WCD 015: Mikey Taylor - Pro Skateboarder Turned Serial Entrepreneur and World-Class Dad

Explicit content warning

02/09/21 • 53 min

Mikey Taylor is currently the co-founder, President and Managing Principal of Commune Capital, a private equity real estate investment firm. A serial entrepreneur at heart, he first found success with nearly two decades of professional skateboarding. Mikey was one of the most recognizable skateboarders on the planet, with lucrative sponsorship contracts with DC Shoe Co., GoPro Cameras and Alien Workshop. Over his tenure, he had over 100 signature skateboard decks and 7 pro model shoes. Even with monumental success on a board early in life, Mikey was already thinking about life after skateboarding. He co-founded the Saint Archer Brewing Company, a San Diego based craft beer company with a first of its kind business model that led to quick success and multi-million dollar purchase by MillerCoors Co. in 2015. Since then, Taylor has been busy co-founding Sovrn Skateboards, Avni Intelligence (an entrepreneur education platform and podcast) and most notably Commune Capital. Armed with only a high school education, but more than a lifetime of real-world experience, Mikey is committed to assisting the next generation define the new American dream. Born and raised in Southern California, Mikey resides in Thousand Oaks, with his wife Jen and their three kids. Links mentioned in this episode:

@MikeyTaylor on Instagram
@MikeyTaylor on TikTok

Music Credit: Rob Riccardo (robriccardo.com)

@MikeyTaylor on Instagram
@MikeyTaylor on TikTok

Music Credit: Rob Riccardo (robriccardo.com)

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WCD 014: Robert Glazer - Family Values and Quality Time with Your Kids

Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of global partner marketing agency, Acceleration Partners, and the co-founder and Chairman of BrandCycle. Robert was ranked #2 on Glassdoor’s list of Top CEOs of Small and Medium Companies in the US. Robert's popular weekly inspirational newsletter, Friday Forward, reaches over 100,000 individuals and business leaders across 50+ countries. He is also the host of the Elevate Podcast and a Wall Street Journal, USA Today and international bestselling author of four books: Elevate, Friday Forward, Performance Partnerships and How To Make Virtual Teams Work. A regular columnist for Forbes, Inc. and Entrepreneur, Robert’s writing reaches over five million people around the globe each year who resonate with his topics, which range from performance marketing and entrepreneurship to company culture, capacity building, hiring and leadership. Outside of work, Robert can likely be found skiing, cycling, reading, traveling, spending quality time with his family or overseeing some sort of home renovation project. Links mentioned in this episode:

Next Episode

WCD 016: JASON BELMONTE - World's Best Bowler on Family, Fatherhood, and Making It All Work

Jason Belmonte is an Australian professional ten-pin bowler, and indisputably one of the best in the world. He plays on the PBA Tour in the US and is only one of 11 players in history to win 25 PBA titles. His PBA victories include a record 13 major championships. He is one of two bowlers in PBA history to have won the Super Slam, winning all five PBA major titles. He has been named PBA Player of the Year 6 of the last 8 years, including being the overwhelming choice in 2020. Belmonte accumulated $1 million (USD) in career PBA earnings faster than any player in history and has 25 career 300 games in PBA Tour events through 2020. Jason is nothing short of a legend on the lanes. But, that success hasn't come without certain sacrifices. Playing in the United States while his family is based out of Australia means that he has long stints, sometimes up to 3-months at a time, away from home. As a family man who holds his family relationships in extremely high regard, this has been the most challenging aspect of achieving world-class status at his craft. So in this episode we dive into that, how Jason prioritizes his family even when he can't be there in person, how he creates quality time with each of his 3 (soon to be 4) kids, and much more. Links mentioned in this episode: