Gary Whitehill, age 12, wanted to go to college. He knew the way to get there was to play sports well. Yet the cost of the uniform, shoes, equipment totaled a nearly unachievable amount for a working family. So the answer for young Gary was “no” to his asking to buy cleats to get in the game.
When presented with a challenge, there are some people who will go over, under, through or around to achieve a goal. That 5th-grader decided to buy candy from a store and sell it at school. Resulting sales (yes, he marked it up) got him those cleats. And more.
Football got him to college, and a hard-earned education took him into the world of business. But the most important life lesson he learned was to channel his drive and passion into opportunity to achieve anything he wanted.
He’s 26 now. Along the way, he filed his first patent at 17, was recognized as one of the top salon shoe salesman in America at Nordstrom’s at 20. Played football for Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) and University of Connecticut (and threw for the track team). By 21, he realized corporate America wasn’t for him. At 23, he moved to New York City not knowing a soul. Intuitively, he wanted to be on the field of commerce in a world center. Tri-State Ventures provided an opportunity to work as an investment analyst. He later co-founded a management consulting firm.
Today, Whitehill is founder of New York Entrepreneur Week (NYEW), a non-profit movement formed around a single belief that “entrepreneurs change the world.”
NYEW continues through Friday, April 16.
“You have what it takes, you can prove that you have it, enjoy it,” according to Whitehill. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you are too young and not experienced enough. Age has nothing to do with ability- ignore those who don’t have your skill, talent, and dedication. You may lose a couple, but in the final all around analysis people will envy your ability to play the game while they sit on the sidelines wanting to have the nerve to play themselves.”
As founder of The Relentless Foundation, a non-profit (501c3), he works now to “equip and unite the emerging generation of world-changers.” A Connecticut resident by choice, he doesn’t rule out a Connecticut Entrepreneur Week at some point.
Philanthropic endeavors an interesting range of interests and include serving as a director on the board of Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) School of Business . . . and for Holcomb Nature Farm, a non-profit which preserves 320 acres of pastureland, streams, hiking trails and woodlands in Connecticut.
Whitehill is also part of the Guggenheim Art Awards leadership committee and co-founder of The Political Society. He serves as secretary for Granby Lions Club and recently completed a book on how to pitch to angel investors, Angel Presentations are War: Be Relentless.“There are a lot of smart people out there with great ideas, and the current economy offers a lot of opportunity and possibility for those who are driven to make things happen.”