Basement

The entrepreneurial bug probably started in my parents’ basement.

Not because they sat me down and taught me business.

Because I watched them live it.

My mom built a photography business. My dad worked his regular job, then spent nights and weekends helping behind the scenes. Developing photos, printing, and even creating software to get the best possible image quality.

Some of my earliest work memories are tagging along on photo shoots and helping out wherever I could.

Looking back, I think I got the entrepreneurial bug from both of them.

From my mom, who showed me what it looked like to build something from scratch.

And from my dad, who was never shy about telling me:

“Work for yourself, son.”

Why this picture?

Well, when your mom has a giant photo printer in the basement, sometimes you decide to print a life-sized cardboard cutout of yourself as a smug going-away gift for your sister before heading off to college (so she wouldn’t miss me too much).

The actual result was that she walked out into the hallway one night to get a drink and nearly had a heart attack when she saw the shadow of a man standing in the hallway.

The best part?

About five years later, I came home to visit my parents, got up in the middle of the night for a drink, forgot the cardboard cutout still existed, and scared the daylights out of myself.

Turns out some lessons from your parents stick with you.

And apparently so do giant cardboard versions of yourself.