In this week's episode I chat with Nick Haschka. Nick is the founder of Cub Investments and Co-Owner of The Wright Gardner. He wears many hats, but if you were to ask him what he does, he boils it down to two things: investor and CEO of a plant company. 

Nick's journey towards small business ownership was a winding road. After graduating from MIT, he went to work for McKinsey. After consulting, he found a passion in clean tech and clean energy with NRG Group, leading their high-tech ventures program. 

It was around this time Nick decided he wanted to own a small business. He stressed the importance of living a balanced life, and forming your business around the life you want to live. Not the other way around. 

Nick found The Wright Gardener after a month of searching. After becoming CEO he proceeded to do five bolt-on acquisitions to grow the company. 

Realizing his passion for investments and acquiring businesses, Nick set up Cub Investments. Cub Investments is a small private equity company whose goal is to buy small, local businesses and hold them forever. 

I really enjoyed my chat with Nick. His sense on balance between work and life was refreshing. And you can ALWAYS learn something from talking to an MIT grad. I know you'll learn a lot too. 

• [0:00-5:00] Introduction & Background on Nick
• [12:00-16:00 ] Nick's Passion for Clean Energy 
• [18:30 - 23:00] Why Nick Decided To Buy A Small Business
• [26:00-35:00] How Nick Found The Wright Gardener & First Steps In Ownership
• [40:00-45:00] Why It's Important to Plan For Change 
• [56:00-64:00] Why Nick Started Cub Investments & His Investment Criteria
• [65:00-end] Closing Thoughts 

Here's where you can find Nick: 

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• The Wright Gardener
• Cub Investments