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My Dad and Me.

Dad and Me

Got a story for ya today…

I make it no secret that I AM AN ENTREPRENEUR with a deep passion for health and wellness.

Like a lot of health bloggers, it took me a long time to fully embrace the business side of things — the marketing, the sales, the networking, the fears.

It’s been quite a journey, but I can honestly say that I have the best job in the world. I read books, interview the authors, and have the privilege of helping people all over the world overcome their health issues.

It’s a pretty sweet gig. And YOU make it possible.

My entrepreneurial journey began when I was maybe six-years-old. Like clockwork, the latest issue of my father’s Entrepreneur Magazine would arrive in our mailbox each month, addressed to Fred Lee Croxton.

A hardworking man and Korean War vet with abilities that went well above and beyond his limited education, my father prized his stacks of business publications — Fortune, Black Enterprise, and the one that fascinated me the most, Entrepreneur Mag.

Of course, as a He-Man-watching, WWF-loving kid, it wasn’t the articles I found so intriguing, but the title itself.

En-tre-pre-neur.

Up until that point, nothing I had learned in school had prepared me for so many vowels and syllables. It surely wasn’t a word that I could just “sound out”. So I fixated on the mysterious word whenever the magazine and I crossed paths, challenging myself to figure it all out.

In many ways, I still am…

My father spent his weekdays in the women’s shoe department at the Macy’s in downtown San Francisco, where he earned many awards and prizes for his superior salesmanship. On the weekends you could find him at the Oakland Flea Market peddling everything from knockoff Guess and Gucci outfits to Rambo knifes and stun guns.

Hey, it was the eighties!

I mostly remember watching Dad wheeling and dealing with his prospective customers. Every so often, he would even let little ol’ me make a sale or two. But I’ll never forget the thick wad of cash that bulged from his back pocket by the end of business. I could only imagine how much candy that money could buy. 🙂

Unfortunately, my on-the-job business training ended when my parents eventually split when I was about ten-years-old. Dad moved away and my mentor was gone. But my entrepreneurial endeavors were just getting started.

I collected stamps and old coins. Bought and sold baseball cards and comic books. Stockpiled bags of aluminum cans and recycled them for cash. Juggled three after-school jobs. I even returned to the Flea Market, where I tagged along with my uncles and sold old belongings I didn’t need anymore.

En-tre-pre-neur.

Anyway, fast forward to just three weeks ago. It was my Mom’s birthday. (You may remember I wrote about her unconditional support for my unconventional occupation around this time last year). She and I were on the phone discussing what she should tell her friends when they ask what I do for a living. It’s always an interesting question…

We decided that, although it’s pretty general, “entrepreneur” would pretty much sum it up.

Then we reminisced for a bit about Dad’s magazines, my inability to figure out that mysterious word, and of course had a few laughs about the counterfeit Gucci and Guess gear. Mom is hilarious.

Later that night, I got a text from my buddy Jon.

Jon: Call me ASAP!

I gave Jon a call and he excitedly informed me that a friend of his wanted to feature me in an online magazine piece.

The magazine?

En-tre-pre-neur!

After thanking Jon profusely, I sent my Mom a text message about what a coincidence it had been that this happened on the very day we talked about my Dad’s old magazines.

Mom: Yes, we were (just talking about that). I’m so proud!! Your Dad would be a PROUD DAD!!

Dad isn’t around anymore. He’s been gone for a long time. But I can imagine what a kick he would have gotten out of seeing his son featured by his favorite magazine. What I would give to pick up the phone and share the news with him.

We’ve come a long way. The teacher and the student. Truly full circle.

Here’s the article, if you’d like to check it out:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241913

The article was published a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to save it for today. That’s because today kicks off one of my favorite times of the year when I take a new group of entrepreneurs under my wing and show them how they can change their lives and make an indelible imprint on the world through entrepreneurship and serving others.

Yup, today is Day One of my friend Marie Forleo’s B-School launch. If you haven’t heard of Marie, she’s helped thousands of men and women (including me) build the businesses and the lives they love.

She’ll be on the podcast next Tuesday. But today she’s got a video training series for you to jump into, for FREE.

Here’s what you’ll learn…

* The 6 pillars for building a successful and profitable business online.

* Why nice people with big hearts (hmm, does that sound like you?) are wired to succeed in the digital era.

* What you must know, what you must understand, and the sequence you have to follow if you want to use this really incredible thing we have — called the internet — to do what you love and get paid for it.

Here’s the link to get your training videos:

www.freebschooltraining.com

Full disclosure, because I’m all about transparency. The training videos are FREE but will require your email address. You do not have to buy anything, and you can unsubscribe from Marie’s email list at anytime.

In a few weeks, those who get the free training videos will be invited to enroll in B-School. As an affiliate, I will earn a commission for each order placed by my “leads”.

As always, those who enroll for B-School through me will get some super-special bonuses, including our annual LIVE mastermind event in San Diego on Labor Day weekend, a Skype call with me, and multiple live webinars leading up to our live event.

I’ll tell you more about this year’s bonuses on next week’s podcast with Marie.

Get your free training videos.

Thank you so much for reading this long post. Every journey begins somewhere. I’m proud to share this story about my Dad and me. And I look forward to “paying forward” his mentorship and inspiration with this year’s UW B-School group.

I’ll see you tomorrow with one of the more “interesting” podcasts I’ve ever done…

Sean

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