Mike Smith is not a traditional entrepreneur. Source: Forbes

Mike Smith is a startup founder who owns four companies.

The 30-something-year-old has also started a non-profit designed to provide support to the youth. He also spends most of his time on the road and has hit 100,000 followers on Instagram. Smith’s goal is simple: to reach out to as many students as possible around the country and teach them how to be better human beings.

Although Mike has his own companies, he is actually far from the traditional startup entrepreneur you’d have in your mind. Smith says that he does not believe in jobs, he believes in lifestyle. Smith’s take on what it means to be an entrepreneur is quite different from what other people think.

Here’s how:

He says that he doesn’t do something just to make money but because he’s excited and passionate about it. The Nebraska-born entrepreneur has launched a number of businesses that are solely dedicated to helping the youth. The businesses work to give these young people safe spaces so that they can be as creative as they can, sporty, and also very active. Smith says that young people need just three simple things to be happy in life:

- Something to do
- Somewhere to be
- Someone to look out for them

The Bay, Smith’s first nonprofit, was built by volunteers. Source: Forbes

Smith’s journey in the world of business started in nonprofit. Soon enough he had built a skate park called “The Bay” which is a multipurpose space located in Nebraska designed for events. It also hosts a coffee shop and a skating park.

Smith says that the idea of building the skate park was inspired by his desire to create a safe space where young people can come and hang out. It’s an idea that came to reality very fast and he says that the space was fully built by volunteers. Although the park generates revenue, Smith says that he has never taken any money from it. But raising the funding for this idea was not easy.

This is what happened:

Smith recalls a time he had to sleep under a bridge for nearly a month in order to raise $10,000 for the venture. The skate park which required a rent of $2,500 a month was not an easy thing for someone who was not wealthy like him. Smith says that he used the revenue generated from speaking at schools and to young people across the country to keep the skate park alive. But it’s now six years since then and Smith has used his speaking career nationwide to fund and grow other companies.

Smith now speaks at schools around the country to help young people. Source: 1011 Now

These companies are built with a social agenda at their core. Smith wants to make a positive impact in the US education, help companies build socially conscious campaigns, as well as play his part in helping the homeless.

His startups are designed to use a nonprofit model in order to fully help create a better society for everyone, especially for youth. Smith believes that his story can inspire many. From humble beginnings to greatness, he is a role model for young people who want to transform their lives.