Hi, my name is Frank Fiume and I’m excited to share my journey of how I discovered my purpose, revolutionized a century-old industry and built a wildly successful national franchise chain in 900 communities across thirty states.
Whether you’re looking to start a new business, trying desperately get beyond the survival stage, need to get “unstuck” and grow the business to its full potential, or maybe you’re wondering about exiting your venture, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve been there.
My goal for this blog is to help you not just be successful, but be fulfilled and love what you do! More importantly, I want to help you accomplish your goals while learning from my three decades of experience (and hopefully avoiding) many of the bumps and bruises I suffered along the way! 
Since this is my first blog post, I’d like to start by sharing with you where my head was at years before I started my first business. I call this My Quest for Purpose…
What am I meant to do with my life?
What is my destiny?
How am I going to get there?
These were some of the age-old questions that most preoccupied me from adolescence through young adulthood.
When I was in doubt about my future, I’d repeatedly turn to my dad for his advice. As I think back on it now, I was really asking him: What is my purpose in life?
Dad, who was a self-confident, successful medical professional at a prestigious Manhattan hospital, would always respond to my question in the same reassuring way: “Don’t worry about it. You’ll figure it out.”
But how?
I had this insane misconception that I would wake up one day and have a life altering epiphany. I figured I’d hear the voice of God telling me exactly what to do with my life—like something out of the movies. But it never happened. When I was a naïve college student, it seemed to me as if the happiest people were the ones who had found this “Holy Grail of Purpose.” I envied the students who knew what they wanted to major in and what they wanted to be. I assumed that those of us who hadn’t figured this out were doomed to struggle emotionally and financially.
I put a lot of pressure on myself, wanting to find out why I was put on this earth. How would I know when I found that purpose? What if it was too difficult to attain? Who would help me get there? I believed that once I found my purpose, it would lead me from poverty to success.
But what I learned is that there is no magic answer or formula. The trajectory of success is a zigzag, not a straight line. And that’s why finding your purpose in life is never the result of just one event or decision. You’ll find that lessons accumulate as experience grows, and your mission changes as priorities shift. You may strike out on one pathway, but you will often correct your course as you go. You’ll find that the joyful—and sometimes painful—events of life ultimately change your route, sharpen your focus, and move you in unexpected directions.
In my case, I eventually did figure out what I was meant to do, though it took decades of trial and error.
I was strongly influenced by my father, who chose to ride the ups and downs at the same hospital for thirty years with his eye toward pension eligibility and retirement. While this model worked for him, it didn’t match my entrepreneurial spirit. Of course, we’re hugely influenced by our parents, so at first I conformed to Dad’s vision for me; I went into medical equipment sales—even though I really wanted to work in sports management.
I made good money and achieved what I needed to achieve, but I found myself locked in golden handcuffs, doing a job I hated. After years of frustration, I finally broke free to follow my true passion, which was to build a sports company and prove to myself that I could get to where I was meant to be.
In the end, finding your purpose is about making your own breaks and creating your own luck. Part of the fun of creating any business is not merely reaching the destination—it’s the journey itself. It was the climb up the mountain—not just reaching the summit—that was so exciting to me.
And even after I created what became a national organization with hundreds of franchisees and employees, I found out that business is much more than merely achieving performance goals or acquiring things.
It’s about believing wholeheartedly in your cause, evolving from one mission to another as you mature, and achieving your life’s purpose—while helping others to achieve theirs, since true fulfillment comes not from solely profiting for yourself, but by contributing to the success of others.
In the posts to follow I’m excited to share exactly how I did it, who inspired me, and how I identified a passion that led to a business that has generated nearly $300 million dollars since 2003. Most important, you’ll see what lessons I learned along the way and how they can be applied to your business or life experience.
For daily inspiration, check out my Instagram page!
