Mike Griffin is a serial entrepreneur and partner with Griffin Brothers Companies (GBC). GBC has grown from 1 tire shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, into a $130+ million per year enterprise that includes a diversified portfolio of businesses. GBC owns or has partnerships in Waste Management, Property Development and Management, Evergreen Private Equity and Hospitality Management.

Mike earned his BSBA in 1987, majoring in accounting from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and is a mentor to many as he serves on numerous non-profit boards including UNC’s KFBS Board of Advisors, UNC Family Enterprise Center Board of Advisors and UNC Entrepreneurship Leadership Council.

EPISODE LINKS:
Griffin Brothers Companies Website: https://griffinbros.com/
Mike's Journey Map: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10gfYMmUz962w4TOBhtuBSTZ6ZIshguPN/view?usp=sharing
Mike's Vignette: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jVm7hqfjvGMCrZpu7IPqdjz8DZBu7ZtJH0tS6BX0MGc/edit?usp=sharing

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
0:00 - Early Entrepreneurial Experiences
3:21 - Origin of Griffin Brothers Companies (GBC)
4:39 - Joining the Family Business
6:25 - Griffin Communications
8:53 - How GBC Got Its Name
10:49 - ​​Waste Solutions
12:38 - Learning from Mistakes
14:56 - Scaling Operations
16:33 - Growth in Charlotte (‘80s)
19:45 - Expanding Family Enterprise
20:54 - Selling to Private Equity
23:00 - Reinvesting Profits
23:50 - 'Quiet Millionaires'
28:17 - 'ZoomUp' investments
32:55 - Entrepreneur Apprentice
38:21 - 'The PITCH'
43:25 - Alumni Mentorship
49:53 - Mike’s Journey
53:12 - Gumption
57:23 - Work-Life Balance
1:05:37 - Peer Support Groups
1:08:45 - Social Responsibility
1:13:38 - Future of Dirty Jobs
1:18:12 - Employee Ownership
1:26:05 - Contracts vs Handshakes
1:28:22 - Other People’s Money
1:29:14 - Chick-fil-A’s Success Formula
1:31:46 - View on Private Equity
1:41:52 - Closing Remarks

TRANSCRIPT:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a0VIfbwovg4o-1Kw0myzkDzs7Rj_2gvrIw_JMJZHrwU/edit?usp=sharing

This interview was conducted as a part of the "In Search of Gumption Project" for BUSI 509H: Entrepreneurs Lab course at UNC Chapel Hill under professors Ted Zoller and Melissa Geil. The purpose of this project is to identify a person who you relate to, who emulates AND persists in the face of extraordinary obstacles, while seeking to understand the context of the their decision to take the plunge, grab the brass ring, or swing for the fences and commit fully to their venture or initiative.