Sean “Jay-Z” Carter and Ted Turner are, to me, both captains of industry. Despite the outward appearance of variance in their work, their corporate similarities are uncanny. Both are accomplished in a type of brand creation that made thriving corporations. And, when I consider the private histories of both, I find a similar triumph in the face of adversity that to me is as familiar as it is remarkable and intriguing. Jay-Z had a father that abandoned him—along with a mother and brother—at age 12. Turner’s father committed suicide when the family media business started to suffer, leaving his son as president and chief executive of Turner Advertising Company at the age of 24.

Reading the headlines, it would seem that we live in a society thirsting for a hero. However, this hero cannot have come from too difficult a background—because then, he or she is typical and uninteresting. This hero cannot have excelled to such highs that their accomplishments seem unattainable for a layperson. He or she cannot be unfathomable. And our heroes must have no intention of becoming heroes. Such ideals are taboo. Instead, they must excel in a benign way that both cynics and optimists can appreciate.

The accomplishments that both Jay-Z and Ted Turner have made in society are innumerable. Jay-Z has sold more records than the Beatles, and Ted Turner, by creating CNN, was among other things the first media originator to create the notion of the embedded reporter. Both individuals created worlds that existed solely in mind’s eye, and achieved greatly without capitulating to the opinions of others. If you’re expecting a longer list, you’re not going to get one—it would not do them justice.

Writing this is, arguably, one of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to do. Not because of a pending corporate litigation, or because we have to create balance sheets for our PE firm, or because my son Carter wants to spend time with his dad crashing toy cars into the bottom of the staircase. It is because where this particular theme takes me. When I read about Ted Turner’s triumphs as a businessman after his failures in life, it resonates deeply. I thinking to the lowest points in my life; how I never would have made it out of obscurity had it not been for the warm embrace of a good friend, or the soft voice of my mother at the other end of the phone. It scares me to think about the countless times when I did not know where I would be—after losing my father, after graduating from Wesleyan, after business school. I’m still not sure how Turner did it, because he famously had such a close relationship with his father. I followed his business strategies because I wanted to find a strength similar to his—I wanted to be as resilient as he seems. 

A hero, to me, is someone who provides inspiration at time when it seems that the room for inspiration is filled. Creating a business in one of the worst economies was difficult. Having a child at the age of 26 and balancing this life change with the startup of a business was challenging. Balancing time between improving upon my life’s work and rearing my son into being the best human being he can be is incredibly difficult, but well worth it. Captains of industry are those who have crafted their industry in some way around them; they’ve become the pillar and foundation in the same space in which they once merely existed. Now, the space cannot exist in the same fashion without them; I’m striving to have that same effect on the insurance industry.

Jay-Z merely added color to the aspirations I already had. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, he talked about having a continuous dream of being chased. It was similar to the dream I had from when I was in elementary school, until I started Hybrid Insurance Group. My version of the dream was so vivid. Each time, the cast of characters would change, but I would still be running. I never knew what I was running from, and I don’t remember running in fear, but I remembered feeling like I had to run and keep running. Whenever I felt like stopping, I woke up.