EP. 020 - MIKE

VISIONARY. ALCHEMIST. RELENTLESS.

MIKE

'EYE ON THE BALL'

Age: 54

Location: Stamford, Connecticut

Mike is the President and Founder of Common Thread and TeSTSHoP, a revolving retail pop up experience partnering best in class retailers with world class brands. Activate. Collaborate. Accelerate.

My parents divorced early. My mom raised four children with no support. We moved into a blue blood neighborhood in Connecticut when I was 10 years old. A fish out of water, I fought my way through. Both socially and academically.

As I grew older, my friends were going off to college, and I was strapping up a toolbelt. While they enjoyed their college experience, I would drive up on weekends and live vicariously through them. I knew life had more to offer me than what I was presented with. I wanted to be a marketing executive, but had no idea how to do that.

I would go to the beach every night and stare at the stars. I imagined myself being where I wanted to be. All that imaginaning eventually paid off. I changed my stars. I began wearing ties to work everyday. Imagine a guy wearing a tie to drive a forklift. I force fed myself out of that environment and into the business world.

LIGHT OF MY LIFE.

Maybe it’s my Hungarian-German blood. Or maybe it’s that I’m a stubborn, competitive athlete. I was always the captain of my baseball team, which meant I was the captain of my life, too. Whatever the reason, I couldn’t accept mediocrity.

When my father became absent, I was left with the burden of being the rock of the family. I vowed that I would never leave my children with that responsibility. I have two boys now. They’re the light of my life. Everything I do is for them. I always tell them, “keep your eye on the ball”. In life, uncontrollables are guaranteed. But if you can maintain your focus... If you can stay faithful to your vision, then life will be faithful back.