Jeff Dudan

And I also, regardless of the actual performance of the grades and such, not, I actually had a high opinion of myself that I was smart, that I could accomplish things. And that, you know, if I set my mind to it and having some success athletically, I think bolstered a little bit of that confidence. The social confidence wasn't there. The academic confidence, the rigor wasn't there.

But again, I didn't have really a role model or anybody holding me accountable to do those things. I think if somebody would have just said, I'm going to take a look at your report card once in a while, maybe I would have. But I think all of those things combined to a fear of failure, I was staring right at it.

But again, I didn't have really a role model or anybody holding me accountable to do those things. I think if somebody would have just said, I'm going to take a look at your report card once in a while, maybe I would have. But I think all of those things combined to a fear of failure, I was staring right at it.

I think through reading and books, a lot of fiction, a lot of ink magazine, a lot of business-y type stuff already, but also a lot of fiction. I had seen the world through the eyes of the authors. And I knew there was a lot out there. And I just always assumed that I would get to go see it one day. Now, the life I live today, I would have never anticipated.

I think through reading and books, a lot of fiction, a lot of ink magazine, a lot of business-y type stuff already, but also a lot of fiction. I had seen the world through the eyes of the authors. And I knew there was a lot out there. And I just always assumed that I would get to go see it one day. Now, the life I live today, I would have never anticipated.

I mean, I'm flying all over the place and I get to go to great places and I get to be with some of the top people in the industries. I would have never thought. But I do feel like I belong and I can walk into a room with people that you only have seen on television or in the internet and be comfortable in that arena. But it was a shift. We get in our own way with our own insecurities.

I mean, I'm flying all over the place and I get to go to great places and I get to be with some of the top people in the industries. I would have never thought. But I do feel like I belong and I can walk into a room with people that you only have seen on television or in the internet and be comfortable in that arena. But it was a shift. We get in our own way with our own insecurities.

If we argue for our limitations and we lose that argument, then we get to keep those limitations for our entire life.

If we argue for our limitations and we lose that argument, then we get to keep those limitations for our entire life.

So I had worked all the trades growing up. Chicago's a union town, so concrete construction. I worked for a moving and storage company. And one of the summers, I worked for a painter. And that's a really low barrier to entry business. And my roommate had a truck. And I'm like, hey, let's start a painting business. There wasn't anything more than, we're going to need money to stay.

So I had worked all the trades growing up. Chicago's a union town, so concrete construction. I worked for a moving and storage company. And one of the summers, I worked for a painter. And that's a really low barrier to entry business. And my roommate had a truck. And I'm like, hey, let's start a painting business. There wasn't anything more than, we're going to need money to stay.

At that point, it was kind of a low point with my dad's business had been failing. And there just wasn't any money. I just didn't have an avenue to get any money. So even to stay over the summer, I had to solve that problem myself. A paintbrush, a small ladder, a deposit on a job, and you're a painter. And I knew how to do it. So it was nothing more than that.

At that point, it was kind of a low point with my dad's business had been failing. And there just wasn't any money. I just didn't have an avenue to get any money. So even to stay over the summer, I had to solve that problem myself. A paintbrush, a small ladder, a deposit on a job, and you're a painter. And I knew how to do it. So it was nothing more than that.

It was just, I like to say, many entrepreneurs are screwed into existence by circumstances. And I've got a problem to solve I want a case of beer a week and I want to eat and I need a roof over my head. It was just that simple.

It was just, I like to say, many entrepreneurs are screwed into existence by circumstances. And I've got a problem to solve I want a case of beer a week and I want to eat and I need a roof over my head. It was just that simple.

I graduated college and a buddy calls me and we had built this very successful apartment painting business. They had asked us to put a crew together and we recruited all the athletes that were taking classes over the summer. And we would do 15 or 20 apartments in a day. And we were making real money. I was making more than the football coaches were making.

I graduated college and a buddy calls me and we had built this very successful apartment painting business. They had asked us to put a crew together and we recruited all the athletes that were taking classes over the summer. And we would do 15 or 20 apartments in a day. And we were making real money. I was making more than the football coaches were making.

So I got offered a grad assistant football coaching job at the University of South Carolina by one of the coaches that had gone there. And he said, he called and said, would you want to do that? And I mean, I couldn't afford to live on it. Back in the mid-80s, they weren't paying assistant coaches a whole lot. So I was making more as a part-time painter. And my brother was coming behind me.

So I got offered a grad assistant football coaching job at the University of South Carolina by one of the coaches that had gone there. And he said, he called and said, would you want to do that? And I mean, I couldn't afford to live on it. Back in the mid-80s, they weren't paying assistant coaches a whole lot. So I was making more as a part-time painter. And my brother was coming behind me.

And if the resources weren't there for me, they really weren't there for him. And he was stuck. He was washing cars at Schaumburg Toyota outside of Chicago and going to that junior college. So, you know, I also had an obligation to stand up a household and be able to help them with tuition and get them through school. So this guy calls and he says, hey, this hurricane just hit South Florida.