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Some entrepreneurs know what they want to do from day one, and others learn what they are meant to do through the service of others. That was especially the case for our latest guest on the Inner Edison Podcast with Ed Parcaut.
Jesse Todisco knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur from an early age, although his path to entrepreneurship revealed itself through the service of others. If you have had the entrepreneur bug for a long time but still aren’t sure what you want to do, perhaps you’ll find inspiration in Jesse Todisco’s journey.
Growing Up in Boston
As a kid, Jesse always had an entrepreneurial spirit, but his direction was a bit rudderless. He recalls that life wasn’t always easy, “I had been mired with unbelievable circumstances and tragedies.”
He explains that his high school years were rough as he was bullied often, and at home, he was dealing with a father who was absent due to a drug addiction to heroin. “I didn’t have a father masculine figure to show me kind of the things I needed to do before.”
As a kid, he cut his entrepreneurial teeth by buying, selling, and trading comics and baseball cards at a local store. He also shoveled driveways in Boston’s snowy months. Additionally, he had a group of friends who would go to Logan Airport and return luggage carts for people for a quarter. “I had this entrepreneurial spirit, had this thirst for adventure.”
In his late teens, he fell into a rough crowd and started dealing drugs. He also fell into a life of partying. He knew something had to change. “I had this military fiber running through me, and it was utilized at that point to really kind of saved my life.”
Joining the Navy: Learning to Serve
Getting out of his hometown was a necessity, and joining the Navy helped put him on a path to a life of service, which taught him a lot. “It taught me relationships and interdependence. It taught me how to survive outside of my hometown. It taught me how much I didn’t know.”
At the time, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do in the Navy, so he joined un-designated. He was assigned the role of Boatsman. That meant that he got to drive the aircraft carriers and performed the duties of keeping the ship clean. “I was a glorified janitor.”
However, he showed up and worked hard. He states that through his service, his higher-ranking officers started to see leadership skills in him. “You know, even though I was showing leadership traits by like work ethic and communication and different things like this, I was too afraid to even take the role.”
Eventually, he learned to find his place within the Navy. Jesse mentions how he was put in charge of the barracks to make sure the bunks and living areas were clean and tidy and joined the color guard, where he learned to spin rifles. “I thrived. I completely loved what we were doing.”
Life After the Navy: Finding His Path
After leaving the Navy, Jesse moved to Atlanta, where after a series of business ventures, he found one that called to him, Financial Planning. After trial and error, he opened up his own Financial Planning firm called 46 & 2 Wealth Partners. “It is a full-fledged, fiduciary, financial planning firm.”
He likes the transparency of it and the opportunity to serve others through his business. “We don’t take any commissions because we don’t sell any products or services. There’s no conflict of interest between myself and my clients. I give them advice on where life intersects with money.”
Giving Back: Serving Verterans
Along with his business, Jesse is trying to give back to veterans by helping out with a form of therapy using plant medicines using silicide mushrooms. “the reason why I like this is that it’s therapeutic, it’s natural.”
He joined a few friends who run retreats for veterans and talked about the effects some Vets are having. “It’s helping, especially in the veteran community guys and gals with PTSD, anxiety, depression, drug addiction issues.”
He explains he is happy to be a part of giving back to the veterans.
Looking for More Great Content
We hope you liked this article. If you’re looking for more great content, please be sure to check out all of our interviews from the Inner Edison Podcast on Audible.