Outsized Impact: Your Actions as an Entrepreneur Literally Change Lives
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“I’m running late.” Me, on the way to a wedding in York Harbor. A former employee is getting married, and I’m backed up in traffic.
“Don’t worry, we’ll save you a seat.” My business partner, Chris Sullivan, who is steadfast in all things and perpetually has my back.
“Do we know anybody there?”
Chris laughs. “You’ll know people,” he says. “See you soon.”
I park the car, rush in, and give the groom, Nate, a warm hug on the way to my seat. It’s wonderful to see him.
The groomsmen walk in at the front of the ceremony. Three out of four are former employees, same as Nate, all part of my student painting business, Collegiate Entrepreneurs.
Once I catch my breath, I look around the crowd.
I don’t just know a few people there. Twenty percent of the wedding is Collegiate’s former leadership team.
***
The ceremony ends, and all through the reception, person after person comes up to me to say hello. I’m touched to see these college students who have grown into flourishing young adults.
We didn’t all part on perfect terms. Some quit. We fired others. But the bonds they forged during their time with our company—summers of hands-on entrepreneurial experience—have tied them together for many years.
When I saw them, it was as if time had stopped. We were back together, but any of the drama that came with that business—and there is always plenty working with college students—was gone.
I didn’t hear a single negative comment that night about our shared past, not even in jest. None of that survived: just this environment of love and attachment. It was emotional and totally unexpected.
Before the night ended, Nate’s parents approached me. They told me how much of an impact I had on their son. His wife came up to me and said she had wanted to meet me for years; that she was so thankful I was there.
It was a really nice night.
***
Nate’s wedding showed me that what we did at Collegiate was meaningful work—even when it felt hard or like a grind. We made a difference in a lot of lives. I sold the company in 2021, but this moment felt like a capstone, a chance to look back and say proudly, “We actually did that.”
Underneath it all, I care about the people. If you don’t love your people, I don’t think you should be an entrepreneur.
You don’t always see the impact you’re making on your people, especially in the present. It has to be enough to know that you’ve tried. But every so often, you’re lucky enough to glimpse of the ripple effects of your actions.
It’s a tremendous responsibility, and it’s tremendously rewarding.
