When I told people I was leaving McKinsey, the most common reaction was surprise. Most cautiously wished me well. Some of my more honest friends only replied, “Are you crazy?”

On paper, it made no sense. I had the dream job: working with Fortune 500 leaders, solving complex problems, enjoying the prestige of one of the most respected firms in the world, fast-tracked through the ranks. Most people spend years trying to get into a role like that, and here I was, walking away from it.

For years, I thought all I needed was intellectually stimulating work. As long as I had a challenging problem to solve and smart people to do it with me, I thought I would be satisfied. 

It only took years of working on the toughest problems with some of the sharpest people to realize that my heart wasn’t in advising only the boardrooms of billion-dollar corporations. I kept coming back to the same realization: the most exciting, impactful, and rewarding place to work right now is in small business.

Why I Bet on Small Business

1. Real impact happens faster. At a giant company, you can work for months (or years) to see an idea make its way through the hierarchy (and that's if it's lucky enough to get all the way through the bureaucratic pipes). In small business, decisions and impact happen in real time. A single change in strategy, pricing, or positioning can transform results immediately, meaning that every decision counts.

2. Small business is the backbone of the economy. Entrepreneurs and small business owners have created two-thirds of all new jobs in recent decades. These leaders drive innovation in their industries and keep local communities thriving. Beyond personal passion, I think that investing in small business is one of the safest bets you can make.

3. The stakes are personal. For a Fortune 500, a few basis points of margin matters to shareholders. For a small business owner, that margin means sending a kid to college, hiring a new employee, or buying back their own time. The work matters on a human level.

4. The world needs sharper operators. Too many entrepreneurs are handed fluff by online “gurus” instead of real frameworks for growth. I knew I could take what I learned advising the world’s biggest companies and bring it down to the people who need it most.

Why People Thought I Was Crazy

Leaving McKinsey meant walking away from comfort, credibility, and a clear career path. It meant explaining to colleagues why I’d give up “big business” to focus on what many see as “small.”

What looks small to most isn’t small at all to me. When you multiply the collective impact of small business owners leveling up, you get a movement bigger than any Fortune 500 company.

That’s what Maverick Growth Academy is all about. Helping entrepreneurs sharpen their tools, think more strategically, and unlock growth that isn’t just theoretical, but transformational.

I don’t think that’s crazy. I think it’s the most important work I could be doing.