Welcome! I’m excited to introduce you to my friend, Mike Parsons. Mike has an authentic “rags to riches to rags to riches” story to share about his life and his work. I have a hilarious story to share about how Mike and I first became friends; it involves a joke I played on him that made him mad, but I soon gained a friend for life. Mike owns and operates Black Tie Extreme, a full-service professional DJ and Entertainment company. Join us as Mike shares his amazing story!

 What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Mike’s early life:
  • “The ONLY child of 11 children”
  • Working in construction at age 13, but laid off repeatedly
• The ups and downs of employment
  • How Mike became a medical assistant ($1200/month)
  • Becoming a DJ: making more in a weekend than in two weeks as a medical assistant.
  • Starting a custom closet company
  • Becoming a mortgage broker and financial success ($30,000/month!)
  • An upgraded lifestyle of unnecessary things
  • Losing it all when the banking industry tanked
  • A downsized life, washing cars for money
  • Back to working as a professional DJ
• Finding the fair industry
  • Working street carnivals with a gyroscope
  • Working fairs, sleeping in his car
  • Working as a fair vendor: What does that mean?
• What has kept Mike going through the ups and downs? “My wife and kids. I know there are many people less fortunate than me. I never wanted to be a burden.”
• Mike’s biggest mistake in the fair industry? “Picking the gyroscope to begin with.”
• Mike’s worst fair gig ever? “When a drunk gyroscope passenger fell out and got hurt!”
• Mike’s biggest surprise? “The closeness of the fair industry”
• Mike’s skill set in making money? “My drive. I want to be THE BEST.”
• What does Mike do for self-improvement? “I go to church.”
• The future for Mike? “Another 5 years or so in the fair industry, then building a house (with NO credit), and serving in missions.”
• Mike’s #1 takeaway from the fair industry? Honesty
• Words of wisdom from Mike: “Be honest, be nice, help others out, and you’ll be taken care of.”
• Find Mike at blacktie.biz.