About Me
Hey what's up? For those of you who don't know me, my name is Nick Carberry. MySpace has been a really cool tool to keep in touch with friends from current to years past. If you decide to keep reading, I'll take you through a short version of what my life has been like since then.
I had a blast in high school. Sure some things were lame at times, but I made the best of it and saw success early. I look back and cherish the times I had with friends and such. Of course, the things I look back on are being a National Finalist for the High School Heisman and all the sports I participated in.
After good ole' Etowah High School and the good times I shared with many there, I made a decision to stay close to my family and Leanna and go to Kennesaw State University. I had a great time there and got involved in a handful of clubs (good resume' material). It was also cool to be playing golf 4-5x a week and managing a small golf shop in town.
During the summers, I was working with the largest cheerleading company, UCA. What a blast all of us had traveling from college to college doing a little work and doing a lot of partying. Kinda tough when the business promotes it for ya! I made some life long friends through the 4 years I did this, and miss it everyday.
Before I knew it, I graduated with a Bachelors in Business Management and Entrepreneurship in 3.5 years. I had all aspirations of continuing to law school by taking the LSAT and applying to various colleges, but a gut feeling inside me said to pursue bigger and better things.
Instead of law school, I rode in on my new Harley. A 100th Anniversary VROD. What a great thing to take up. My Pop's bought one the same day I did, and then we just started adding more and more folks. Before we knew it, we had a cool little group to hang out with.
Let me back up a little bit. Among my junior year, I created a high-end detailing business serving Atlanta's elite. I put my all into this business by learning from the best, and before I knew it, I was being hired out to do shows for corporate companies across the nation. Among my favorites was the 50th Anniversary Corvette show and the Concours d'Elegance', both of which featured $1m+ vehicles. You may have seen me recently on the SPEED Channel while I was onstage for 300+ vehicles at the annual Barrett-Jackson auto auction.
If I only knew then what I know now. I like to reward myself for achieving life goals, but I look back at the watch I bought for starting a business and think, "Did you really buy that"? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it and wear it everyday, but in the end, it just tells time. Ok, so it's sprung up a few conversations that construed into business, but in the end, it just tells time. I realize that being comfortable when driving here in Atlanta is a plus!
Anyway, I made a name for myself in the business as being the best around. I won many awards, and more importantly, I made relationships with my clients and kept them happy. While fun to drive brand new Ferrari's, Porsches, and Bimmers, it came to the point where my business needed to grow. I had achieved success beyond my dreams, and as opposed to commercializing what I built, I was able to leave more knowledgeable not only about business, but about people and life. A few extra bucks by selling the business was nice too!
During this time, I also took an internship with a local start up company. I stayed with them until 2005 after nearly doubling the size of the company to pursue my next goal.
Ok, well something else came up. In November 2004, I had the opportunity to move back out to my native land, Los Angeles, to work as the VP of Marketing and Sales for another company I had promoted in my detailing business. I made a great relationship with the owner over the years, and while the fit was nearly perfect, it would have meant leaving my high school love behind (of which we had been together for 7 years then). After spending 14 days out there in December, I realized what I wanted to do. It is amazing what love will do to make you turn down 6-figures before the age of 23.
By this time, you may remember my first car, the Midnight Blue 65' Mustang. I decided to part ways with her for the fact that I did not have the time to do what I wanted to it. Yeah, I came out alright on it, and it was a good start to the future...
As soon as I returned from California, I knew I wanted to marry Leanna. It wasn't but two weeks after that I bought the ring (Shane Company, I highly recommend). So now my first car, of which I thought I would keep forever, partially lies on my wife's hand. In early February 2005, I decided I wanted to build my first house. After doing all the paperwork and such, I sent Leanna out on a scavenger hunt around the Towne Lake area to places we were always at...all of which led to a plot of land that had a basement poured and a few 2x4's up. Knowing I purchased a home for us was exciting, but more so to her was when I proposed in what is now our living room (February 19, 2005)
The next few months were tough in that I could not decide what it was I wanted to do. I had many opportunities to align myself with great business people, but wanted to get into a corporate setting and a place that I could remain for a longer period of time. I found my calling in the software industry. As the youngest Strategic Account Exec in a company of 700+ people, I have been taken into new challenges that inspired me everyday. Indus was a great place to start, and in June 2007 I found my next venture with a growing software company. Accepting more responsibility and personal growth, I began working for Corrigo, Inc. They are a Portland, OR based company, and while I'm not traveling, I am working from the house (finally)! I absolutely love what I am doing, and am looking forward to the next steps!
So I look back at the decision I made not to pursue a Judicial degree. My "would have" graduating class would be graduating in the Fall of 2006 and entering a market that has seen a 20% increase in enrollment, not enough jobs to fill, and a substantial paycut. I just could not see myself stuck in a book for 3 years to pursue a career with little or no interaction with a group setting. Life is all about making good decisions, and learning from the bad ones.
Today I am happily married to Leanna!
The moral of the story is this: Follow your gut instincts, and refuse to give up when things get tough. Always seek to be a better person: Differentiate yourself. I have plenty of goals I still want to acheive in life, but if I died tomorrow, I would die a happy and fulfilled person.
Thanks for listening, and keep in touch~
For more information about what I do for a living, go to www.linkedin.com/in/nickcarberry
