Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Simon III.
Hi Michael, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story is a fun one, where I have attempted to make moves throughout my career that have peaked my interest, allowed me to learn, and helped me get where I wanted to go professional and personally. I am originally from Michigan, which is where I grew up and attended undergrad, majoring in international business. I always I knew I wanted to do something in business but was unsure exactly what. Then I found the field of global supply chain management, fell in love, and went on to spend the next 17 years helping organizations effectively manage what I believe to be the heartbeat of every company. It has also afforded me the opportunity to live and work in China, Mexico, Chicago, and now in Houston Texas, where I live today.
In the past eight years, I have spent a significant amount of time in the venture capital and private equity world. My goal has always been to leverage the information and experiences I have had to help companies grow sustainably. I have always had a special place in my heart for start-ups. The start-up environment breeds smart people who trying to create something new and innovative, which is so much fun! It is also extremely challenging, stressful, humbling, and risky, but so incredibly rewarding, I have been a part of over six startups in the past eight years, and I recently launched a new company (www.milepostgifts.com) that I am pretty excited about. This company focuses on changing gifting from being transactions to a ‘gifting experience.’ We make moments into memories, which makes me smile each time I say it. We need more smiles, hugs, laughs, as well as new and fun memories after the past 18 months in my opinion. I work for one of the largest consulting firms in the world, I live in the Heights, I am recently engaged, and I am attending Rice University a within their Executive MBA program. I am busy all the time and I would not have it any other way!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With risk comes reward, they say! Agreed, but the risk must not be overlooked, and many never actually get to the reward! I say that with smile on my face because anyone that can’t immediately recall their biggest losses or struggles has not been in business. You only know what you know, and many times in business you can get a little over your head and may not feel comfortable admitting it. Hence one of my biggest failures early in my career. Advice: surround yourself with smart people, develop a solid and diverse network, and ask questions when you do not know the answer. I, early on, did not. I trusted myself to just ‘figure it out.’ This came with many learning experiences, perhaps the hard way. I consider myself a student of risk, so whenever I made a decision to change roles, invest in a company, invest my time with a new company, I always try to calculate the risk. I feel I get smarter and smarter about what I can and cannot do over time. This ideally puts me in the position to have less challenges in the future than I have had in the past! Overall, my road has not been tumultuous, but it certainly did not come without trials and challenges that have undoubtedly shaped me, my view on business, and my approach to management.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Milepost Gifts?
I was a groomsmen in a close friend’s wedding a few years ago. Unlike many other experiences where the groom would give us all a gift that seemed generic or an afterthought, this time as a thank you he created a custom gift box with our names, cool and useful stuff inside, and witty explanations of items needed for the day. The extra effort turned that day into a moment I Never stopped talking about and was the inspiration for Milepost – lasting impressions delivered with push-button ease. That simple gesture all those years ago imprinted on us how much the groom cared. That he put in a little effort and it turned into a moment we couldn’t stop talking about. The question came up… Why do people give underwhelming gifts, especially on big days that matter? What if they could create a company that would put an end to the sad mugs and deliver more wow gift moments? What if it was easy to order and customize? What if it made your gifting look good and everyone else feel good? What if it didn’t break the bank AND looked like a million dollars? This was the genesis of Milepost – The Gift Experience Company; for the big moments in life.
We Believe Big moments deserve big celebrations, Giving a meaningful gift shouldn’t be hard, You get to decide what’s celebratory worthy, and Making memories doesn’t have to break the bank. Milepost was created to make giving a thoughtful gift easier. Our curation specialists design gift boxes that immediately deliver a smile and imprint the moment on your heart forever. Opening the box is just the beginning. What you decide to do next is completely up to you. Make it worth it. Our products are within the box are high end products, such as crystal stemware, polarized sunglasses, stainless steel accessories, etc. but we do not consider ourselves a product company. We are all about the gift experience and making memories Every Day! Recently we have also begun gifting for Virtual Weddings and Virtual Corporate Conferences. This has been a fun space to be in given the various 2020 and 2021 constraints. It feels good to be able to help people smile and give smiles, especially in the times we are living in today! It is picking up momentum and we are excited to see where it goes…
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
My father always told me to “work hard, harder than anyone else, and success will come.” My Mother told me when I graduated college to “go challenge and change the world”. I think a mix of those pieces of advise have been foundational and inspirational to my personal success. Hard work mixed with creativity, along with a competitive spirt is an effective combination. I also think it is important to have a strong focus on relationships, humility, and effective communication. Lastly, having fun in so important. If you are not having fun, you are not in the right place. In situations where all of these elements have been at play, success was imminent.
The thing I love about Milepost is that it allows people to connect with other people, it makes people smile, it does not break the bank, and it is unique. I truly think this is the closest thing to ‘giving someone a smile or memory’ as a gift. That is our goal|! That is why we have been and will be successful! We live in an Amazon era where a gift is a transaction, and in many cases something you would have expected to receive. When I look back on the best gifts I have received, they are in the category of ‘best gift’ often because of the thought behind the gift, the uniqueness, the sentiment, and the love it showed. It is very rarely only due to the product received. Milepost make the gift giving process fun and easy, and slows down the gift receiving process to be intimate and meaningful.
Pricing:
- Virtual Celebration Boxes – $50
- Groomsman / Bridesmaid Boxes – $75
- Corporate ‘Event in a Box’ or ‘Thank You Box’ – Starting at $50
Contact Info:
- Email: michael@milepostgifts.com
- Website: www.milepostgifts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milepostgifts/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MilepostGifts/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/milepostgifts?lang=en
