I'm an entrepreneur at heart. I started my first business while I was in college. I was 19 and ready to move out on my own. Most guys my age were renting apartments or condo's. after looking at several places, I thought to myself, "I don't want to pay rent, I want to collect the rent." A few weeks later I was in the process of buying my first rental property. The rest is history. Thirty years later I still own that duplex as well as a few others. After college I went to work for a home improvement company where I worked in the "Sales & Marketing department. Very quickly I rose to the top, becoming the "Top Producer" in marketing. My first year with the company I was nominated for a "Victor Award". Which recognized my achievement for being the best out of approximately 4,000 marketers nationwide. After college I accepted a full time marketing position, which eventually led me into a management position. Over the course of the next ten years I worked my way up the corporate ladder. Along the way I picked up a "Victor Award" from every position I held. Life then led me to the world of Finance and Investing. I accepted a position in the Marketing Department of a small Wealth Management company. When I started the company was managing just over $50 Million in investable assets for clients . The first year in my new position I had a hand in bring in another $50 Million in assets nearly doubling the companies nineteen years in just one. Six years later I had helped bring in another $900 Million under management. This is when I decided, I should do this for myself. In 2011 I started planning out my own Wealth Management Company. By the end of the year everything was ready. January 1st 2012 we were open for business. Over the next 5 years I grew that start-up company into a multi-million dollar firm. July 9th 2018 my life suddenly came to a screeching halt and did a complete 180. While sitting at my desk checking my emails, my entire world went dark. It felt like someone reached over to the wall and flipped the light switch to off. The doctor said I had suffered a detachment of the retina in both of my eyes at the exact same time. There was no cause as to why this happened, at least nothing the doctor could find. After multiple surgeries and not knowing what my future had to bring, I was forced to sell my business take some time off and let the healing begin. Just over a year later, I am happy to say, my vision was restored. As soon as the doctors gave me the okay, I was on to my next big adventure, Building my new Agency, but this time in a different way!
My name is Aidan. I'm a Senior at Gardner Edgerton High School and am on the Competitive Culinary team. I plan on attending KU and joining the Marketing program when I graduate.