Lifetime Achievement Award

Last week at the Q3 Producers Club meeting, I was given the Lifetime Achievement award that I was supposed to receive back in December at the MSP Titans event in LA. I couldn’t attend the gala due to a family matter, so they awarded it to me last week.

Instead of my usual Rant, I’m sharing my acceptance speech as a thank you to all who were not there but deserved to hear it.

When I was told I was going to receive a Lifetime Achievement award, two things hit me. First was what my wealth advisor, Scott Tilley, said to me at dinner the night before, “You’re too young to receive that award…you’re not DONE yet!” Very true.

But the second thing you think about is achievement of what? 

Most people measure a career by revenue, growth, awards, or the sale of a company. And I’m incredibly proud of what we built at TMT.

But when I look back, those aren’t the achievements that mean the most to me.

The real achievement is standing here, surrounded by people I hired, worked beside, believed in—and have come to love as family. In so many ways, they’re more a family to me than my blood relatives.

Achievement is looking out at all of you who trusted me with your businesses, your dreams, your families’ futures and, in many cases, for decades of your life.

My definition of success has always been:

I NEVER compromised on that. And yes, I meant the money part…because we’re all in business…and y’all bought me a beach house…and I LOVE it.

But the money was the by product.

The greatest wealth I gained from starting and building TMT was the relationships. The incredible people who gave me a chance. The struggles we survived together. The people who grew into leaders. The clients who became friends. The knowledge that something we built changed lives—not only mine, but thousands of others.

So to my team: You were never simply employees. You carried the vision when it was difficult, made it better than I ever could have made it alone, and gave a huge part of your lives to something we believed in together. TMT is a shining example of when a group of people decide that excellence, loyalty, and serving our members really *matter*.

When you build a business on that foundation, money follows.

And to all of you in the audience: Thank you for your loyalty, your trust and for allowing me to be part of your story. You gave purpose to my work and meaning to my life and trusted me and gave me the benefit of the doubt before you had any reason to.

So, when I think about a lifetime of achievement, I don’t see a business I built or a company I sold. I see all of you. I see the community we built and the people TMT connected.

You are the achievement.

You are the success.

And you will always be one of the greatest loves of my life.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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