Good Morning – I love lemons into lemonade stories like this bold emphasis is mine as it relates to employees, prospects and clients.
Engineer moves from punching clock to punching bags
By Marcus Hooper, CNN March 27, 2010 7:57 a.m. EDT
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) — In the middle of a bad economy it’s easy for many people to throw in the towel on their dreams.
But Paul Delgado is still punching away at his. The electrical engineer is turning his passion for the boxing ring into a business.
He first put on a pair of boxing gloves at age 12. In his rough neighborhood in Rhode Island, he’d been constantly getting into fights at school, so his father took him to the local Boys Club to learn to box. Delgado took to the sport like a natural, but he didn’t start out a winner. He lost his first two matches, which taught him the lesson that would shape the rest of his life: Never quit.
His persistence and dedication helped him rise quickly in the rankings as a teen boxer, winning numerous regional and state championships.
Through his success in sports he earned a scholarship to a junior college.
He jokingly said he was the only person to have a punching bag as a roommate. He trained on that bag to get ready to represent Southern New England for the Golden Gloves. He was named champion each of the two years he competed.
His electrical engineering degree led to a job with the Phillips Engineering Firm. After five years of sitting behind a desk he saw the layoffs coming. He resigned and moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
Delgado helped open several gyms and built a couple of boxing programs around the city. Then one day he realized he was doing all the work for
everyone else and wasn’t being rewarded. He took a leap of faith and decided to open his own business in 2009, at very near the peak of the recession.
It was scary to start his business just as his wife had lost her job. But, he believed that if you do something that you love doing, it will work out.
He encourages other people with dreams never to be discouraged by a weak economy. His advice is to find your niche, find your passion and go after it; this is the time.
He says three things are key: Find something that people really want or need, keep your overhead low and tell everyone you know what you’re doing.
The boxer admitted he was not prepared when he opened the gym; he didn’t even have a business plan. But he does now. He said it gives you a very clear picture in the direction that you want to go next. He said it’s important to know what you’re going to look like at the end of the year.
Delgado said the gym’s grand opening was one of the greatest moments of his life.
Now is the time for You!! Believe it or Not !! (Ripley)
About Dr Bill Toth
Bill’s Background
I’m just an average guy who’s learned a few things about Life, Success and Personal Development – thanks to some incredibly good and bad experiences during the past 25+ years. I’ve made many mistakes and have learned to combine down to earth values with a unique ability to distill complex concepts into simple powerful strategies which can be immediately applied to produce measurable results. In short;
“I’ve traveled the territory, drawn a few maps and I’m happy to share them”
I do not consider myself to be an “expert” and my work is never presented as the definitive doctrine on how you should live your life or what it takes to be successful in your business. I am a work in progress and if you were to you join me on life’s journey by hiring me as your coach or partnering with us in business – our learning will very likely be a two way street. In fact, I expect it to be.
“What you know dies with you – what you DO leaves a legacy”
I was raised in upstate New York and eastern Pennsylvania. This rural upbringing is strongly reflected in my personal value hierarchy: Faith > Family > Friends > Fitness and Finance.
Education and a commitment to continuous improvement are next on the list. All these and more are strongly reflected in my coaching, teaching, writing and speaking.
While growing my private practice I also taught Orthopedics and Neurology at both the undergraduate and graduate level, produced a TV show on fitness, appeared on numerous radio and TV programs, authored numerous journal articles, chapters for medical texts, served as vice-president of my state medical association, and started a family. I have had the honor and privilege of consulting with and coaching a diverse population of people from royalty to prisoners, from children to CEO’s, from amateur to professional athletes from 41 countries and people of almost every race, creed, religious belief and nationality.
I am passionately committed to contribution and Living With Intention. Part of my philosophy is to think globally while acting locally. I am a very active member of my church, as well as several community organizations. After church, my favorite philanthropy is the Nourish the Children. I have also performed extensive volunteer work for both the Anthony Robbins Foundation, and the Make a Wish Foundation.
Why become an Entrepreneur?
I became an entrepreneur because after 5 years of Health Care Reform I found I was merely an employee of the various insurance company’s I was interacting with. I became painfully aware I was working more hours for less money and that what I was doing wasn’t working!
At the same time my beautiful daughter, Casey, was born. This was the first time in my life I started to think about my future, and of course hers. When children come into your life, your perspective changes from Firebirds and Ferrari’s to Gymnastics, music lessons, horseback riding and so forth. Suddenly, I had to think longterm – was what I was doing going to provide all the things that a father wants for his children?
In October of 1998 I started my entrepreneurial endeavors on a very part time basis. Less than 3 months later my New Year’s Resolution was to put my practices up for sale. In May of 1999 I sold them and began to work on my dreams and my fortune on a full time basis. From there, it took me a full five years to get to the point where I could do whatever I wanted to do. Along the way I wrote my first book: “Morning Moments”…as well as learning a few things about money, transitioning careers and happiness. I am happy to share what I know, in short again;
“I’ve traveled the territory, drawn a few maps and I’m happy to share them”
In summary; Transitioning careers was the hardest challenge I’ve ever taken up and it’s been the most rewarding! In so many ways, this is the very best personal development seminar I’ve ever taken because I met mySelf and my wife in the process…and every perceived adversity was worth it.
Today, with my wife Julie, we “get to” pay the gift forward by coaching, mentoring others through the same process. There is no greater pleasure than showing others how to earn their freedom and then observing what good they do with it.
Life Will Never Be The Same
What a great resource!