BUSINESS AND MARKETING PODCAST - MIKE AIN

Welcome to another episode of the Select Business Team Podcast where this week we want you to live your life.

This podcast is named after our company and we bring business professionals together to create a Team that support each other as we grow and discusses topics that are valuable to business development. A few examples include, hiring, insurance, marketing and exit planning. You’ll find insight on these and many more topics throughout each episode.

In some of our episodes, we interview our members, in some of our episodes, I provide you with insights on a particular topic that I’m hoping you can apply to your business.  As the founder of the company, I’ve learned so much from sitting in these meetings and I’ve been doing this for over 20 years.  Todays episode is a special one to me.  It’s about one of our members and includes some very important lessons learned from him that I believe you will also benefit from.

This episode of Select Business Podcast is dedicated to Mike Ain who was a longtime member of Select Business Team and a very special and dear friend. The episode shares some lessons that are relevant to everyone…and particularly every business person. We always think it can’t happen to us…that we are immune to everything that we hear about…until that one day….

I didn’t get the chance to interview Mike on the podcast, mostly because I started recording after he became ill. A regret on my part for sure. He was a personal injury attorney that specialized in medical malpractice cases, his wisdom is something that would benefit all of our listeners. The stories I’ve heard him tell about how he would prep for a case, how he put medical with technology to present cases for his clients were fascinating and I wish I had those recorded. I know his knowledge, passion and sincerity would have inspired you.

So why is this story so important? The things that happened to Mike over the past 4 years are the exact things that could happen to you, yet you probably think like I do and like so many people do….this only happens to other people. I know that Mike didn’t think this would happen to him. He was a vegetarian, he ate healthy, he wasn’t over weight and he did extensive long distance bike riding, and played tennis all the time, all things that kept him active, healthy in hopes of having a long life.

It was late one Thursday afternoon in the fall of 2013. Select Business Team was having a networking event in Bethesda where we invited members from all of the Teams along with any guests they wanted to bring. We host these types of events every 6 months or so, but we haven’t had one since. Probably because I’m a little concerned I’m jinxed.  Ok, that’s another story!

As the host of these events, I usually purchase some appetizers and it’s a cash bar for everyone. I walk around, make sure everyone is talking to someone, facilitate introductions as much as I can, and truly try to be a good hostess since I know almost everyone and it’s my company!

About half way through this event, I saw Mike and another member, Jon, sitting off to the side, so I walked over to see what was going on.  Mike was sitting on a bar stool, Jon was standing behind him, holding him up, which seemed a little odd to me.  As I walked closer, and looked at Mike, he didn’t look right.  Part of his lip was facing up, the other part was crooked in the opposite direction. Now, I’m not trained in medicine, but I have to say that one of the many Facebook posts that went around about what to look for if someone is having a stroke actually worked.  I immediately said to Mike, I think you are having a stroke, I’m going to call 911.  Of course, we were in a restaurant where there was no cell signal so I had the hostess call for me.  It felt like hours before they arrived,