Recently, I was joking with a friend about my long list of accomplishments which put me down the rabbit hole of what have I accomplished. I started reminiscing about past goals, the time and effort I put into achieving them, and how they turned out.
For those that only know the cycling side of my life, I also own a commercial paint company, DNA Designs. Being in business since 2012, we've had our share of highs and lows but we've always remained optimistic about the future.
We’ve had years where we were a $2+ million dollar company and years where we hit $250k. In ten years of being an entrepreneur in the paint business, I still can’t tell you what that sweet spot is.
A few years back, my goal was to be nominated and inducted into the 40 Under 40 Class of 2016.
I've been investing in the city through cycling since about 2010 and was eager to do so from a business standpoint through DNA Designs. To me, I didn’t see this as a financial contribution, but a way I could contribute to some of the city’s more notable projects at the time. How could I be part of something bigger than myself, my business, and do something I’d be proud of years down the road.
I’ve always been a sucker for a good story and the idea that I can accomplish something greater than myself. And, to keep things totally transparent, I really felt like if I could get this 40 Under 40 award, it would change my life and my family’s lives. Like joining a secret fraternity or something, a group of like-minded individuals who support each other, push each other forward, and strived for the greater good of everyone in their class.
I’m not really sure what or whose validation I was chasing. Maybe it was just my own.
That year, I attempted to align myself with all the right people. The right general contractors, suppliers, employees, and all the people who I believed shared the same goals as myself.
I went hard in the paint that year. It was one of our biggest years. Unfortunately, volume doesn’t always lead to profitability.
2016 was the second of a three-year run for DNA Racing’s domestic elite cycling team, TeamArapahoe, which was something we’d been dreaming about for years. I directed, managed, established sponsorship relationships, and built a damn good bad news bears of cycling teams.
It was also the fifth year of the OKC Pro-Am Classic and our first year on the USA Cycling Pro Road Tour. That was a pretty big application process and buy-in to be able to be included on that calendar. It brought a lot of new faces to Oklahoma City, and I made a lot of lifelong friends from it.
And the icing on the cake was 24 weeknight races at the Wheeler Crit.
That year, I was inducted into the 40 Under 40 class of 2016.
It was a busy year both in business and extracurricular. I had some fantastic people in my corner who encouraged, helped, and celebrated with me. The induction banquet was amazing. The highlight was having some really amazing people that I look up to and respect within the city say some nice things about me to my folks.
But honestly, nothing changed.
It wasn’t the induction into a secret fraternity. It didn’t lead to more work. It didn’t lead to greater finances. It is sorta the only cool thing on my LinkedIn though.
I’m not really sure what I was chasing. Some sort of validation. Maybe to take the place of the trophies I never won as a kid or lack of academic awards. Who knows.
So, what’s the point?
I guess the point is, to do something because it makes you happy or fulfills a certain need, don’t do it hoping you’ll gain anything from it. I still do all of the same things, still have the paint company, still invest in the OK cycling community, and most recently trying to do that through Capitol Co-Op. I’m not chasing any awards, just trying to do something that makes me happy and make a few friends along the way.