Be honest 1 2 3 { LIFE LESSONS} Be there in the moment Be content 18 | FORWARD JANESVILLE I was very close to my grandfather, and he was a huge supporter of me no matter what. My first boss was a man named Rick Liggett. He owned a pizza restaurant and was a hard man to please, but it gave me my first real insight into what it’s like owning and operating a business. My first job that landed me in my career was for Stanley Sheilds at Business Equipment. He believed in me, gave me my first shot at sales, and we still talk today. There have been a number of people along the way. Some of them have passed, like Ken Hendricks, and some are still around today, like Steve Scaccia. I have always been very fortunate to have older, wiser and more seasoned people in my life. The entrepreneurial spirit is one that forces survival. There is no time for excuses or being sick or not having a good day. It has taught me discipline, fortitude and humility. In my career, I have seen 9/11, the General Motors plant close, the housing bubble, recession, COVID and now tariffs. There were a lot of hurdles, including balancing personal life, having patience, creating a company culture that is healthy, and getting a bank to believe in me. My wife, Aimee, has been the best partner a man can ask for. She has truly been there for me along the way, helped me raise our six kids, helped me in our business since 2009 and is my best friend. There is no way in the world I could have lasted this long in business without her wisdom, guidance and support. HOW DID I GET HERE? success • challenges • life lessons • education • career • family • inspirations I got kicked off the school bus in ninth grade, because I was buying unopened packs of sports cards in bulk, and then selling them as packs at the back of the bus. The driver was not appreciative of my entrepreneurial spirit, as it caused a ruckus. And when I offered her a small piece of the pie to just turn her head, I was asked to permanently leave the bus. But I was mowing yards, picking up leaves and dog poop in our neighborhood for people a long time before that, so maybe my path to being a serial entrepreneur started then. In 2002, I purchased Big 10 Subs, which came with the City of Janesville’s concession stand business and an ice cream trailer. I was 100% leveraged and working 80-100 hours a week. It taught me a lot. I was a terrible boss back then – short-tempered, egotistical and had only one goal in mind: making money. I could have done things better, but I guess that is part of life – learning from your mistakes. I am grateful for those times, but I also look back and just shake my head and think I was a crazy man. • • • • I was always a hard worker, but I hated school and wanted to get on with my life. My goal back then was to make as much money as possible as fast as possible. So I dropped out of high school. I only needed two more credits, and I was able to attend night classes to obtain those credits. Then I moved from Henderson, Kentucky – where my family moved when I was 12 – back to Janesville in December of 1994, and started a lawn mowing business the next spring while still working a full-time and part-time job. JAMIN ARN PRESIDENT, OFFICEPRO { EDUCATION } 1992-1994 Henderson County High School { WORK EXPERIENCE } 2003 - PRESENT OfficePro 2005 – PRESENT Arn Properties 2002-06 Big 10 Subs 1999-2003 Indoff 1998-1999 Wagners Office Supplies 1997-1998 Business Equipment 1996-1997 Advance Machine and Manufacturing 1995 Arns Lawn Mowing We make it a purpose in our house to have family dinners once a month with our kids who are now all adults and living their lives. We know how important it is to stay connected as a family unit. As you get older, you understand that you only have so much time and that you can’t take all you have accumulated with you.
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