Why I Want to be ..... My Own Boss; An Entrepreneur!!

Ever since I was young I have been a visionary of sorts. I have always questioned systems, theories, and the revered ideas of others. I have had a deep desire to be known for leaving this world with something I created. That is why I want to be..... My Own Boss; An Entrepreneur!!

To create something from nothing is the most fulfilling experience that I have ever encountered. To be a leader and have a unique vision that others follow is empowering and more fulfilling than any other 9 to 5 position I could fathom. My drive is not to make lots of money, or even to be famous. My drive is to put a mark on this world. My drive is to see the direct fruits of my own labor while creating new jobs and spreading my deepest passion onto others.

That passion I wish to share with others is my love for youth sports. I have witnessed firsthand the effects of youth sports participation and truly believe that there is a vast amount of benefits derived from such experiences. Sports participation parallels real life and serves as a metaphor for every humans day to day encounters. Themes and lessons like; you don't always win, communication is key, there is no I in team, and hard work pays off, can all be translated into real life. Kids may not be aware of this direct parallel but as they grow older, they can begin to see the lessons they once learned on the playing field being executed in the board room.


From the time I was a in kindergarten, I was playing sports. Basketball, volleyball, soccer, swim; you name it, I played it. My imagination ran wild and not only was I learning the techniques needed to compete, I was learning about a whole industry that would capture my heart from then on. Once I reached high school there were few sports I had never tried; girl's lacrosse being one of them. In an attempt to try something new, two friends and I started the first ever girl's lacrosse team at Gilbert High School in Gilbert Arizona. There were only 7 other high school teams at the time. Little did I know that this idea of entrepreneurship and starting something from nothing would resonate in me over and over again as I grew older. Starting this new team wouldn't be the first time that I created a sports event/ organization from infancy.

After high school I went on to playing lacrosse at Arizona State University on a full ride leadership scholarship. There I received my bachelors in Recreation Management/ Therapeutic Recreation. My original plan was to work with at-risk youth by giving them more opportunities to play organized sports. I had hundreds of ideas including non-profit organizations that could support this vision. All along the way I began coaching lacrosse and networking within the youth sports industry. During my undergraduate education I planned numerous tournaments, camps, and clinics for different organizations in Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. I was an athletic director for a youth sports organization called Desert StiX Lacrosse. I also was the head varsity coach of the Corona High School Aztecs. We even won the DII state championships in 2008!! I served as a Recreation Therapist Intern at the Richmond Virginia Veterans Hospital in 2009. There I orchestrated a 12 wheelchair sport camp and even introduced wheelchair lacrosse to my patients. That camp was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life because not only was I utilizing my education but I had yet again created something NEW that involved sports and even lacrosse.

After coaching youth sports for five years it became ingrained in me that I would always be a coach. No matter what career path I went down, I always knew coaching would be a priority. The idea of coaching for a living crossed my mind several times so I began tossing around the idea of coaching college lacrosse. I found my way up the ranks to a player/coach position at Tiffin University in 2010. I was recruited for my coaching abilities and was also able to utilize my last year of NCAA athletic eligibility. At Tiffin I started my MBA in Sports Management and began to wrestle with the amount of opportunities within the industry I had grown to love. I considered working within adaptive sports, or even accepting an amazing opportunity of becoming a head coach at a University. At that point in my life, I had to make some big decisions. Throughout the process my burning desire to Be My Own Boss resonated and thus I turned down several of those jobs and decided to move back to Phoenix. My grand plan was to finally start my own business!

Thus Wildfire Lacrosse was born in late 2010 (www.wildfirelax.com). Starting my own youth lacrosse league was the ultimate way for me to begin utilizing my professional experiences and formal education. Many risks are involved in being your own boss and there are times where I think back to the other opportunities that had presented themselves. Although making a steady pay check sounds appealing, being an entrepreneur still seems to be more rewarding at this time in my life. It is a difficult aspiration to try and make something from nothing however I am appeasing my ingrained need to spread my passion and carry out my vision. :)