponentially. This happened 4 years ago.
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Hey thanks for the reply. Checking ou your area now. It looks great.
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You are welcome 😊 I appreciate your kind words
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This is nice. I wish to look back someday and write something like this because building a business is risky and tiring.
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Thanks so much for the reply, I appreciate it. Yes it is but it was fun too
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