How to stop being broke and bitter…

Back when I relocated to Florida from Michigan and started all over, I was broke & bitter.

I was upset with my ex-wife for bailing on us.

I was upset with the economy as we were in the Great Recession.

I was upset with the government, spending way too much time arguing about politics. (Any time arguing about politics is too much)

I was upset with my competitors for lowballing me.

Until my best man, Rob Mann, invited me to lunch down in Fort Myers, FL.

During the presentation at that lunch, I learned the principle of Above The Line.

It looks like this:

This was the biggest lesson in my life up to this point

And once I got it and owned it, everything started to change.

And by the grace of God, we build a successful painting business during the Great Recession, while others were going out of business.

While everything might not be your fault if you take full responsibility,

you now have the power to change it.

but as long as you blame, make excuses, or deny you’re powerless to do anything about it.

For example:

Employees continue to show up late. Take ownership and execute a progressive disciplinary process.

Competitors underbidding you. Take ownership and then figure out how to communicate more value so that you’re not competing on price. (You can do this by following the DYB System).

Can’t hire anybody good because nobody wants to work? Take ownership and ask yourself, what are we doing to attract duds? And how can we start to attract All-Stars?

Not seeing any growth or the profits that you’d like to see? Learn to job cost, find your target market, and hire a business coach or join a peer group.

That’s what I did.

Here’s how to make Above The Line a new way of being.

Introduce it to your team.

Then give them permission to hold you accountable to it also.

Moreover, if you have children at home, introduce them to them. They will surely hold you accountable.

When you hear somebody being below the line, simply ask them 2 questions:

1. Is that above of below the line?
2. How can we be above the line?

Keep it Above The Line, and watch your life soar to heights you never imagined.

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About the Author

As many of you know, my journey has been one of grit, grace, and transformation. At 19, I was a high school dropout, single father, and struggling paint contractor in Michigan. I later moved to Florida, where I faced both personal and professional hardships. With nothing left to lose, I turned to prayer—and was blessed with a relentless hunger to learn. I devoured books, attended seminars, and discovered better ways to streamline and grow my business—even through the Great Recession (and yes, I did hit the wife lottery along the way!). In 2014, I published How To Double Your Business and later sold the painting business, launching a new chapter: coaching others to grow their businesses. For the past 10 years, I’ve dedicated myself to helping business owners scale through the DYB System, while also drawing from frameworks like EOS, Scaling Up, and The Four Disciplines of Execution. Yet something was still missing—something more adaptive, integrated, and complete. Then I found Pinnacle. After months of research and interviews with other Guides, I joined Pinnacle. Their tools and strategies have exceeded every expectation. Now, as a Pinnacle Business Guide, I help leadership teams implement a custom-tailored operating system that draws from the best in the industry—but flexes with your unique business. It’s a dynamic, proven approach to achieve clarity, momentum, and lasting growth. I’m no longer taking on any more 1:1 coaching clients… Instead, I now specialize in working with visionary business owners who are ready to get their leadership teams aligned—around a clear vision, a focused strategy, and an actionable execution plan. With the tools and process I now have as a Pinnacle Business Guide, I help turn alignment into momentum, and momentum into results. If your business is growing—but your leadership team isn’t fully rowing in the same direction—let’s talk.