#362 Gene King | Engineering Access, Building 22 Companies, and the Wealth of Awkward Conversations

Today's guest is Gene King, an Access Architect and founder of Atlas Strategic Access, based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. With over 50 years in business, Gene has founded, scaled, and successfully exited 10 companies and currently operates six active businesses, including Sequence Real Estate, Invest America (an EB-5 immigration investment firm), and Twist Elbow. Roy and Gene, friends of over 12 years since meeting at a Darren Hardy event, dig into the origin story of Gene's very first business at military school, the lesson that reshaped how he handles bullies and pressure for the rest of his life, and why being diagnosed with ADHD at 65 explained a career pattern of exiting companies too early. Gene shares his philosophy on partnerships, why he's never had a verbal argument with a business partner in 22 companies, how he handles conflict at home versus in business, and the mentor's advice that shaped his obsession with knowing his cash position at all times. The conversation closes with the role Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich has played in Gene's life since his early twenties, and his belief that the universe, not active pursuit, brings him his best opportunities.   ⏱️ TIMESTAMP 0:02 - Welcome to the Speaking Podcast, intro to Gene King 0:48 - Gene's background: 10 exits, six active companies, and 12+ years of friendship with Roy 1:31 - Gene's first business: protecting freshmen from hazing at The Citadel 3:50 - The lesson that changed everything: "you can't kill me, sir" 5:14 - Navigating good and bad business partners over 22 companies 5:57 - Discovering ADHD at 65 and why he exited companies too early 7:14 - How Gene structures his day across five to six companies 9:38 - Expanding Invest America's EB-5 program into Canada and Nigeria 11:11 - Why tracking everything matters, and the wealth found in awkward conversations 13:22 - How Gene handles conflict with business partners 16:59 - "Money solves all problems" and a mentor's advice on what really matters 18:10 - Terminating partners and employees with humanity and honesty 19:36 - The five P's: people, process, planning, prayer, passion 20:50 - Balancing patience and persistence as an entrepreneur 21:37 - Resolving disagreements in 50/50 and unequal partnerships 23:34 - Why "cash is king" became Gene's guiding financial principle 25:33 - How Gene decides which businesses to pursue next 27:12 - Discovering Think and Grow Rich in his early twenties 29:34 - Napoleon Hill's mastermind principle and never asking for something for nothing 31:13 - Where to find Gene King and his companies   About Gene King Gene King is an Access Architect, founder of Atlas Strategic Access, and founder of Sequence Holdings, based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. With over 50 years in business, Gene has founded, scaled, and successfully exited 10 companies and currently operates six active businesses, including Sequence Real Estate, Invest America (an EB-5 immigration investment firm), and Twist Elbow. He specializes in engineering access, positioning companies into enterprise, government, and investor opportunities they couldn't reach on their own. Gene is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Harbor Entrepreneur Center in Mount Pleasant, home to over 100 early-stage businesses, and has extensive experience training sales teams and CPAs on structured deals. Connect with Gene King 🌐 atlasstrategicaccess.com 🌐 sequenceholdings.com 💼 LinkedIn: Gene King3 📧 [email protected]   🤝 Join our Speaking Podcast Community All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at https://roycoughlan.com/ ✦ Website: https://www.podpage.com/speaking-podcast/ ✦ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@roycoughlan ✦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakingpodcast/ ✦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakingpodcast ✦ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@roycoughlanpodcaster   Roy Website: https://roycoughlan.com/ Virtual Assistants: https://va.world/ Private Networking Group (Connected Leaders Academy, 45+ Countries, 685+ Members): https://connectedleaders.academy Brain Upgrade: https://brainupgrade.org/ Podfather Network: podfather.me The Authority Alliance: https://theauthorityalliance.com/ #SpeakingPodcast #GeneKing #AccessArchitect #AtlasStrategicAccess #Entrepreneurship #BusinessPartnerships #ThinkAndGrowRich #NapoleonHill #EB5Investment #GovernmentContracting #ExitStrategy #ScalingBusiness #SerialEntrepreneur #BusinessMindset #CashIsKing #PatiencePersistence #MastermindPrinciple #RoyCoughlan #PodcastInterview #LeadershipLessons #BusinessGrowth #EntrepreneurMindset #SpeakingPodcastCommunity