Small Business Owner Preps All His Life To Thrive During Today’s Uncertainties

Mike Raber, Founder, Micro Business Corporation

Nothing is what it was. What it will become is anybody’s guess. It’s my opinion, however, that the collective state of being is now and will forever be consistent and vigorous fluidity. There won’t be a sudden discovery of and then gradual settling into a different order. Some people are adapting well to this new mindset; my concern is for those who aren’t.

What’s particularly intriguing to me is that many from older generations are embracing change while a number of younger people are stuck with binary thinking. Who from the ‘60s ever saw that coming? Not me, so it’s especially fascinating to watch and engage with different parts of the evolution.

At no point up until very recently has the dichotomy been more obvious to me. That’s when I interviewed a small business owner who thrives on his rich and varied roles while I also began mentoring a young student who wants to drop out of college because she doesn’t yet know what singular focus her studies should take.

Mike Raber, founder of Micro Business Corporation and Associate Director of Global View Capital Advisors, is a business coach, entrepreneur, financial adviser, podcast host, trainer, YouTuber, speaker, and author (including a #1 Amazon bestseller).

His background is diverse—real estate, business, insurance, and financial planning—and his clientele includes influencers and professionals who are honing their skills as thought leaders. Mike’s goal is to help his clients design businesses which (1) become true assets and (2) allows them to live the life they earned while serving their clients and helping to empower the local community.

He offers courses such as, “The Business Builder’s Blueprint,” “The Financial Mastery Blueprint,” and “How to Turn Your House Into a Golden Goose.”

As host of “The Influencers Journey” podcast since 2019, he interviews entrepreneurs, educators, and coaches to discuss a multitude of topics, such as, “Building Valuable Deeper Business Relationships,” “The Power of Building a Non-Traditional Business,” and “Learning to Lean Into Your Strengths While Getting Rid of Your Saboteurs.”

Mike is venturing into self-publishing while also building nurturing, dynamic interconnections with like-minded individuals. He’s a millennial mentor who has designed financial management and business development programs for our youth, a traveler who has lived boldly, speaks Chinese and harmonizes Eastern and Western philosophies, and practices for a better life.

Wow.

Were all these accomplishments part of his plan as a young man? No. Were many of them on the horizon ten years into his career? No. Did he have foreshadowing of a world turned topsy turvy due to a digital transformation? No.

The professional and personal abundance Mike enjoys today is due to inherent gifts he’s had and cultivated since his youth. They’ve allowed him to pivot quickly and readily adapt to new challenges. He has an open mind with which he learns from every experience, sees opportunity in challenging times, feels fear and vulnerability but takes calculated risks anyway, surrounds himself with a supportive network, and infuses all his interactions with compassion.

He also believes in the power of consistently showing up. Somewhere there’s something or someone waiting to teach us, act as our guide, or, conversely, receive assistance or wisdom from us. Says Mike, “There’s an impact we can make in our community or family. If we don’t show up, we miss out on that opportunity and can only wonder what might have been.”

Mike is uniquely primed to survive and thrive during our current tumultuous times. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for many others. Whatever the reason, they’re unable or unwilling to adopt a holistic approach to their role in our economy.

The best example I can provide of this head-in-the-sand perspective comes from my role as mentor to a young woman in her second semester of college. Seeing all the wonderful qualities she portrays—including exuberance, curiosity, mindfulness, eagerness to learn (along with being a quick study)—I was saddened to hear she’s thinking of putting college on hold.

After she spoke of her plan to leave school “just for awhile,” work two jobs, and get a small apartment (with nothing planned for beyond), I asked the question, “Why?” The answer was, “I don’t know what I want to be.” My next question was, “Who says you have to know?” “School,” was the reply.

That little exchange spoke volumes to me as I hope it does to you. Unless someone is absolutely gifted with talent, thereby making one’s choices easier and more obvious, the days of declaring a particular study as a teenager and then landing a lifetime profession are over.

In fact, the days of securing a job and keeping it for 30 years are gone. The days of nixing continuing education are over. The days of looking askance at people with unconventional career trajectories are over.

Many jobs of the future don’t exist today. Technology rules, the world is more connected than ever before, and quick pivots in life’s arenas are required. Soft skills are critical; myopia can be disastrous.

Since it’s difficult for some to accept that a career is now a journey, not a destination, they might think about looking for a guide or coach—someone to help prepare them for uncertain times and serve as a sounding board. When they do, I’d like to tell them, “You want your teacher to be the best student around. Someone like Mike Raber.”