439. A Profitable Business Good for Schools

Jeremy grew up in a home that valued education and athletics. His father was a teacher, and both parents played and taught tennis. He participated in college athletics and took his studies seriously. Eventually, he earned an MBA from the competitive Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and became a partner in 10 years in the top-ranked accounting and consulting firm now known as Deloitte. Today, he combines his passions for education and athletics in the firm he created.

After serving as a Deloitte partner for six years, Jeremy retired from the firm. “I decided to prioritize my family over my career and the almighty dollar. Finance and accounting was a field I thought I could go into and have very quick success, get quick promotions and make a lot of money. Once I was in the firm, I realized that was true, but I didn’t really enjoy what I was doing. I never had a true passion for accounting or finance. The piece that I enjoyed most was helping my clients add value.”

“What drove me was being able to see a lot of entrepreneurs who had their own businesses. I realized that none of them had any skills or attributes that I didn’t have. So, I thought, why want to continue on a path that I wasn’t enjoying when I could create a business on my own that could be successful, where I would care much more about what I was doing?”

1. Identify your talents and strengths.
2. Determine how those strengths and skills can tie into your passions.
3. Start researching opportunities. Get good advisors, counselors and information about the many opportunities out there.
4. Consider a franchising opportunity. “I guarantee you, there’s something out there that aligns with your skills and passions.”