The most important business ideas of my life didn’t come from a boardroom, business school, or venture capitalist. They came from passion. One idea emerged from a hospital room while visiting my grandmother, and another stemmed from one of the most painful moments of my life: the loss of my brother, Garry.
During my visit, I learned that the phlebotomist drawing my grandmother's blood had received little to no formal training, and there was no national standard to ensure competency. This ultimately led to an infection. I left that hospital asking myself: What if I could create standards and credentials that never existed before? More importantly, how could an "outsider" change an industry?
That question led me to build the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), a company I am immensely proud of. It was like raising a child; my amazing employees felt like family. My goal was never simply to build a business. It was to elevate professions, create standards, and improve patient care.
Years later, after losing my brother Garry to suicide, I faced the most heartbreaking experience my family ever had to endure. I found myself asking a similar question: How can we do better in mental health and behavioral health without being an insider?
That experience guided much of my work in behavioral health, special education, and mental health services. I was fortunate to find incredible partners and talented employees who helped build organizations that improved outcomes for children, families, schools, and communities in unprecedented ways.
Over the course of my career, those purpose-driven missions ultimately led to five successful business exits. However, the exits are not what I’m most proud of. The lesson I’ve learned is simple: Great companies are not built solely to make money. They are built by those obsessed with solving a problem that matters.
If you’re an entrepreneur, find a problem that breaks your heart or makes you angry. Not every company needs to have a clearly defined social purpose; it could also be about building a culture that inspires employees, treats them with respect, and offers them a chance to progress in life. Purpose will carry you much farther than simply growing and selling your company.