He grew up hearing about margins and markets, R&D and sales, risk and return on investment. He learned to love the language and rigors of business and grew to believe that business is both the most human of all endeavors and the highest calling. After selling a company in 2011, Martin became a coach in order to help other owners build profitable businesses that do not require their day-to-day invo
lvement. Prior to becoming a business coach, Martin operated a group of Nebraska grain elevators. After leaving the grain industry, he helped create seven businesses across a broad range of industries. Two of the businesses did not survive, three of them sold, and he and his wife still own two. His experience has taught him that there are principles common to successful businesses and omissions common to failed businesses. A native of Norman, Martin earned a B.A. degree from Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska and a Masters in Business Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma. Over the past 7 years he has written business plans that have raised over $52.4 million in bank and investor financing. He has helped 157 (and counting) business owners reduce stress and increase performance through clarity of purpose, better marriages, more money, and more free time away from the business. Martin spends his free time painting with oils and doing long-distance bicycle rides. He and Diane, his wife of 39 years, have lived in Norman since 1986, where Diane is the owner of Holland Pediatric Therapy LLC. They have three children: Nicholas, a Captain in the US Army, Lara, a small business owner in Colorado and Kaitie, who just earned a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Oklahoma.
