Cornerstone Class My Business Journey: Lessons From a Lifetime of Work

 My Business Journey: Lessons From a Lifetime of Work

By Bill Conley

Introduction

Good morning everyone, and thank you for letting me be here with you today.

I want to take you on a journey — not through textbooks or theory, but through real life. My story begins when I was 9 years old, cutting weeds around gravestones and delivering newspapers every single day, rain or shine, in Minnesota. From there, I worked my way through high school, through college, and into the world of sales and business.

Along the way, I went from being a kid pushing a lawnmower to building and selling multi-million-dollar companies. I learned lessons about work ethic, confidence, sales, risk-taking, and investing. I learned that if you want to create freedom in your life, you can’t just work for money — you have to learn how to make your money work for you.

Today, I want to share those lessons with you — from my early jobs, to becoming the #1 salesperson in multiple industries, to starting and selling companies, and finally to building wealth through real estate, writing books, and leaving a legacy.

And here’s the most important part: I don’t tell you this to impress you, but to impress upon you that if a 9-year-old kid from Minnesota can build a life of freedom and wealth through hard work and persistence, then you can too.

So let’s walk through this journey together — and along the way, I’ll give you the skill sets and mindsets I believe you should start developing right now to set yourself up for success.

My Business Journey

Early Years – Building Work Ethic (Age 9–18)

• First jobs: Cutting weeds around gravestones at 9; newspaper delivery 365 days a year in Minnesota.
• Parents’ lesson at 13: “If you want anything, you pay for it.” Took a janitor job at father’s clinic.
• High school jobs: Gas station attendant (full service—oil, tires, windows, gas), later a lifeguard.
• Sports & activities:
• Competitive swimming from age 5, with multiple state championships.
• Golf team, state tournaments starting in 8th grade.
• Captain of two varsity sports.
• The Junior Achievement president ran the most profitable student company.
• Student council, drama, and school sales drives (always aimed to be #1).

Takeaway: Discipline and drive start early. Balancing work, school, and sports builds lifelong habits.

College Years – University of Minnesota (1975–1979)

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
• Paid my own way through school by working 20+ hours a week.
• Joined a fraternity, built lifelong connections.
• Cheerleader, became captain senior year.
• Learned leadership, teamwork, and time management.

Takeaway: College isn’t just about classes—it’s about learning to lead, network, and manage your time.

First Career – Welding Sales (1979–1981)

• First job selling welders/battery chargers, despite no experience.
• Results: Took territory from 50th to 2nd in the country in one year.
• Promoted to the Iowa territory—turned it into #1 nationally.
• Straight commission, $13/day hotel budget, lived on the road.
• Income: $50K first year, $75K second year (huge compared to $13K average).

Takeaway: Confidence + outworking everyone = success.

Seattle & Computer Industry (1981–1984)

• Moved west to Seattle with no job and no plan—took months to land work in a recession.
• Joined a small computer company, wrote a training manual by shadowing every department.
• Became the top salesperson by cold-calling relentlessly.
• Joined second computer company, again #1 in sales despite being the youngest rep.

Takeaway: Don’t wait for experience. Hustle and persistence will leapfrog you over veterans.

Break + Backpacking Europe (1984–1985)

• Traveled for 8 months across Europe with a backpack.
• Gained independence, perspective, and adaptability.

Takeaway: Life experiences broaden your thinking—success isn’t just financial.

Entrepreneurial Leap – Used Hewlett-Packard Computers (1985–1995)

• Started a telemarketing business cold-calling for companies.
• Partnered to sell used HP computers—only the 5th company worldwide doing it.
• Grew from 2 guys in a tiny office → 75 employees, 12 sales reps, engineers, and a 50,000 sq. ft. warehouse.
• Expanded by buying competitors, became highly successful.

Takeaway: Entrepreneurship means wearing every hat and learning every job before delegating.

My Own Company – U.S. Computer (1995–1998)

• Founded own HP-resale company, this time owning 100%.
• Within 6 months → $1M profit.
• Sold the company in 1998 for several million dollars.
• Stayed on as President/CEO for 3 years to mentor the acquiring company’s team.

Takeaway: Ownership and leadership create real wealth and legacy.

Real Estate & Investing Career (1998–Today)

• Transitioned into real estate development:
• Built memory care centers, condos, apartments, and office buildings.
• Flipped and built homes.
• Current project: 479-unit apartment complex in San Antonio, Texas.
• Entered stock market investing—sometimes up, sometimes down, but profitable long-term.
• Philosophy: It takes money to make money. Use profits to create passive income streams.
• Diversified across multiple industries to protect and grow wealth.

Takeaway: Don’t just make money—make your money work for you.

Writing & Legacy Projects

• Author of 12 published books.
• Currently writing 365 children’s stories in one year (at ~305 when you speak).
• Plans to publish 6 more children’s books from these stories next year.
• Writes to teach lessons of values, discipline, and character to children.

Takeaway: Build something that lasts beyond you—your words, lessons, and influence can shape future generations.

Health & Family Values

• Believe in staying physically fit and active every day.
• Advice to own children: “You can’t take time off from staying healthy.”
• Wealth means little without health and strong relationships.

Takeaway: True success is health, family, and freedom—not just money.

Closing Speech

“So let me bring this all together.

I told you I would share my story — from cutting weeds and delivering papers at 9 years old, to working my way through high school and college, to selling welders and computers, to finally starting and selling my own companies. I shared how I took the money I made and reinvested it into real estate and the stock market, creating passive income and building long-term wealth. And today, I continue to write books, tell stories, and stay active — because success isn’t just about money, it’s about health, family, and legacy.

The lessons are simple, but they are powerful:

• Start early — don’t wait for the ‘perfect time.’
• Outwork everyone — success belongs to the ones willing to do what others won’t.
• Believe in yourself — if you don’t, no one else will.
• Learn to sell — because life is about communicating, persuading, and building relationships.
• Take risks — bet on yourself.
• Own instead of just work — wealth comes from ownership.
• Invest wisely — make your money work for you.
• Stay healthy — because wealth means nothing without health.
• And finally, leave a legacy — build something that outlasts you.

If you remember nothing else from what I said today, remember this: you have far more potential than you realize. The choices you make today — your work ethic, your attitude, your discipline — will determine the kind of freedom you have tomorrow.

I started with nothing but a lawnmower and a paper route. If I can build a life of success and freedom, so can you.

Thank you — and I wish every one of you success in building not just a career, but a life you’re proud of.”