Lead, follow or get the F out of the way.
Lead, follow or get the F out of the way.
When my wife and I were thrown into the ocean of uncertainty called entrepreneurship, the first thing I looked for was a life preserver. For nearly two decades, I had been surrounded by highly skilled, ultra competitive superstars. Suddenly I found myself swimming with my lovely wife, an artist. I'm grateful she did not drown me after some of the stunts I pulled over these past six years.
I first heard the statement Lead, follow or get the F out of my way around 2011/2012. I immediately related and made it my mantra. Everything about it fed my ego, and I wanted to live it. I wanted to be a producer, a doer of great things, a leader of great teams; I wanted it all. We started 2 companies back in 2017, one for ME and one for We. I put so much focus on the “ME” that I nearly broke the WE.
Over these past 6 years, I have had various business partners, each of whom I placed hopes in with the goal of building a successful business. I was disappointed many times. I was also foolish to overlook the best business partner I could have ever dreamed of. She was always by my side; she never left me. I overlooked her. She did not have 20 years of experience. She had not led teams, run a P&L, close million dollar deals; she was an artist and a nonconformist. It was not until 2022 when I was at my lowest that I finally saw her.
It took me nearly losing everything for me to truly see that I already had the best business partner I could have ever dreamed of. It was not until 2022 that I truly went all in. I literally said, fuck it, I will not hold back. I will fully trust, invest, support and help build a masterpiece; I will make building companies my work of art. I will use all of my skills, talents, strengths, grit, anger, rage and love to make my wife successful, to make her the beneficiary of all of my energy. God knows I put her through hell to get here.
So why this post? Well, I want to introduce my partner and highlight where we are headed. The company is S&S Studio, www.sidandsarah.com; a boutique Design, Build, and Furnish company. Over the next few posts I will share what we have learned, hopefully clear up some confusion as to what “design” is and give a glimpse into the making of something cool. 2023 has been an interesting year. I have been planting seeds. I have been grinding. If this year had a song, it would be, “Forgot About Dre”; best line, “ cuz I have been in the lab with a pen and pad trying to get this damn label off”. Stay tuned.
