“My Sons Will Carry It Forward,” My Father Toasted at His Retirement — Then He Laughed and Said I ‘Never Had What It Takes,’ and That Was the Exact Moment I Walked Out and Built the Company That Replaced His

“I didn’t succeed without it. I succeeded after I stopped waiting for permission.”

My father attended quietly, standing near the back, and when he approached me afterward, he said nothing about the past, only,

“You built something good.”

I nodded once and replied,
“So did I. I just finally got to put my name on it.”

And for the first time in my life, that was enough.