Why I Left My Wall Street Career to Build Tools for Small Businesses
For generations, my family owned and operated a paint and glass shop in small town Southern Illinois. The business was built the old fashioned way, through a reputation for hard work, fair dealing and superb craftsmanship. As the shop succeeded so did the community. In its heyday the shop employed around 40 people and occupied three buildings on Main Street, welcoming customers from in town and across the region. The level of craftsmanship was unbelievable and in his spare time, my Great Grandfather produced elaborate works of stained glass that would look at home in the great cathedrals of Europe.
Then big box stores came to the area. Overnight it was cheaper to buy paint from Walmart than it was to buy directly from the manufacturer. The coal mines that powered the local economy closed, hit by hard times folks deferred maintenance. The economic model that had brought prosperity to Southern Illinois vanished into the mists of time. When I was growing up the shop was limping along with a handful of employees, surrounded by decaying warehouses that were once an integral part of the operation. By the time I was a teenager it closed for good. By the time I was in college a curtain of despair had descended and this once thriving town found itself in the grips of the opioid epidemic.
I often think about how if things went differently, I would be running the shop. But life is strange and fate had may twists and turns in store for me. My Dad, despite all of the obstacles in front of him became a first generation college student and then an MD, ultimately taking a job in the Chicago suburbs to give his kids access to the excellent public schools in the area. There, me and my brothers thrived – one of his mantras that always stuck with me is “Never let anybody beat you because they worked harder than you. That is something you control.” I earned a spot at Northwestern, went against the grain and pursued my love of history, law and economics. After graduating with honors, I attended Columbia Law School in New York City and began a wall street career as a finance lawyer. I loved the fast pace, the challange, and the incredible opportunity to be among the best in the world at something.
I had finally made it and was advising banks like JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America for up to 18+ hours a day at nearly $1,000/hour. But ultimately my efforts were going towards making these mega institutions richer and more powerful. Once I had my first Kid, I decided it was time for a change. I saw my old fraternity brother D’Arcy was doing amazing things in the fintech space and together we founded Local Deal Flow Hub to bring wall street quality tools to helping the next generation of Main Street Entrepreneurs. I find this work so incredibly fulfilling and I’m proud to be building a better economy for all.