Growing up in Appalachia, Tom always knew he wanted to be a businessman. For Tom, a career in business seemed like the only way to escape the generational poverty he saw all around him. As the son of a coal miner, Tom did not attend college but instead chose to work his way up the corporate ladder in sales and management. Before long, he realized he had developed a strong resume as a turnaround manager.

Taking positions managing a company, store, or department that was not profitable and turning them profitable. After several of these positions, he acquired the skills and knowledge to go on his own and started his own financial services firm. After acquiring 18 state and federal licenses covering life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, mortgages, and securities sales, Tom and his wife built a business by helping families plan and implement efficient finance and investing strategies to enable them to reach their goals.

In 2006 Tom and his wife decided to move their family and business from their small rural community in Ohio to the much larger market of Houston, TX. While this seemed like a fantastic opportunity, no one foresaw the financial crisis that crushed their business the following year. After losing everything they had worked for and saved, Tom decided to start a different type of business as a real estate professional. Starting with nothing, he acquired over 400 rental units in the next four years and has since bought and sold hundreds of houses and commercial properties.