022- "From Bullied Kid to Business Empire: How One Man's Defiance Built a Multi-Million Dollar Company"

Feel Northern Air

Feel Northern Air
022- "From Bullied Kid to Business Empire: How One Man's Defiance Built a Multi-Million Dollar Company"
Jul 13, 2025
Joe & Melissa Bates • Northern Air

Joe shares the raw story of how childhood bullying forged an unshakeable determination to prove doubters wrong, leading him to ignore every professional advisor and buy into Northern Air against unanimous expert advice. What started as a partnership arrangement became a strategic acquisition that grew the company five times its original size within just a few years. This is the candid account of how past pain can fuel future success, and why sometimes the riskiest decisions yield the greatest rewards.


BIG IDEA

"I looked at them and said, are you telling me not to do something? And I really just was like, no, I'm gonna do it and I'm gonna show you all that I can do it and I'm gonna do it better than you ever thought that anyone could do it."

Contact us at FeelNorthernAir.com.

Episode Artwork 022- "From Bullied Kid to Business Empire: How One Man's Defiance Built a Multi-Million Dollar Company" 6:50 Episode Artwork 021- Refusing Employment Led to Ownership: A Small Business Story of Partnership and Purpose 6:00 Episode Artwork 020- From Employee Mindset to Empire Builder: The Psychology of Skipping Steps in Business 4:09 Episode Artwork 019 - "How One Partnership Changed Everything: A Plumbing Business Transformation" 4:56 Episode Artwork 018-From Solo to Team: The Surprising Truth About Hiring Your First Employee 7:48 Episode Artwork 017-Letting Go to Grow: A Small Business Owner’s Journey 9:32 Episode Artwork 016-Manuals and Mentors: How Ian’s Struggles Shaped a Family’s Resilience 7:12 Episode Artwork 015-Unschooling the Schoolroom: Joe and Melissa Bates on Tailored Learning 9:18 Episode Artwork 014-Experimenting with Life: Joe and Melissa Bates on Debt-Free Living and Innovation 6:04 Episode Artwork 013-Embracing Differences: Homeschooling and Life Lessons from Joe and Melissa Bates 9:26 Episode Artwork 012-The Bates’ Way: Tailoring Education to Fit Each Child 12:18 Episode Artwork 011-The Ripple Effect: How Mentors Shaped a Plumbing Empire and a Marriage 4:45 Episode Artwork 010-Faith Over Fear: Building a Legacy Against All Odds 10:37 Episode Artwork 009-When God Throws a Curveball: Our Family’s Leap of Faith 9:09 Episode Artwork 008-Hazing, Humor, and Humility: Inside the World of Minnesota Plumbers 10:47 Episode Artwork 007-Integrity Over Conformity: Our Homeschool Way 14:08 Episode Artwork 006-From Little House to Big Lessons: Unforgettable Trips 9:34 Episode Artwork 005-Failure as Fuel: Our Homeschool Experiment 11:26 Episode Artwork 004-Why We Ditched School Rules for Our Kids 9:25 Episode Artwork 003-New Guy, New World: Surviving Aitkin’s Trades and Temps 5:15 Episode Artwork 002-From Chicago’s Edge to Aitkin’s Quiet: A Family’s Bold Reset 9:51 Episode Artwork 001-Why We Left Illinois for a Frozen New Start 11:03