During the holiday season a lot of people slow down, but not Zach\u2019s guest, Garrett Atkins. Today\u2019s episode is being recorded in Garrett\u2019s studio, Half Coast Studios in St Louis, MO. There, he records his own podcast, The Official St. Louis Podcast. Garrett was once named the Most Admired Business Leader in St. Louis, but he wasn\u2019t always business savvy. He says his entrepreneurial journey started in high school at the age of 16. His first job was knocking on doors and pitching windows and siding. He was bringing in $30,000/year at 16 and was quickly promoted to supervisor. Having learned a lot about sales, his next lesson would be in recruiting more salespeople. Not very academically disciplined, Garrett would try his hand at college and drop out soon after.\xa0
\xa0
From there, Garrett job-hopped quite a bit. He sold cars, did inside sales at a startup, worked for credit repair companies, and at mortgage companies. Garrett went through 7 or 8 jobs in just 3 years, but he credits that for where he is today. Working an array of jobs, Garrett gained a lot of knowledge. It was while working at the startup company that Garrett saw how easy it was to start a business. By age 20, Garrett started a full service digital marketing agency. His success with that company was the catalyst for starting other companies. Three years later, Garrett was able to start his recording studio. As most of his friends were just coming out of college, not having had a real job yet, Garrett was already a successful business leader.\xa0
\xa0
Beyond business lessons, Garrett learned a lot of life lessons along the way too. He learned that nothing is guaranteed and that family is everything. Watching his parent\u2019s business go under in 2008 through no fault of their own, leading to the loss of their home, was a pivotal point in Garrett\u2019s life. What could have scared him away from entrepreneurship, instead gave him the drive to take control of his own destiny. It\u2019s also the reason he wanted to have his hands in more than one business, because if one went under, he still had backup plans.\xa0
\xa0
What You\u2019ll Learn:
\xa0
Favorite Quote:\xa0
\u201cUnorthodox business strategies are how you differentiate yourself from other people.\u201d -Garrett Atkins
\xa0
How to Get Connected:
\xa0
______________________________________________________________________
\xa0
How to Get Involved:
Get podcasting help here.
\xa0
For more on how to grow your business, check out this episode.\xa0
\xa0
If you enjoyed this episode, head over and visit us on Apple Podcasts - leave a review and let us know what you thought! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word!