Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Oryn Goodwin.
Hi Jacob, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
This could take a while! I think I should start by saying I am not a man of few words. Those, who know me, know I love to tell a story…
I guess I will start in the middle. Have you ever heard the saying “God laughs when we make plans?” After earning a bachelor’s degree, I worked for corporate America for two years. It was not for me.
Feeling the need to get to know myself better, and discern my path, I left my job and lived on-stipend as a full-time volunteer for 1 year.
As a volunteer, I lived in the rectory of a church in Milwaukee, WI – serving Hispanic Immigrants and more mature citizens in and around a growing Latino population. I assisted with programs such as ESL, youth engagement, skills and workforce development, and collaborative programming between law enforcement and social services. It was the greatest work I never got paid for!
The experience enhanced the way I think about the universe, and it brought into focus the way I see people. I learned the importance of seeing and responding to the light in all of us… I developed an interest in, and passion for, helping human beings recognize that great Light within themselves, to celebrate it, develop it, love it, and shine it brightly.
As my post was coming to an end, I decided to apply to the Peace Corps for a 3-year term in Non-Governmental Organization, in Morocco. I also applied to Marquette University, for their Graduate Program in Social and Applied Ethics. I had hoped I would be accepted to one program or the other.
To my surprise, I was accepted into the Peace Corps opportunity. Shortly before I was to leave, I learned that Marquette would offer me a scholarship and admittance to their program. Believing, at the time, that the Marquette gift would not come again, I chose Marquette and shelved my dreams of volunteering abroad for a later time in life. I had no idea how that decision would set the course for rapid and intense life changes to come.
Love brought me to St. Louis. I met my wife while attending grad school at Marquette, in Milwaukee, WI. Kelly grew up in St. Louis. I talk, a lot, without hesitation. However, when I first met Kelly, I was deaf and blind to the rest of the world. For the first time in my young life (twenty-something), I was paralyzed. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak, and I couldn’t even remember my first name… literally! As Kelly approached me (and waited for a response, for what seemed like an eternity, to eke out of me) I had to remind myself to breathe and to respond, because that is what “normal” people do.
There is so much more I would like to say about that pivotal moment in my life, but in the interest of space and time (and everyone’s attention span), I will fast forward a bit. Our romance sprang hard and grew fast. To this day, Kelly will never admit it, but she was hooked on day one, just as much as I was! After one very short year, I asked Kelly to marry me. Kelly’s “YES” came with the request that we move back to her hometown.
Once I landed in St. Louis, I was not sure what I wanted to do with myself… I did not want to work in another job that I did not like, and that did not cultivate my best skills and strengths.
My soon-to-be father-in-law was successful in the real estate development, commercial construction, and sales industries. I was genuinely interested in what he did, and I knew he needed help. I asked him for a job for months, and after much effort, he gave me a shot! He was clear that the pay was dirt, the hours were long, and that I had better be the hardest working person in the company. (At times, I had almost wondered if he was trying to deter me from further interest).
When he finally gave me a “YES”, it did not matter what followed that little three-letter word. He could have asked me to drink his bathwater! All I needed to know was that I loved his daughter, that I wanted to make something of myself for her, and that I was genuinely interested in what he did.
For two years, I worked like crazy. I learned a ton about real estate, property management, and construction. For that first year, Kelly had stayed in Milwaukee to finish school. I lived in St. Louis (with Kelly’s parents – yup – they were awesome) and I bought a small, two-bedroom house.
For six months, I spent every night remodeling the entire house. Kelly still lived in Milwaukee, and I wanted to have something to give my wife when we married. I learned a ton about residential construction that year…. and I loved it!
After year two years working for Kelly’s father, I started my own construction and real estate business. It was hard, scary, and exciting – all at the same time. Projects ranged from residential remodels and additions to large commercial renovations and real estate developments. My small company grew fast.
In 2008, the real estate and commercial construction bust came, fast and furious. Large projects and commercial financing dried up, and what I thought (2 years earlier) would be profitable long-term commercial developments were coming to completion, without a cent of rent or sale revenue to be gained. YIKES! I was in trouble, fast, a heap of trouble – I now had 2 toddlers in diapers, a wife at home, and a nice big mortgage on our dream house, amongst mounting business debt.
A bit of saving, the painful sale of our dream home, pretty darn good negotiating skills (I don’t mind saying), and probably more luck than I realize, helped us through the immediate hurdles.
Here I was, 30 years old, with 2 kids (having just learned that a 3rd was on the way), a wife at home, back to renting after building my dream home, and no job. Yes, this was a very fun time. Hiring in that economy had also come to a crashing halt… I had applied for many jobs – positions with salaries that were adequate to support the soon-to-be five of us.
Time after time, I made it far into the interview process and personality testing with a company, and I would get turned away with the same exact statements, “Jacob, we love your enthusiasm. You are a smart kid, with a lot of experience for your age. BUT, you have not spent enough time in your career working for others. We are afraid that we will invest a few years and lots of money in developing you, and once you can start making real money for us, the market will return, and you will go off on your own.”
Such a response, over and over, was hard to hear… especially with little money in the bank…especially with a wife and two toddlers at home… and one on the way – YIKES again! I cried to myself, in my car, often. Going home, over and over, with unfavorable news, was hard… and it was getting old. I think Kelly cried to herself as well… just not in front of me or the kids. We both tried to be strong for each other… even if we had to fake it now and then.
One day, after just hearing my last “NO”, I went for a long drive in the woods. I needed to let go of some steam, and re-center myself. I came to a clearing – up to a wide, deep, golden field. I parked and cracked my windows. I could smell the fresh sawdust from the tree, nearby, that had recently been cut. (The woods have always been a place of calm retreat and comfort for me. I was raised by my grandparents in northern Wisconsin.
Our expansive land included dense woods, marshlands, ponds, a large creek (almost a river- really), various livestock, barns, light farm equipment, and acres of produce that we grew ourselves. It was something out of a Transcendentalist dream or a Robert Frost poem. We made lots of our own furniture and lived off our livestock and produce… though, we did supplement with groceries as needed, and we always shared our bounty with our neighbors…
The smell of the sawdust and the stress sort of coaxed me into a deep therapeutic sleep. I couldn’t fight it. During my afternoon nap, I woke in a dream… a memory, really. My grandpa and I were in the tool barn, making a table. He was describing great epic battles and the tragedy of Achilles – explaining the Achilles Tendon, and tying it all to the connection between Hubris and the fall of many a great man.
My grandfather was a Latin professor and teacher of Greek Mythology… he was a real renaissance man, for sure. The memory was so vivid and real. I could smell the dust on the barn floor, feel the warm sun on my face… hear the saw running. It was as if that moment was in the present. Whew (wipe away tears…), I really love that man, and I miss him so.
I came to, and the great sun was setting over the golden field in front of me. It sounds crazy, but I couldn’t help but wonder if my grandpa was sending me a message – telling me to get back to the basics, to let go of failure, to believe in myself – that all was going to be okay.
I believed he was right. I thought about how much I loved construction, woodworking, and creating with my own two hands. I accepted that maybe, just maybe, now was not the right time to get a job, after all. I decided that I would start a residential repair and remodeling business.
I was daring enough, patient enough, intrigued enough, and hungry enough to believe I could apply what I knew and learn what I needed to along the way, so that I could, at least, support my family and keep food on the table through my new endeavor.
I wasted no time. I went home that night, and I talked through my plan with Kelly. I took on anything at first. I cannot tell you how many small repair and picture-hanging jobs I took (sometimes getting paid with baked pies and casseroles from nice old ladies!) just to get my name out there… It paid off!
These small tasks lead to bathroom, kitchen, and basement remodels, then came additions and entire gut-rehabs… then came entire new and custom homes. It was amazing really. What took years to rebuild, many thought were an overnight success. Lots of spectators were not around for all the early and costly mistakes, the long hours, and all the hard work Kelly was putting in at home – raising our family.
At one point, I thought to myself, “Jacob, you have done it! You tried, you failed, you tried again, and you have succeeded!” Boy, was I in for a surprise – I failed again! Only this time, even bigger, the losses deeper, the news – uglier, the strains on my family and relationship with Kelly – stronger, and the hardship endured – greater and more exhausting. And I am starting over, again – even now… but stronger, smarter, more self-confident, with more grace, more patience, and with more GRATITUDE.
Over the years, people have asked how I do it. “Do what?” I say. They ask: How do I sell so many jobs and ideas? How do I decide that I am going to do something that I have never done before, nor have any experience in, and make it work? (I am not sure I ever made it work). It is a bit funny – I have never worried about the “how”. (That may not be surprising to some of you who know me!). I have only set my intention on a thing I want to accomplish or experience, and believed that I will do it…allowing room for the “how” to present itself…
Do you remember that “seeing the light in all of us” thing I mentioned earlier?
The truth is I never think about selling anything. I never worry about what I am good or not good at. Read that again, please. I only think about seeing and serving the light in others – serving people well and doing what I do to the best of my ability. What does that mean? That means that I do not meet with clients. I meet with people who need help. That means that I ask questions, and I listen with the intent of genuinely understanding… without concern for my reply. For, my reply will not help someone. My understanding will help someone. By helping people help me.
For me, the best and easiest way to help others is to recognize the light in them as the same light in me. For, I believe we are all connected… How I treat others, I treat myself… It is not always easy to practice this philosophy and act from such a centered base… However, the more I try, the easier it gets… Sometimes, I do not get to see the immediate results of my behavior in this fashion. Though, I believe the impacts are far, far-reaching into time, space, and experience for others…
Recognizing the light in others (and ourselves) is a natural catalyst for genuine kindness.
Have you ever just decided to do something kind or selfless for a stranger? Sometimes, oftentimes, sadly, people are almost offended, skeptical of, or confused by kindness. But the one who offers it, genuinely, never feels bad for it. For kindness is always right… and kindness is its own reward…
I believe it is this life philosophy (and life-path taken) that has brought me exactly to where I am (where I am supposed to be) now. Observers – looking in from the outside, may interpret my endeavors, thus far, as a succession of leaping from one failure to the other. I understand my endeavors as “growing” from one experience to the next, each with a different set of lessons, guiding me onward, thrusting me closer to my higher self, and ultimately delivering me to a successful life… I desire such a process for everyone…
When I folded things up, AGAIN, I had to look for a job, AGAIN – UGH… Only, this time, I found one! I actually found two jobs.
The first job did not last long – just six months. I sold home improvements, in the residential sector – for a nationwide company. I love serving people and I love construction. The products and client environment were a good fit. However, the work culture and hours were NOT conducive to a healthy lifestyle or my family life.
After being the number one salesman in the entire organization and maintaining a spot in the top tier of performers for 6 months, I was “spent”. I turned in my two-weeks’ notice and caught up with my family while looking for a new job, AGAIN…
Things never work out nor happen the way we think they will. (Is it just me, or does this phenomenon apply to other people too?).
I “happened’ upon my current opportunity while at my son’s youth football game. I met a gentleman in the stands who was there – watching his grandchild play football. We started talking with one another, discovered we knew some of the same people, discussed our backgrounds, and learned that we may have stumbled onto an opportunity to work together.
A few weeks later, I accepted a position – working for Stephens Floor Covering; a family business, in commercial and residential flooring, that has been in Saint Louis for almost 70 years!
While interviewing, all the right boxes were checked off: family-oriented, small business, centered around people, client focus, kindness as a company pillar, operations and sales hybrid, work-life balance.. opportunity for growth within company.
I sensed I was exactly where I was supposed to be… the path to here was starting to make a little sense.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This is a great question. Have you ever seen that post that has been circulating on social media platforms for the past few years – about success?
The post shows us a view of this great big iceberg, out in the middle of the sea. Somewhat like the real thing, we see just the small tip of this iceberg above the water (the success that everyone sees), and below the water is a giant, mountain of ice that no one observes…
The tip, above water, is labeled “success”, and the giant mountain of ice, below water, has attached to it a laundry list of labels, “late nights, lots of coffee, failure, no resources, 7-day work weeks, failure, no experience, unexpected taxes, failure, 5 AM mornings, etc.” HA!
I think I was born an optimist! Or, maybe I have just learned to look for the positive, see obstacles and challenges as opportunities for growth, and identify areas I need help with… Perhaps, a bit of both…perhaps easier to say when looking through the lens of hindsight. Life, for me, has always been a bit of a challenge, but it has also been so rewarding.
Having A.D.D. has been a curse and a blessing. A.D.D. has showered my life with curiosities (so many curiosities) that have made for a more interesting life than most have, I think… A.D.D. has forced me to learn how to be extremely organized so that I can stay focused, and on track. My organizational methods have allowed me to create somewhat of a compass for myself in situations when others would be ships lost at sea.
A.D.D. has gifted me with the ability (gift and a curse) to laser focus on just one item at a time. This is not a choice for me, I was born this way. It can be beautiful. It means I pay attention to details that most others do not notice, nor think important.
I have come to understand that attention to detail in such a manner is a game-changer when it comes to products, services, and most importantly, people. I have learned that when I can focus on a person intently enough to learn their wants and needs, their why’s, their history, experience, their interests, and desires – what makes an individual tic – when I can learn about an individual or family so intimately, then I can understand them. I can understand how I may serve them well.
Many people are not accustomed to such focus directed at them, with genuine intent and interest. They do not know how to interpret such interest, and may even feel uncomfortable or assume an ulterior motive… I look forward to the day when we all take such genuine interest in one another… and we all feel comfortable being celebrated by one another…
Entrepreneurship (especially in unfamiliar territory) can bring some struggles with it… There is an art and science to serving people well. I have learned that different people define great service differently. While learning how to serve people well can be challenging, it does not have to be a struggle – as long as one has the desire and a passion to serve.
Failure in business (or, life in general) can be rough, financially, for sure. It can be tough emotionally, and it can be devastating to relationships and family life during times when the failure brings real hardship with it. In these times, it is important to remember our “why”, to remember that we are greater than our mistakes and that we can learn from failure.
Failures do not define us. Rather – the lessons, the recovery, and the decision to become a better version of oneself – are the factors that define us, as a result of putting ourselves out there, being willing to be vulnerable, and trusting (and loving) ourselves enough to go after something we really want.
The obstacles and challenges are just a course. As we move through the course, we uncover our weaknesses, we discover our strengths, and we learn about ourselves. It is this journey through the course, completed at one’s own pace, that when completed, has transformed us into our highest selves, and has ushered us toward self-actualization – both of which are the true markers of success.
Success is something different for each one of us, and that is beautiful…
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Hmmm… My work? Some would say I am a salesman. Others would tell you I am in management or operations. (I think I do a little bit of all three – I work for a small company!)
Then, there are those who would say they are not sure what the heck I do, for, it seems like all I do is drive around helping people – and I do not sell them anything!
What do I do?: I develop solutions for flooring processes and manage sold projects, large and small, in the commercial, institutional and residential sectors, for Stephens Floor Covering, in Saint Louis, MO. Our projects span spaces such as Hospitals, Universities, Government Buildings, Retail Stores, Residential High Rises, Office spaces, and Custom Homes.
We love to install kitchens and bathrooms as well.
Our floor types range through LVT, LVP, carpet tile, broadloom carpet, solid wood – field finished and pre-finished, engineered lumber, natural stone, ceramic tile, welded sheet vinyl, and athletic flooring systems…
What do I specialize in? Well, regardless of what I sell, I believe I specialize in solving problems, curing pains, and helping people grow. If one wants to serve people well, one must learn to identify obstacle (opportunities), understand pain, embrace creative processes, and one has to be curious about how to solve and sooth…
Projects that include careful mechanics, unusual engineering requirements, and outside-the-box approaches, and require creative energy intrigue me. I am not afraid to make a mistake, and I love to put technology and learning to the test to achieve something great or uncommon.
What am I known for?
I am known for actively and genuinely engaging with people, for building others up, for attention to detail, for creating results and usable material in and for ambiguous assignments and goals…
What am I most proud of? I am proud of so many things… I am most proud of just a few…
I am so proud of my constant determination to remain persistent and resilient through challenges and experiences. I continue to recognize lessons, get up, and rise again.
I am proud that in a world where so many would rather be right instead of kind, I choose to be kind because I believe kind is always right… I believe we all must work to be kind in this world – We must choose to be kind, always, in so many ways, in so many situations – so that one day, kindness becomes the norm…and rude or cruel behavior becomes, once again, unacceptable….to self and to others…
I am proud (no, I am grateful) that I can recognize that I have been surrounded by some pretty badass women for my entire life – that they have helped develop the best in me, and that through their example I have come to know genuine love, selfless acts of kindness, real strength, determination and true grit.
They are my Grandma Grace ( its a long story, but she raised me as her son – long after her own children had grown and moved on) my Mom, Maria Louisa Cordova (it’s part of the same long story, but she was a single mother of 5, who worked herself into the ground – 3 jobs for decades, and even though the family moved around like gypsies, we were always safe, fed, and loved…and amongst all the hardship – she found the energy to make us laugh).
My wife, Kelly (a remarkable teacher, a resilient soul, a wonderful mother, and an irreplaceable friend), and my daughter, Sophia ( a teenager going on 30, an old and beautiful soul – strong like her mom, artistic and creative like her father, kind and industrious like both)…These women are mighty beings, beautiful and powerful in their own right, all of them – fearless captains of their ship…and I, a fortunate deckhand – improved and benefited by their presence and example… It is because of these ladies, that I advocate for, and hope, that one-day gender equality and genuine respect for women is the norm…
I am proud to come from such a multicultural family – There are over 190 of us… all blood-related… We are Hispanic, Native American, African American, Irish and Italian, and we recognize each other only as family – that is it… It is because of our diverse family background, exemplary upbringing, and love for all life, that no matter one’s color, past, status, or upbringing, we recognize everyone, simply, as human beings, worthy of love, kindness, and respect… worthy to carry that same bright light that shines in all of us… bringing us together.
What sets me apart from others? I am adventurous, and not afraid to make mistakes and try new things…in business, and personally. I truly believe that if we just go for love first (love of self, love of others, love of love), everything else will fall in place and follow. I consciously try to practice this philosophy in my personal and business life.
I believe that if we all approached business from the foundation of genuine service to others, it would be easier to form relationships, and easier to help people. As we serve others, the business will serve itself – “as we serve others, we serve ourselves…”.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Yes! I think so many of us in this world (and especially in America) have learned some important and life-changing lessons, as a result of COVID.
I have learned that it is okay – not just okay, but necessary to slow down a little (sometimes, a lot), to enjoy the present, to soothe or heal ourselves, to embrace family… Work will always be here… The people we love most, and our health will not…
I have learned that panic and worry serve no one… both are unproductive and can cause unnecessary hardship in various forms. Rational thinking, careful observation, and some grace for ourselves and others go a very long way…
I have learned that no man or woman is an island (old cliche, I know). Together is the only way forward, through and beyond great challenges and obstacles. If we allow them to be, challenges and obstacles are also great opportunities for positive change and growth.
Contact Info:
- Email: jacob@stephensfloorcovering.com
- Website: thefloorguystl.com
- Instagram: @thefloorguystl
- Facebook: @thefloorguystl
