Riding a Bike

In business, as in life, we must first learn balance.

I can still remember the first time I learned to ride a bike. I was close to 10 years old. As a little boy, I had ATVs before I had a bicycle, but that bicycle memory stuck with me far longer.

The image here is a bronze statue in The Woodlands—the rider looking toward the Christmas tree, the year nearly over. It captures the last seven years perfectly. For the first time since starting the adventure of entrepreneurship, I can look forward without fearing the fall.

Building a business is a lot like learning to ride a bike: the fundamentals of motion paired with the art of balance. As I look back on the journey from 2017 to 2025, I feel myself shifting from terror to enjoyment. For the first time, I can look around and appreciate the scenery.

Balance. Family, faith, and friends are the components of the bicycle.

Family is the frame that holds everything together.

Friends are the wheels and gears that keep us moving forward.

Faith is the invisible hand that steadies us and lifts us when we fall.

Only when these three elements work in harmony do we experience true freedom. In the mind of a child, a bicycle is never just a bicycle—it’s a symbol of possibility.

Maybe that’s why this image hits me so deeply. Think Tour de France, X-Games, and those wild souls who ride down mountains on two wheels and a dream.

The first phase of my career felt a lot like riding with training wheels. I worked for a large company where I could go as fast as I wanted, and the risk of crashing was softened by systems and a strong balance sheet.

But in 2017, the training wheels came off. It was time to ride for real.

And the road to 2025 was no smooth parking lot. It was more like being chased by a pack of savage dogs through the woods—hills, rocks, snow—while wearing flip-flops, shorts, and a T-shirt.

The dogs never got me. They nipped at me, but they taught me to push harder. The hills and rocks nearly threw off my balance, but I kept moving. The snow nearly froze me out. And still, here I am. Not done—not even close. In many ways, I’m just getting started.

As I close this out, think back to when you first learned to ride a bike.
The adventure is still out there waiting.
The question is: will you take off the training wheels?