Founder’s Friday featuring Tommy Halkyard @ PRK Parking

Please provide a brief description about your company.
PRK is a parking management business to business company that provides colleges and universities with a complete software solution to permit parking management, spot availability, and traffic analytics on their campus, as well as provides high-end clientele and event planners with a suite of valet and parking management services.

Two hashtags that best describe you 
#interested #achiever

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement is two fold: my community (friends, girlfriend, mentors, family) and signing PRKs first client back in May. Both of these achievements are the culmination of tons of hard work investing in education, friendship, self-development, and putting everything I’ve learned into action.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Happiness to me is being able to workout at 2pm on a random Tuesday, after jumping on a flight to London the night before to film a podcast with a friend in the studio they’ve been building knowing I’ll be returning back home to pickup my kids from school the next day. At a high level it is time, location, and financial freedom, but this is what it looks like specifically.

What is your greatest fear?
I fear not fulfilling my purpose and potential. I truly feel I was put on this earth for a greater purpose than an “ordinary life” and I work everyday to try and figure out what that means.

Whom do you most admire?
There are so many. My parents, my younger siblings, my girlfriend, and my two mentors to name a few.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I think many founders can relate to this, but I often get “shiny object syndrome.” Whether it is a new course, different business opportunity, or wanting to do 10 things at once, I always want to try the new thing. What I have come to learn is that I need to be better about focusing in on my one thing (PRK Parking) and put all my energy and focus into that, while letting all the other noise be noise.

What are your top tips for balancing work and life?
That it is not about balance, but more about harmony. The secret lies in the ability to be able to use “life” to enhance “work” and “work” to enhance “life.” The fact of the matter is it will almost never be in balance and that is OK.

What is something new that you learned about running a business this year?
The most important skills any business owner needs to have is the ability to sell (get people to buy your stuff) and market (find the people to sell your stuff to). If you have those two skills and show up consistently everyday, then you are going to be hard to beat.

What is your most marked characteristic?
My joy. I genuinely love life. Even in all the messiness and chaos I truly feel grateful to be alive. This stems from being rooted in my faith and understanding I was made intentionally to live life to its fullest.

What is your greatest regret?
I don’t regret much, but if I had to say something I would say that my only regret is not starting sooner. I’ve already learned and made so much progress being a business owner for 10 months. Just imagine how much more progress and how many more skills I would have learned and mastered if I would have started earlier. The beautiful thing is… it is never too late to start!

What is your motto?
Invest in everything. Friendships, romance, money, skills, trips, and experiences all need investment. The great thing about investing in anything is that it compounds over time. The money is worth more if it is invested. The friendship is deeper if it is invested. The skill is stronger if it is invested. Whatever you love, invest in it!

What is a legal mistake you wish someone warned you about?
I was told by a great friend of mine who is also an entrepreneur that the biggest legal mistake you can make is not paying for people to prevent your legal mistakes. We are business owners, not lawyers. Lose the pride, spend the money, and make sure you never get in legal trouble!

When running your business, what do you struggle with most?

Something I struggle with, but I know is so important is having a long term mindset. I am a results oriented owner, so if I do not get immediate results I often find myself getting discouraged and contemplate giving up. I think this is the modern plague for business owners. If we cannot think in the long term, then short term expectations will kill our business. I struggle with it, but I remind myself everyday to think on 5, 10, or even 20 year time horizons.

What advice would you give to yourself at 25 years old?
Keep staying consistent. It is hard to beat the guy who keeps showing up.