Here is a brief excerpt from an article by Glenn Burr during which he shares Raul Candeloro’s interview of Jamie Gerdsen, author of Squirrels, Boats and Thoroughbreds, published by River Grove Books (June 2013. Candeloro is the Executive Director of the Inc. Small Giants Community (ISGC).

According to Burr, “The great thing about being small? You can drive leadership and innovation (and the economy) with four specific pillars: personal, family, business and community. Join us as Inc. Small Giants Community Executive Director Raul Candeloro interviews Jamie Gerdsen, author of Squirrels, Boats and Thoroughbreds about his new book and how the innovation and leadership that powers small business can power change in the world…”

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Candeloro: Let’s begin by talking about yourself, so our readers can get to know you better. Could you briefly describe your life journey until you wrote Squirrels, Boats and Thoroughbreds?

Gerdsen: “Dream the big dream…”  This is what my mom and dad always told me. Entrepreneurs on both sides of my family surrounded me growing up. My mom’s family was made up of multiple generations of business owners who were innovative, as well as my dad’s family. My dad’s family was in the HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) business and my mom’s family was in transportation and other businesses. My cousins were very successful in the late 90s with technology businesses as well. So you could say I have entrepreneurism in my blood.

My first business was cutting grass at the age of 13. I think I had 6 or 7 customers and would spend the weekends doing it. As I got more involved in sports that became my full passion. I was heavily engaged in the sport of rowing, going to college on a scholarship. After college I went to go work for a start up in Tampa, Florida. About two years after the company went public, I left and moved back to Cincinnati and started working with my family in the HVAC business.

As time progressed I became acutely aware that what I liked to do was to build things up and make them as productive and as efficient as possible. I would work tirelessly to try and make what seemed impossible, possible. While my journey has been full of challenges, I have found through peer learning that those challenges are very similar to many people. The difference was that some were able to move forward and others seemed to get stuck in neutral.

Writing the book was, for me, a challenge but an opportunity that would help others creates better lives for themselves and family, build stronger communities, and develop untapped talent.

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To read the complete interview, please click here.

To learn more about the Inc. Small Giants Community (ISGC), please click here.

To read my review of Squirrels, Boats and Thoroughbreds, please click here.

Jamie Gerdsen has become the spokesman for that mainstay of the U.S. economy–the traditional business. As CEO of Apollo Heating, Cooling, And Plumbing, Jamie completely changed the culture of the company resulting in growth in customers served, and employees hired. A noted speaker, Jamie is active in leadership positions within the Entrepreneur’s Organization, is in demand on service boards, and has been part of Forty Under 40, and Leadership Cincinnati.