Today we’d like to introduce you to James Desrosiers.
Before he began helping companies grow and achieve more of their potential, GROWTHco President and Founder, James, had his own interesting story of personal and professional growth. Born and raised in North Central Massachusetts, Jim spent his childhood overcoming tremendous challenges. His biological father was a drug-addicted abuser. His mother had to work multiple jobs to provide the essential needs to Jim and his five brothers and sisters. Due to the physical and emotional abuse, many people thought he wouldn’t survive, never mind succeed in his life. Society expected Jim to fail.
When Jim’s mother remarried to Roger Desrosiers, the man who later adopted him, life began to improve. In 1976, Roger brought Jim to Westborough Speedway, a racetrack no longer in existence that was one mile from the location of his current office. A race car driver named Ron Bouchard won the race. Ron was also from the same town where Jim was born. Jim immediately thought, “If he’s from Fitchburg and can achieve big goals, then I can, too!” In 2015, Jim wrote a children’s book called From Impossible. It describes in detail how his race car driving role model impacted his life as a child.
Ron climbed up the NASCAR ranks to its’ highest national division, won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1981 and the Talladega 500 that same year, passing two cars coming out of the final turn on the final lap. Meanwhile, Jim improved his grades, graduated from Leominster High School in 1986 on the honor roll, and followed his sibling’s example by joining the military. In fact, all four of his brothers served directly and one of his sisters married into service.
Jim served in the United States Air Force and it was an experience in boot camp that provided him with his first ‘A-HA!” moment. Having never run a mile before, his instructor demanded he run one…and then another…and then five more…and finally hike a hill with 45 lbs. in a backpack! Upon reaching the summit, Jim wept. Partly from the pain he was experiencing :), but mostly from realizing for the first time that he was capable of so much more than his mind and childhood conditioning was allowing him to believe!
Jim decided the rest of his life was going to be different.
Instead of using his past conditioning and environment as excuses, he instead took control of his destiny by focusing on the unlimited and undetermined future that was in front of him. From now on, he would demand success…from the world around him…and from himself. He set goals. Life quickly improved.
In the Air Force, the awards started coming. Basic Training Honor Graduate, Tech School Honor Graduate, Good Conduct Medal, Airman of the Quarter for the United States Air Force in Europe, Libyan Conflict Medal, and more.
Jim returned to Massachusetts in 1990 and worked in locally owned, small businesses in the Banking, Employment Services, and Training Industries. He rapidly became known as a Sales Rainmaker and Training Professional. Jim was recruited by Prudential Preferred Financial Services and became Rookie Agent of the Year. He mentored other agents and found his true passion and purpose: training and coaching others to their potential.
During his own growth, he met his wife Claudia and her three boys – Brian, Sean, and David. They’ve been together even since and helping Claudia raise these boys into intelligent, productive, and caring adults is his proudest accomplishment! It was actually through watching them grow up that he noticed that people expected kids to succeed, but didn’t teach them how. So, Jim took it upon himself to write a book called Young People’s Guide to Goal Setting. He continues to teach the lessons of goal setting, time management, and self-motivation to students and has impacted over 250,000 young people nationally in 180+ schools and youth organizations, including his role as a senior consultant for the National Guard Youth Challenge Program.
Jim created GROWTHco in 1994 and has worked with thousands of business leaders, executives, and employees at all levels to dramatically increase their results at work…at home…and in life. His company helps secure grant money for businesses through the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Program and provides world-class training, coaching, and consulting to improve productivity, processes, results, and profit. Through soft-skills and process improvement training and coaching, GROWTHco makes companies grow.
He became the first member of his family to achieve a college degree and earned a Masters in Management from Cambridge College with a dual concentration in Leadership in Human & Organizational Dynamics and Nonprofit Organization.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success isn’t the width of your wallet, it’s the width of your smile. Some people wrongly gage their success by comparing their materialistic possessions against others. Success is self-defined. It’s identifying what you want to experience during your existence…who you want to be, where you want to go, what you want to have, how you want to live, and how you can serve others. Identify those things and live each day doing the actions necessary to achieve those goals. Living up to your own standards and values, driving toward goals that are meaningful to you…that’s success!
Contact Info:
- Address: 182 Turnpike Rd (Rt 9E), suite 200
Westborough, MA 01581 - Website: www.GROWTHco.com
- Phone: 978-827-3133
- Email: jimd@growthco.com
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesdesrosiers/
Author James Desrosiers signs copies of his book “From Impossible” at the Ron Bouchard Racing Museum on Saturday afternoon. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / Ashley Green
Image Credit:
Photos by Kill The Ball Media
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