Ben Genet

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT BEN GENET

My career path was not exactly linear.School was tough. “Blessed” with ADHD, I was trapped in an educational environment that was counter to my nature.Things started turning around in college when I discovered wrestling and earned the position of team captain, which gave me social standing. My summers studying meditation and energy increased my focus and added to my confidence.I went to law school on a lark and opened my own private practice for 2 years. Concurrently, I dabbled in buying and selling real estate and then realized I wanted to be the client and not the attorney.At the age of 30, at the height of the S&L crisis, I closed my law practice. That was the starting point of my career as a real estate investor and the owner of Genet Property Group.While entrepreneurship is part of my genetic makeup, I’ve had many mentors along the way. One helped change my view of business and taught me the way to be successful is by helping others be successful. It’s an abundance mentality, and I’ve committed to living my life in abundance. Emotional integrity is important to me and I passionately believe in treating people honestly; when I tell someone something, they trust me. That gives me an advantage over 95% of the population and it’s a trait I treasure. The abundance mentality carries over to my philanthropic giving. While charitable giving was part of my upbringing, I passionately believe in taking philanthropy to a new level by giving generously in a way that will be impactful for both the Jewish people and Israel. My wife and I were always charitable, even when we could only give a little. My two favorite philanthropic projects are providing educational opportunities for Israeli Ethiopians and supporting the local kosher food bank. The act of giving makes me feel relevant. A good dinner is enjoyable, but the satisfaction is fleeting and so is the relevance. Making a commitment to channel my energy to a greater good not only has relevance, but reinforces my goal of going from success to significance, my guiding light in my business practice and philanthropic giving.Relevance was also the impetus for my book, Born Jumping, which I published in 2013, an achievement that gives me great pride. Yet my greatest accomplishments are my marriage and my business. I love my wife and I love what I do. My business gives me freedom: freedom of purpose, freedom of time, and freedom of money - and the freedom to give to others.Where do I go from here?Here is what I am thinking. My life does not need to be linear. It just needs to be relevant.