Hello! My name is Grant and I'd like to give a little background on myself. Ever since I took my first breath I've been proactive in the entrepreneurship world. Some notable memories I have are when I was about 6 I would find the shiny rocks in the neighborhood rock pile which I would take door-to-door throughout the neighborhood. Another memory I have relating a venture is when I heard on your golden birthday you could get almost anything you wanted. On March 7th I asked for a basketball shooting machine so I could charge the neighbors to come and shoot baskets. This translated into many different ventures I'm sure legit around 50 at least. The reason I had so many ventures is that I had what my dad calls "shiny object syndrome". I had no idea why I was putting all of this energy into ventures that made sense to me, but nothing would take off. My dad finally explained to me that I just need to hunker down to one idea and run with it even if it isn't very glamorous at all times. This advice literally is the reason my business took off. It all started when I began flipping seat covers locally. I would make around $50 each. They were hot for a few days, then it relaxed a bit. If it wasn't for the support from my dad, I would have gone to the next shiny idea that was presented after the seat covers relaxed. I hunkered down and stuck with the idea. I decided to begin to install the seat covers for an extra $50. This is where the business exploded. I found the manufacturer and cut my costs in half! 8 months ago I was ready to quit, because of my father's support, I have installation locations in Las Vegas, NV, Orlando, FL, Fort Myers, FL, and Elk River, MN. With all of these locations, clients, and employees (outside contractors), I am lucky to have my mother to spill thoughts here and there. My parents are always cheering me on and keeping my mind on achieving success, but not so much where if I make a mistake in life they will dread heavy on me. Their style of parenting in the sense of freedom is perfect to what my business and I need to blossom. Not many parents will allow their 17-year-old kid to fly to a different state alone, let alone start a location there while meeting 8 new random clients daily. There is no possible way my business Pawlak Interiors (Instagram & Facebook) and I would be where we are without the parental strategies and support my parents provide.

I would like to create a powerhouse of a business that lives by core principles and lives on longer than I do. I feel that business itself is a very creative creation that can be built from the ground up and can eventually produce a mass change in the world. If you look at the world, whether you want to admit it or not, it is all run by the power of money. With that being said, the way to make the most impact or change in the world is by having the backing of funds. So the way I see it: I want to create this powerhouse of a business in a field that I enjoy, and a field that brings goodness into our society, community, and way of life and let it live on longer than my days. I look at people like Elon Musk, who really is just an ordinary person with extraordinary dreams, and envy the way they take their vision and make it happen. I know people will say it's not possible to make a business of doing good and not doing wrong to anyone, but I'm going to do my best for what I think is right. I feel today with all the craziness going on in the United States and the news causing fear for everyone, people forget that the world is not doomed and there still are ways to make the world a better place. Right now the US is having trouble with the southern border. There is a mass of people fleeing from Mexico because of the cartels that run the country of Mexico. There isn't much the US can do because how are you going to turn down a 10-year-old kid who is running for his life. There is literally no way of solving the problem without funding. If I had the resources that I will see in my later life now, I would set up an organization to fight off the cartels of Mexico. I would love to see Mexico switch its main form of money away from drugs and begin producing goods that help the greater good of the world. I see hope in Mexico because of how hardworking the folks there are, and I feel if they had the opportunity to do good, they would. The only problem with combatting the Drug trade and cartels is the lack of funding. This is just one example of how if/when I have a powerhouse of a business I could change the world in a good direction. My current entrepreneurial venture is custom luxury seat covers. I started by renting out a stall in my dad's shop to install the covers. I then trained a few friends on how to install the covers. In a matter of a few weeks that location was all self-sufficient. I then flew down to Vegas where my grandpa has a house. This is where I am right now, and I plan on training in a few installers here. From here in Vegas, I fly to my Aunt’s vacation house in Florida where I'll be installing there as well. My leadership is very important to the success of this seat cover business (@Pawlakinteriors on Facebook, Google, and Instagram). So I am always listening to podcasts and reading books on improving the way I lead and manage people. I feel the way I lead has a big impact on the world as well. The way I see it is if I treat all of my employees good, they will be happy which will radiate to more and more people. Leadership is the person who directs the trajectory of a common goal shared by a group of people. The leader of a group of people must have the interests of the rest of the group in his/her mind when making decisions. All decisions must be made to strive towards a common goal. A bad leader does not treat people fairly and selfishly makes decisions. That person will not hold the role of a leader for a long period of time. There is always room for improvement on how to manage and lead people. That is why I am constantly educating myself on the best way to lead people. Fairness is a big priority for me when I add people to my team, I want us all to be partners I don't want to be anyone's "boss". I think good leadership is a person that genuinely cares about others, so I periodically check up on my partners and see how the installs are going and read their mood towards the work they're doing for me. If they aren't happy I will work one-on-one with them to ensure everything is fair and balanced. I see community bonding as a must as well. Involvement in the community is huge for the youth as well as small businesses. The community keeps people socially connected and helps keep spirits high. With Covid and all, it seems like people are getting more and more disconnected and community is a great way to build that relation up with those around you. Take youth sports, for example, sports bring not only kids together but also the parents who go and watch. Also, there is a mass of local businesses that will sponsor the teams creating an outlet for local businesses to join the community. I've coached a youth team with one of my buddies and it was a great experience to be a part of bringing all those kids and parents together. I've also helped those businesses that are sponsoring youth sports by volunteering when times got rough with the pandemic. After all, those businesses are the funding that creates these connections with people in the community. I want to create a lasting impact on the world by doing what I feel I was put on this earth to do.