BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"
Welcome to Be A Baller, where we're building a lifelong legacy for our families, communities, and the world! I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown, and I'm excited to for you join me on this journey.
On this show, we'll be talking about how to be intentional about building a lasting legacy. We'll be exploring what it means to leave a mark that goes beyond just our own lives, but has a positive impact on those around us and even generations to come.
Our guests will be individuals who have built a legacy in various fields – ministry, business, sports, and community service. And what's unique about our guests is that they're committed to the Wisdom Pledge. That means they're not just sharing their own stories and experiences with us, but they're also paying forward and sharing wisdom to empower the next generation.
So if you're looking for inspiration, guidance, and practical tips on how to build a lasting legacy that makes a difference, then you're in the right place!
So grab your earbuds, get comfortable, and let's dive in!
BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"
John Parms, Faith and Family Building a 40-Year Business Legacy
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Join us as we welcome John Parms, the visionary founder and managing officer of Parms & Company, who takes us on a captivating journey through his 40-year business legacy. Growing up as the youngest of eight children in Akron, Ohio, John shares how the unwavering support of his family and community laid the foundation for his success. With anecdotes from his upbringing and insights into the values instilled by his parents and siblings, John illustrates the power of faith, community, and family influence in achieving long-term goals. His story is a testament to the grace, blessings, and resilience that have shaped his path.
Emphasizing the significance of mentoring the next generation, John inspires with his commitment to fostering talent and building a legacy. He believes in going beyond financial success, encouraging young professionals to have a clear vision and plan for their future. The qualities he values in potential employees—initiative, critical thinking, and effective communication—are pivotal in sustaining the legacy he has built. As we reflect on John's impact and aspirations, this episode becomes a source of motivation for anyone looking to use their gifts to make a positive mark on the world.
John’s entrepreneurial journey is rich with lessons on integrity, fairness, and the importance of a strong faith foundation. From his early career aspirations as an architect to becoming a CPA, John underscores the role of hard work and adaptability in navigating his professional life. His transition to business ownership highlights the perseverance required to overcome challenges such as finding employment. Through his narrative, John reveals the ethical framework that guides both his business practices and personal life, rooted in values learned from his family and faith. Tune in to glean insights from a seasoned expert and learn how to chase your dreams with purpose and integrity.
I think there are a number of ways of being successful. I think you just have to have a willingness, a frame of mind that you could be successful. You have to show a certain amount of initiative. You can't sit back and wait for things to happen. You really have to take an initiative. So we're looking at that, we're looking at someone, certainly certain skills, critical thinking skills, being able to communicate effectively, being able to present themselves effectively.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Be A Baller podcast where we're building a lifelong legacy for families, communities in the world, communities in the world. I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown, and I'm excited today to introduce my guest, John Parnes, who's founder and owner and managing officer of Parnes Company, who recently celebrated 40 years in business. John is a certified public accountant and a mentor to young up-and-coming accountants and business owners. Today on the show, John will share his journey to building a lifelong legacy in business. John, welcome to the show. Thank you. Yeah, first of all, now the tie's off. So you got to loosen up now. I know you're the accountant, I know you're the accountant, but I got to get that smile. I got to get that out of you. First of all, congratulations. You just recently celebrated 40 years of the company. Can you talk about reaching that milestone in business, Boy?
Speaker 1:yeah, you, that milestone in business Boy. Yeah, you know, I didn't really look at it as a milestone. We have a young lady who's our firm administrator, linda Spencer. She was the one who really said you know, we need to celebrate 40 years. I'm not a big person for celebrations, necessarily, but you know it's interesting. One question she asked me is well, how did you do that? How did you stay in business that long?
Speaker 1:And I said by the grace of God, because really, you know, you really don't achieve I don't believe, anyway, that you achieve anything of any. You know length of time, unless you are grounded and have some blessings right. You have to have a certain amount of grace, I believe. And so you know, I had a mom who used to pray for me all the time. You know a father who didn't do that, but he, you know, he provided a foundation for our family. So I really have to just look at all the things that occurred throughout my life, and so it's, it's really just a number of things that were blessings to me, um, that allowed me to to, you know, be able to, um, stand that long. And so, yes, I, I, I can't claim um, all that. You know, it's a village. It's a journey that a lot of people supported me during that time.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome you know, I know you grew up in Akron, ohio, correct, and you were the youngest of eight children Correct. Can you talk about your family, and you kind of alluded to that. What were some of those valuable lessons you learned from the Parnes family, especially being the youngest and being a boy?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, essentially four girls, four boys and, um, you know, I had, uh, my sisters uh kind of was was a, you know, not a substitute, but an additional um guidance. And my older brothers as well, they were, uh, you know, role models. So I, my brother, my oldest brother, was an attorney and you know he was well known in the Akron community. My dad was a businessman for many years. He also worked at Firestone, you know, and he, a lot of his brothers, worked in the rubber, you know rubber industry. But he had the I won't say the foresight, but certainly the desire to be in business. At one point, I think, he had a shoe shine shop, you know. He shined shoes, you know, and then from there he started a business.
Speaker 1:And so, being the youngest of eight, I think I had an advantage because I had a lot of models that I could learn from and, of course, my parents were excellent parents. They, you know, instilled in us principles, I think, that were helpful. You don't realize that growing up, right, but as you look back you can see, you know they they were always there and and guided us, and so that was all. Those things were very helpful. So, you know, all my brothers and sisters were able to, I think, provide some guidance to me Right, and so I. I just had a chance to benefit from all of that.
Speaker 2:Nice, good, good. You know, speaking of that, you talked about your mother praying for you. Can you talk about your personal faith foundation? I know, even today, I know you're a member of Second Baptist Church. Can you talk about your faith foundation?
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you know, I think you have to have a foundation and something that's meaningful and certainly God can't be more meaningful than that and so I get that from my mom. You know she took us all to church when we were growing up Second Baptist Church in Akron, ohio and so certainly having that foundation and understanding God's principles and what he teaches and what he has stored for us, I think is always helpful, because life can be very difficult sometimes and you could go astray and things are difficult, and so if you don't have that foundation, I think it doesn't, it helps, right. It allows you to understand there's something bigger than yourself and that you know they're principles that God lays out. I think I've tried to use in the business that I have, in the business that I run, and I think that serves me well.
Speaker 2:You know, speaking of that, can you expound on some of those principles that you use?
Speaker 1:Well, certainly, I think you know. I think there are a number of important principles. One is you have an obligation to do the right thing. You could take shortcuts, but that never, I thought, had a long lasting benefit. So, just, you know, just being fair to one another, being fair to your employees, being fair to your customers, I think is understanding that you have to have strong principles and understanding that you get what you put in. So I always felt that If we couldn't be credible, if we couldn't be honorable, if we didn't have integrity, that is not going to allow you to stay in business long, it's not going to serve you well. So certainly I think you know hard work, you know faith, believing that. You know you can do it, even though obstacles seem to be kind of difficult. And so I think those are some principles. I guess I could think some other ones, but right now those come to mind. Those are solid.
Speaker 2:Those are tried and true. Yes, you know those are tried and true. You know working in a family business. I know you worked in there after school and doing some summer breaks or whatnot. Can you talk about how that experience helped you when you got to open your own business?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, I think sometimes it's hard when you're at that moment to really understand what's going on right.
Speaker 1:But certainly, just being in the environment with my dad and one of my older brothers who ran the business for a long time, there are principles, there are things that you learn.
Speaker 1:That may not necessarily be you know, you're sitting down and someone says you do this and that and that, but you really gain an understanding by just looking, watching, I think, and so just understanding you know what it took to be in business, how you need to reinvest in your business, reinvest in yourself, understanding that your customers are our assets and are very valuable and you want to maintain those relationships, those relationships, uh, and again, just doing, doing right by your customers, I think is very important. And then having a plan, understanding that you just can't go into business willy nilly. You really have to have, um, well thought out plans, um and um. You have to have support systems and mechanisms that help you, um, in areas that you can't do yourself. So you know you need to have professionals who can guide you. So advice is very important. So those are some of the things I learned at a very young age, working in the cleaning business in the summers and after school. How was that?
Speaker 2:wage for you. I'm Right, how was that wage for you? I'm sorry. How was that wage for you? You make $10 an hour, you know I don't really remember how much I made.
Speaker 1:That's not something I think that I really view. You know, one of the things I can say is that growing up, I always had money Okay, I always had a way of earning money where my friends may not have. I always had very clean clothes. I was always well presented, well pressed, so those things were benefits that I think would help me when I was growing up. Yeah, those are benefits I got from that.
Speaker 2:Just think about being in high school. Uh, were you involved in a lot of business classes and I know you went on to be a CPA. Did you always love math?
Speaker 1:Did I always love math? No, not necessarily. I mean, I think you know I had certain aptitudes. You know critical thinking was an important aptitude. I really wanted to be an architect when I really, when I went from high school to college but found out that I didn't really have all of the aptitudes necessary to be that. But I did see that I could be in a profession like accounting and I understood how that worked, relating to business. But I don't necessarily think I was very good at any particular subject. I was an average student but I just worked hard when I needed to and I think that's how I overcome, overcame.
Speaker 2:What was your inspiration and vision to start your own business? What was the vision behind that?
Speaker 1:I couldn't find a job. That's interesting, isn't it? Um, yeah, I, I, um. I lived in cleve, I got married and I moved to Columbus. So I had passed the exam, I was a CPA, but I found it very difficult to find employment here. This is back in the middle 70s, right? And so I had a couple of good friends I had met in Cleveland when I worked for a CPA firm, an African American firm, watson and Rice, and there's a great history with them. They've brought along a lot of, I think, cpas during a certain point in time. But I had two friends who they were in transition as well. Okay, we got together and said let's start a firm.
Speaker 1:And so a lot of times people don't understand the best time to start a business is when you don't have another opportunity, right, you have much less at risk. I didn't have kids. I was married, but I didn't have any other obligations that prevented me from taking that leap. I didn't have a lot. I didn't view myself as having a lot at risk, so that's how I did it. Now, did I start out in? When I graduated from college? I was going to start a business? No, I didn't. I just realized that I had a good skill. Accounting was the knowledge of business, and so I understood the background of that, and so the opportunity presented itself, and that's what happened.
Speaker 2:That sounds good. That's a good story.
Speaker 1:Didn't have a job so I could create one. Couldn't find a job.
Speaker 2:Couldn't find a job. Speaking of that, what words of advice and encouragement would you give to young entrepreneurs?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you really have to be prepared. I think business is not. It can be a rewarding undertaking, but it can be very challenging and you really need to have a base of knowledge. You need to understand, have an appreciation for the things that are going to make your journey difficult. You need to have good advisors, but you also have to have a plan.
Speaker 1:I think you have to do your homework and understanding.
Speaker 1:You know what are the opportunities, but also what are the challenges in starting a business, and there are many. But I think you know America, I think, is unique in that it provides a number of important systems to help business owners be successful, and probably more now than when, when I first started my business many, many years ago. But there are a number of support mechanisms that I think you need to as a business owner. You need to know what, uh, what they may be, what they are in terms of providing assistance, in terms of you know, information, in terms of capital, in terms of um, legal advice, um, and so you have to, and so you have to make those opportunities, those tools and benefits available to yourself, because they're going to be needed. I mean, it's very difficult running a business. You have to know a lot and you have to be committed. And so, yes, I would say those are the things that commitment, knowledge, understanding, the ability to listen, to seek advice. So some of those, I think are very, very important.
Speaker 2:Those are great words. I heard you mention the word plan a few times in our conversation. We have a concept. I work with young guys or students, period, we call it the MVP, and MVP is for my vision plan, not for most valuable players, it's for my vision plan. And the key in that we tell them we go through all this, but the bottom line is you got to have a plan, you got to plan, you got to be willing to commit it to the plan, work the plan, seek out advice, people that can help you with, but it's your plan. You know it's your plan, but you got to, and once you have that plan and have that ownership, you know it can happen for you. It can happen for you. You know the longevity of Pines Company. There's a slogan that you use. It's called beyond the bottom line. Beyond the bottom line. That's your tagline, Right, what does that mean?
Speaker 2:Beyond the bottom line um well, first of all, it sounds real good. Well, it sounded good now, that's why I wrote it down yeah, but you know it.
Speaker 1:It really means that you know we want to go the extra mile, that you know to do more than just um, you know what's expected, um, and I think that's what it means is that we're committed to your, your success, and we go, you know, beyond just what you might think or we might think is necessary, whatever it takes to help you be successful. So you know beyond. We used to have a tagline doing what works and someone bought that from us. They thought that was such a great tagline many, many years ago, and so you know it's looking at what we're trying to project in terms of our image and what we're trying to do for our clients and our employees as well.
Speaker 2:No, it works. It works. I think that adds to the longevity of the company, because you're looking at beyond the bottom line. You go anywhere and the bottom line will grow. That's what accountants do. That's why I was there. They help you grow the bottom line, but there's something beyond the bottom line. So, speaking of what, what value are you adding to that company besides the bottom line?
Speaker 1:Well, certainly, I think you know our commitment to their success, um, our expertise, our experience that we bring to the relationship. I mean, we've been doing this for a little bit of time. We've been committed to our clients and we're committed to building our knowledge base so that we can help our clients. So, yeah, it's just having understanding that things don't just happen. You have to apply a number of things that make it work in terms of commitment, expertise, knowledge, and so you know, that's what I think I can provide in that regard.
Speaker 2:You know you are in a season of time and in your business where you're kind of that company you mentioned in Cleveland. You know you're that one now who's mentoring that next generation. You know a lot of people started with you and now doing some big things. But as you're in that season of mentoring and sponsoring the next generation, can you talk about your relationship with my alma mater, ohio University School of Business? You know, and the things that you've done? I know you have two graduates there working for you now. Can you talk about that commitment?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can't claim that. Our firm administrator, linda Spencer, and one of our audit manager, naomi Robinson, made that happen. They were looking for a relationship with a school to help as a feeder for potential employees. One of the challenges that our profession is dealing with right now is a shortage of talent, and so you have to be more creative in finding available talent, potential um employees, students that we could uh start relationship with early on in in their development, which increases our ability to retain them Um. So that's that's. That was the impetus behind that and the reason for that. But we're just starting that out. Uh, our first, I think our first activity will be first quarter of next year, but certainly I wasn't the brainchild behind that. Someone else in our firm started that, understanding that we had a couple of staff members who were alumnus of OU, and so that's why that happened.
Speaker 2:You know when you're interviewing or you're looking for talent, as you mentioned, what kind of skills are you looking for besides just having a degree? What are some of the other skills set that young people need to have to be successful, not just in your profession, but in any profession?
Speaker 1:I don't know. I mean, I think there are a number of ways of being successful. I think you just have to have a willingness, a frame of mind that you could be successful. You have to have show a certain amount of initiative. You know you can't sit back and wait for things to happen. You really have to take you know, take an initiative. So we're looking at that. We're looking at someone you know certainly certain skills critical thinking skills, being able to communicate effectively, being able to present themselves effectively, some of those intangibles. But you know it.
Speaker 1:Really, I don't know if I can say in every case what drives us to hire someone versus someone else. I just think it's their presence, their confidence, their commitment, their preparation. You have to come to the game with skills and preparation, and so that's what we're looking at. We're also looking at someone who has a certain level of work ethic. It would be great if we all can lay around and make things happen, but that doesn't happen. It doesn't work that way. You really have to take the initiative and do the work necessary to be successful. So those are some of the ingredients we look for in terms of our talent, that we look for.
Speaker 2:Well, you dropped some gems there, just life things, and those are things that you learn. I really believe you learn those early. You really look at what is ingrained in you. You saw that with your dad. You saw that with your brothers and your sisters. You saw that work ethic, that commitment, that confidence.
Speaker 1:I mean, if you have someone who shows you a vision, it's easier to understand, right? I think that was one of the things that was very helpful to me is I had role models. I had someone I could see because I saw things in them and they provided insight in how you could be successful. So it gives you a confidence and understanding and a confidence to be to make it work. So, yeah, very important.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's like now you are that person. You know, now you're in that seat. You're in that seat. Jordan Miller was on the show from Fifth Third Bank, adolfo Bank, and Jordan said this. He said all guys, young people, need a mentor, but they also need a sponsor, and what he meant by that. He broke it down. They need somebody in the room, you know, pounding the table for him. Hey, get him an opportunity, get him a chance, and that's what I see you doing with these young people at OU. You know, just giving them an opportunity because you're in the room, right, you know, being a sponsor.
Speaker 1:Well, that's just paying forward, right. Someone gave me an opportunity many times. I can just think back of supporters that we had. There was a doubt whether or not we should get an engagement, for example, and someone was there to say, yep, I've worked with this firm, you can rely on them and I recommend them. So that's always very, very important. Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:It's important as we come around the corner. This is a legacy podcast. I mean, think about that word, legacy.
Speaker 1:What does that word mean to you? Well, it means you're going to continuation. You know you're going to support others or provide opportunities, so others can, you know, grow from that, benefit from that, right, and so I think that's one of the things that our firm is trying to do is understanding. You know you don't see a lot of black CPAs or accountants, and so you know if we can provide this is what we're trying to do right now with some of our young talent is to provide an opportunity for them.
Speaker 1:They don't have to start from scratch. They could benefit from our knowledge, our experience, our position, and so that's really helping others who may not have that opportunity, right, and so it's really building for the future, allowing them to benefit from the knowledge and hard work of someone coming before them. Right, so they don't have to start from scratch, and that's one of the things we talked about what's needed to be successful in business and exposure and knowledge is one of the key things, right. And so mentoring and supporting and building knowledge base and understanding, I think, is really what we're trying to do in continuing the legacy of our firm and you know, the legacy that we built on, right? Yes, we all start from someplace, and so if you can benefit from that, if you can piggyback on that, it helps. It helps your ability to be successful in the future. Others rather.
Speaker 2:You know people have described you as, when they say John Parnes, they describe you as being humble, Well-respected. You know, committed Christian man, family man. Those are qualities that people have described you. How would you describe John?
Speaker 1:That's not fair. I don't know, I mean it's hard. You know I try to be realistic, but I mean being humble, I mean it's. I don't think that I'm all that big of a person, right? I don't think that I'm all that big of a person, right, it's just my position and understanding that you know that there are a lot of people who are doing a lot of great things, and you know, but certainly I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think I've been intentionally tried to be, stand for something right, to be principled right, and so you know, be hardworking, committed, be honest. I mean I think I'm not too flashy. You know I try not to be the center of attention, but I want to be effective, right, and so I think you can do that without being very grandiose. But but you have to, you know, you have to be, you have to have the ability and commitment, the preparation, the knowledge to, to, to take advantage of opportunities. I think I'm that kind of a person. I've tried to be that kind of person. Let me say it that way it's someone who can get things done, who's effective but not humble, I guess, is a good word. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I think you did a good job.
Speaker 1:You did a good job with that one. I'm just grabbing myself.
Speaker 2:Okay, very good On the spot here. That was pretty good, right, that was pretty good, thank you, and that's what I've said about you. That's who you are. You are who you are Now people are. You know, what you see is what you get Many times, yeah, what you see is what you get.
Speaker 2:You know what you're getting when you come to Parnes. You know what you're getting. You're getting that commitment. You're getting that beyond the bottom line. You're getting that professional. You're getting that. The other thing about your company is you're getting that professionalism. You know that it's going to be, professionally done.
Speaker 2:You know it's going to be done the right way. You know and not cut any corners and I know that from my son working for you. You know how rigid it is. You know how focused and how serious that you are. And the other thing, I think you've set a standard. You've set a standard. You know you set a standard and that's important in today's world. Sure, principle you mentioned that word principle. You know we need men that have some principles, some values. We're going to stick to it. You know we're not going to sway with well, this is the way everybody else is going. There's certain things and those you've been following. So I want to thank you for that. Sure Well, that's all the time we have for today's episode of Be a Baller podcast.
Speaker 2:I want to thank our special guest, john Parnes, for sharing his wisdom and experience in building a successful business with us. Thank you, john, for your model of excellence in business and inspiring the next generation to chase their dreams. Hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as I did. Remember, building a lifelong legacy is not just about what we achieve in life, but also how we use our gifts and talents to make a positive impact on the world around us, and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast, as you can stay up to date with all our latest episodes. Our podcast guests are always willing to share wisdom and inspire others to build a legacy for their lives. Thanks, john.
Speaker 3:Tim, thank you for the opportunity Talk to you If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with family and friends. The Be A Baller podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. This podcast was created by Coach Tim Brown and recorded and edited by the video production class at Portland Christian High School. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to be a baller.