The Day I Quit My Job…
I’ll never forget the day I walked away from the job I’d held for 16 years.
When I told my mentor, his reaction said it all:
“YOU DID WHAT?!?”f
A year earlier, I was running the presses late at night at a family-owned print shop. I earned $50,000 a year, had a company car, health insurance, and a phone—everything that should have felt secure.
But with a wife and four kids at home, we were living paycheck to paycheck. Things were so tight that Mary and I once argued over who got to carry the last crumpled $5 bill in our wallet.
One night, while the printer hummed, I picked up a book I was running copies of: Mentor: The Kid and the CEO by Tom Pace. I couldn’t put it down. It was as if the words reached out and grabbed me.
The truth was, I was exhausted. Sixty-hour weeks selling print by day and running machines at night left me drained. Yes, I was one of the top salespeople. But at home, my kids—Jacob, Emma, Grace, and Elizabeth—were growing up without their dad, and Mary was living without her husband. I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place, without much hope.
Then I turned to the last page of the book. Tom had written: “I want to mentor more people. If you’re interested, email me.”
I stared at that line for a long time before hitting send. My stomach churned with questions: Why would he want to help me? What if he never responds? What if he does?
And then my phone rang.
“Jason, this is Tom…”
I nearly choked up trying to get words out. Somehow, I explained how I’d found his book and my situation. His reply?
“Good man! I’m starting a mentoring group, and you’re invited.”
That first Wednesday morning at Panera Bread, there were 13 of us. A few weeks later, it was down to just me and Tom. Week after week, he’d ask me: “Jason, what are you passionate about?” And week after week, I’d answer: “I don’t know.”
Until one day, he said:
“Jason, have you ever thought about real estate? You’ve got a great smile. I think you’d be a great agent.”
The idea lit something inside me. I started studying every Saturday morning at Panera, slowly chipping away at my license. Halfway through, I admitted to Tom that I was discouraged and making no progress. Without hesitation, he said:
“If you finish, I’ll pay for it.”
No one outside my family had ever invested in me like that. It was exactly the push I needed.
When I finally got my license, the next challenge was clear: how could I sell real estate while still working full-time at the print shop?
Tom gave me the answer with a story I’ll never forget:
“Back in the days of conquest, invading armies would set fire to their ships so they had no choice but to win. Jason, you’ve got to burn your ships.”
That night, I called Mary with my plan: refinance the house, pull out enough cash to live on for a year, and go all-in. I braced myself for pushback. Instead, I heard the spark in her voice—like she was already looking for a match. She was all-in.
The next morning, I gave notice at the print shop. After 16 years, I walked away—terrified, but committed.
When I told Tom, he nearly jumped out of his chair:
“YOU DID WHAT?!?”
And after I shared my plan—how we refinanced the house so my family had a year of runway, and how Mary was all-in—his face shifted. The shock gave way to pride.
“You’ve got my full support.”
That leap of faith changed everything, and my first year in real estate, I replaced my income from the print shop. Since then, I’ve helped hundreds of families buy and sell their homes.
All of it started with a book, a mentor, and a decision to burn the ships.
Reading Mentor: The Kid and the CEO changed my life. Maybe it can spark something in you too.