So where did it all start with me? That’s a good question. To answer it though, one has to decide how far back does the story actually begin? When trying to decide on how to write an actual bio about myself I tend to find myself at an impasse of wonderance. Am I gloating, am I fluffing anything, am I being completely honest with myself and “my story”? To be frank, it’s how I remember it. It should be accurate, at least I’m pretty sure I’m honest with myself as well as those that are close to me. So, to begin, I guess “my story” begins at a young age with my father.
Now, I never imagined myself a business owner, nor did I have the inclination to dream of it. Of course, you see the billionaires on TV and we all idolize them. As a kid, though, I idolized my dad. He has worked on garage doors for as long as I can remember, hell, I think the only thing I’ve ever known him to do was garage door installs and repair. When I was young, I remember going to work with him every now and then. He worked for a company called East Bay Overhead Door, for a guy named Dennis. Dennis was cool, as a kid he was HUGE in my eyes. Big guy, heavy set, reddish beard and glasses, but always kind to me and a jokester with my dad. Fast forward about 15 years and my dad gets a call from Dennis’s wife, he had passed away and she asked him if he’d be interested in purchasing the company. My dad accepted the offer and I remember right away he was taking evening classes to get his contracting license, figuring out financial forecasts and budgeting, planning how the business would run, etc. Granted, I wasn’t privy to all aspects of business planning; I was just a kid. I was more concerned with whether or not it was going to rain the next day, so I could go ride my bike with my friends.
The first few years my dad owned the business, life was, shall I say, plentiful. Business was booming (not that I knew it at the time), we went out to dinner all the time, went on fun family vacations to Disneyland, the Grand Canyon, went on a cruise, life was awesome. But what I didn’t see, was the bad planning on forecasting the financials and taxes. He got hit pretty hard with taxes one year, because he was just taking his income as the company profits. Eventually he linked up with a great CPA and lawyer and figured out a better business plan, one that worked for him. He changed his strategy to “employ” himself under the company and taking a regular paycheck. We were not struggling by any means, but we also weren’t as elaborate in our vacations.
My dad encompasses the type of work ethic I strive to project each day. There were many days and nights where he would come home and although the “work” day in field was done, the work shift on the business side only began for the evening. He wouldn’t be up all hours of the night, but he made it a point to spend the right amount of time each night focusing on the business. Each night he would be answering calls, checking voicemails, closing out invoices, schedule planning for the following day, planning his deposits for the bank account, scheduling dump runs for the trash/debris from the jobs of the previous days. His workday didn’t always end when he got home, it ended after he took care of business for the next day.
I paint that perspective only to share what image I perceived of being a business owner, it’s not easy. I never really thought about owning a business and how much work went into it. I thought I was going to be a professional BMX rider or be a special operative in the military. The idea of the amount of work didn’t turn me off to the thought of ever becoming a business owner, the idea just never really formed for me. Only now, when I look back in my late 30’s do I realize how much he sacrificed and how hard he worked to make his company successful, a company with over 50 years of solid reputation in the California East Bay.
Now I turn to myself, and how becoming a business owner kind of presented itself and I leapt. I joined the military at 17, I spent my 18th birthday in Basic Training in the Active-Duty Air Force; I wanted to be a cop. In the Air Force, I could be Security Forces after finishing Basic and Technical Training. Security Forces is a vague umbrella of Law Enforcement duties, Security and Convoy operations whether at home or overseas, weapons training and weapons instruction, investigations, aircraft security, etc etc. It’s a fairly vast encompassing career field, of which I only worked in a few different areas. About 3 years in, I got in some trouble and was almost kicked out of the military. I think that was a turning point for me to pull my head out of my rear-end and get on the right track. I left active duty in 2007 and joined the Air Force Reserves to “be a civilian, life will be so much easier!” only to be essentially homeless a few months later. Back to the parent house, under their rules. After a month or two, I was back out on my own with a new job, managing security operations for a commercial complex. Shortly thereafter, I was activated and got sent back to the desert.
When I returned, I was given the opportunity to cross into a new career field, Logistics Planning and Management. I took the test; I got the aptitude scoring required and went back to training for the new career. In 2013, there was a job opening for a civilian position with the Air National Guard (ANG) in New Jersey; I didn’t know anyone there and I was living paycheck to paycheck. I decided I might as well move on to bigger and better things. I sold everything I owned, packed up two bags of clothes and jumped on a plane (after I got the job offer of course). Since moving to Jersey, life has treated me very well. I purchased my first home, got back on active-duty status with the ANG and have been involved in many different missions within the state and nation. I got my degree in Business Management & Logistics, and achieved the rank of Senior Master Sargent. I also met my wife, of course I couldn’t forget to add that. In doing so, I also met my business partners, John and Jeremy.
I had a fleeting plan for when I retired that I wanted to get back into an outdoor job. John and Jeremy had been working in marine repair and I thought to myself, that would be a cool job to get into! A couple years later, I learned of the possibility of them starting their own Marine Repair business, taking over the mechanic shop of where the currently worked. I talked to my wife about it and I started digging into whatever informational resources I could find, I wanted to help!
As much as I wanted to help, I also didn’t want to insert myself unless they asked for help. One day, in casual conversation, it was brought up that they were thinking of asking me for some help in the research and planning, little did they know I had already been working on info for them in hopes they would ask. I love helping, I love being an information source, I really enjoy helping others succeed. It was my goal to make that success for them a tangible reality. After a short while of doing research and getting information over to them, the realization of how much work it would be kind of hit me. I think it hit them too; which was when I pitched the idea of me “buying” into the business and becoming part of it. I expressed my desire to help and my interest in becoming part of the journey and asked that they think it over and talk among themselves to decide, truly think about it.
A few days later, the idea of J3 Marine came to fruition. I never thought of myself as being a business owner, or even a business partner. This idea was formed out of my love for my family and my desire to help them succeed; to ensure their livelihood was fruitful and their families were taken care of. I’m not in it for the money, though when my military retirement date finally comes, I’ll be in it for a job.
Since the inception of J3 Marine, I have worked tirelessly on planning and building out a forecast of success for them…and by them, I guess I now mean us. Constant calls, texts, emails and Facebook messages all hours of the day and sometimes night, turning this dream into a reality. It’s going to happen; it will be successful; it’s my family, and I will take care of my family.
J3 Marine is not just a Marine Repair shop, it’s a family; I’m just glad I get to be part of it.