I believe that inspiring others is great but giving them the tools to succeed is even greater.

My dad was a main street attorney. He represented people, not corporations. He “hung his own shingle” in an old mid-rise building near the courthouse in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The river town where I grew up.

In the early days of his practice, he taught business law classes at night at the University of Louisville – to help pay the rent but also because he always told us: never stop learning.

On Saturday mornings, my dad would give my mom a break by driving my brother and I downtown to his office. We’d be copying our faces on the copy machine, while he sat in a leather chair on wheels behind his big cherry desk working hard to run his business.

Sometimes he’d take me to court with him. He’d bring me in the conference rooms adjoining the courtrooms where attorneys confer to come up with a solution for all parties. In these rooms, I’d get to see problem solving in action.

As a family, wherever we went, from church to restaurants to University of Louisville football games, someone would pull him aside and put their arm around my 5’5″ dad seeking advice for their son’s speeding ticket, a pending divorce or an issue with their company. He always took the time to listen and respond. In that, I learned we always use our skills to help other people.

After law school, I was fortunate enough to spend 10 years at a company, through two private equity transactions, working hard to grow the business, problem solving to build out and lead the sales team, and using my skills to help others. I’m now fortunate enough to use what I’ve learned to teach and help people become better communicators, achieve their goals and pursue their dreams.

I’d love to learn more about why you do what you do.  Feel free to connect with me via libby.carl@braintrustgrowth.com