Super Surprised! That’s how I felt last week when I looked at my calendar and realized that February 17, 2021 is the 20th Anniversary of Tobin & Company. When I think back on the 20 years TOBIN has been around, I must admit that while it has been challenging at times, I cherish each past hour, relish being present in every minute and eagerly anticipate each second of our future. I’ve learned an incredible amount.

Why Did I Start Tobin & Company?  I’d never considered a start-up; this whole venture was foisted upon me as a young mother who couldn’t find work after 15 years on Wall Street. Yet on the day I received a call from a prominent venture capitalist I recognized the opportunity. He spoke, vulnerably, about a specific issue that he needed to resolve, and he was asking for my help. Upon putting down the phone, two things occurred to me: a successful financier had come to me, explicitly, for help; and it seemed easier for him to open up to a female about his concerns.   That’s when I realized there is a niche in investment banking for females that listen with curiosity, respond with honesty, and commit to performance. Since that call I have had many clients express this same sentiment to me.

Freedom to Build Tobin & Company My Way Starting and growing Tobin & Company has been incredibly rewarding because of the freedom it avails. I’m accountable to my clients alone because decisions are mine alone; no “upper management” to keep happy or partners to delay necessary action.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve sat on the bleachers at my kids’ baseball and softball games talking with clients via phone, text, or email to help them find the right solution to their unique problems. Or how many weekends I sat at our kitchen table working to finish a project for a client who called Friday afternoon and needed it by Monday morning – while all three of my children (now grown) worked on their homework alongside me. The bottom line is that I was, and remain, there for my kids. They will always be the greatest accomplishment of my life. Being a present mother would have been excessively difficult if I had not started Tobin & Company.

Three Things I've Learned in 20 Years Be curious. Refine traditional approaches. Improve staid processes. Don’t settle. Find better ways to do things. The quest for knowledge pays off and it can be exhausting. Get the rest needed so you have the energy to act on your curiosity. Trust your intuition. When making decisions I go with my gut. After 20 years as an entrepreneur my hunches usually turn out to be right because there’s a lot of knowledge and experience behind them. Don’t use valuable time agonizing over decisions. Make them and move on. Be cognizant about how your intuition works and deploy it for the benefit of your business and your life. Entrepreneurship takes grit. Entrepreneurship takes perseverance. You have to be willing to learn through trial and error. You have to accept that you will fail. You will be wrong. But you will also be right. Just keep trying. It’s that simple. Thanks for allowing me to share our anniversary with you. I’m looking forward to Tobin & Company’s next major milestone. Call us, we may be able to help you reach your next milestone. Or . . . just call to talk, we’ll listen!

Warm regards,

Justine Tobin (704) 334-2772

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