John Martin Sr., father, advocate, community member, author, business owner.
For over a decade, John Martin Sr. has established himself as a heavyweight in the branding/marketing world with mastermind precision. As CEO of TeamStrong Inc., he has worked and developed several companies in the United States, creating and implementing marketing plans with unique approaches, and a knack for building excellence. He has often been told that “everything he touches turns to gold”. He has produced and structured over 125 social events over 10 years.
As a well known best-selling author of several publications, John has earned his stay in the literary world. He has created and wrote the best selling 8 Conversations To Have series that focuses on understanding loved ones and learning how to communicate with each other. He feels effective communication with others is a needed lifeline that can solve so many social issues in our world. A single father of two, and serial entrepreneur, John takes his life seriously and doesn’t miss an opportunity to create opportunity.
Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, he is very passionate about his community and also works closely with managing city projects to create positive impact for his surroundings.
John is a calm, relaxed, reserved, thoughtful, thinker, who is experienced and determined. 10 years ago in 2012, John was all over the place. He tried to include everyone in his vision. He soon realized that more independence and closer net team would gain more success.
Currently Mr. Martin is passionate about helping an organization called CV3 help high at risk individuals change their mindsets to become productive civilized citizens as opposed to resorting to gun violence. He was approached a few months back to be apart. It was personal for him because he remembers being high at risk and the decisions he had to make to change his life for the better. With his personal experience he feels he can help others do the same.
I ask Mr. Martin what happen for him leave working a day-to-day job to become an entrepreneur?
“I guess having to do things my way. I had to figure out what was going to work for me. Nothing wrong with 9 to 5 living if you can handle it, but it’s hard for me. I learned early There are two major ways to make money. Dollars per hour or dollars per transaction and I found out dollars per hour is a time drainer. Our time is valuable and I decided to be able to use my time on earth for improving the greater good. I’m also not good at following directions. I’ve been kicked out of every school I’ve went to growing up, besides college. A big part of that was just having to do things my way. I also love creating opportunities and bring my ideas to life, and that requires focus, not working on a clock.”
We ask since you are an entrepreneur, tell ask about your business is that you currently do on a daily basis. “I wear many hats. I run a marketing agency that helps develop small to large businesses. We offer anywhere from a logo, to websites, consulting to take your biz to the next level, etc.
I’m also an author that creates conversational writing to develop an understanding of different perspectives. I think we all need to be a little more understanding of others ways of thinking. I ghostwrite, I run a rental car service and I also promote and organize events from nightlife to family friendly events”
You would think that with so much on your plate that there could not possibly be room for any more, but I know that you have a book series, please tell us about
your book series and why you decided to write them.
“My current book series is called 8 Conversations To Have. I have four books in the series which are bite size reads that provoke thought and encourage thinking from different perspectives, including my own as a single father. Titles are 8 Conversations to have with self, son, daughter and co-parent. Several reasons why I wanted to start this series. One, we as a whole need to have more conversations with the individuals we love. Nowadays we are going through life with meaningless surface conversations that leave many of us disengaged and confused or stagnant.”
“Another reason that I decided to write the series is that I wanted to add my experience, through mistakes and success I’ve had raising my kids and the relationships I’ve had with their mothers, to give a perspective that is not as commonly heard as it should be. The voice of a single full-time father is nonexistent. We don’t tell our story. We just work. Well, there is a lot behind the scenes that we struggle with and I hope to encourage others through my failures and my successes. Another reason is to empower the family structure. The family dynamic is so powerful and it is what we are lacking today as a society. Generational wealth, higher self-esteem, and overall better quality of life are what we can accomplish together. These books are a way of learning from each other and starting on the journey. A blueprint to family health first”
TC Siti asked Mr. Martin for his personal motto? And of course he was right on with a great response stating, “Keep Going. Simple. Keep going. We all need to dust ourselves off from time to time. We all need to lick our wounds and recover but we all should keep going. Put one foot in front of the other no matter what. Also, literally, to go is to move. I’m a firm believe that we should keep moving at all cost.”
Having a opportunity to talk with such awesome business mind we had to ask for top three keys to being successful.
- Stay learning. If you think you know it all, you are only as good as last year because what you know is outdated.
- Be fearless- fear is a mental prison that keeps us from expanding and “stretching out”. Fear is the reason why most of us have multiple “ I should have done that” stories that turn into regrets.
- Believe in yourself and treat yourself good. Treat yourself good by consuming the right things. From food to what we listen to, everything we involve in our lives have an impact on us, big or small.
Being so on the go and still productive we need to know what are three items that you always have with you to help with you success.
- I always have my phone. I write my thoughts all day long in my notes that sometimes turn into publications.
- I always have something to sell. You never know what you might need, or who you’ll run into. So I keep something worthwhile in the trunk. Whether it’s a book, a ticket to an event, etc. I always have a book on me. I like the art of hustle, so if I see you, I like to spark conversation and learn how I can be of service to you.
- I always have my lost loved ones with me. I talk to them, especially my pops because it’s hard to let go of someone you talked to daily for years.
We ask Mr. Martin to look at today’s current events what is something that is on your radar that you feel is extremely important for the world to know more about?
“I think the change of our currency is extremely important. Learning about different forms now is one of the best moves you can make. Our world is changing and the value of the dollar is not going to ever be what it once was. We cannot sit back and wait for someone to hold our hand because that hand is not coming.”
In closing Mr. Martin stated he is a humble guy who I confident; others might even be perceive him as cocky. He doesn’t care, be he doesn’t control anyone’s feelings besides my own. He is very respectful and appreciates and demand respect in return. He’ll be first to admit I’m not perfect. Some days I’m lost, some days I feel on top, but either way you are going to get a genuine person out of me.
John Martin Sr.
Www.8conversationstohave.com