Fire in the Hole! by Bob Parsons
Fire in the Hole! is the untold story of the traumatic life and explosive success of Bob Parsons, founder of GoDaddy. In his literary debut, this extraordinary entrepreneur recounts the exploits of his youth, his hellish days at the mercy of Catholic school nuns, his harrowing tour of combat duty in Vietnam as a US Marine, his pioneering contributions to the software and internet industries, and his latest ventures in power sports, golf, real estate and marketing.
His reflections are at turns heartbreaking, heartwarming, hilarious and inspiring. You can check out our full review of his book here — and in this recent Q&A, Parsons sheds even more light on his incredible journey.
Q: You don’t hold back much in your new book, Fire In The Hole! Did you ever hesitate in being so frank and honest about your life, including where you came from and where you are now?
A: I tend to embrace my stumbles, mistakes and shortcomings. I’m always very open about them. This makes my story more real and believable. It’s also something readers find easy and enjoyable to relate to.
Q: There are many “how I got to where I am books,” memoirs and autobiographies out there — and more coming. Why should someone pick up and read your book?
A: My story is unlike just about any other you might read. I’m just a regular guy, who came from nothing, was terrible academically, joined the US Marine Corps and fought on the front lines in the Vietnam War. Yet, through one hilarious happening after another, I somehow learned to be a solid businessman. The odds were so stacked against me, but I knocked it out of the park. I recount how I did it in chapter after chapter, and tell the reader in knucklehead terms how I got by. Every early reader I talked to told me I learned so much from your book and did so while experiencing one of my most enjoyable reads to date.
Q: Fire in the Hole! certainly is not a how-to, but you do describe the qualities you possessed that helped you to make the bold business decisions that marked your career. What qualities do you think an entrepreneur needs to be successful?
A: Successful entrepreneurs need to draw upon a basket of qualities. First and foremost is why they’re going into business for themselves to begin with. If they are doing it to make money, they’re dead in the water. If instead they are doing it to make a difference and provide a unique product or service, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be successful. To this add a strong belief in themselves, a stiff backbone that will hold up against tough times and a love for what they’re doing. My father told me, “When you love something, it tells you all its secrets.”
Q: You write about the decisions and moves you made that were winners in your mind and those you might have made differently. First, what do you consider your best career decision? Second, if you were to get a do-over, what would that be?
A: I consider all the decisions I made regarding whatever business I happened to be in at the time to be my best career decision. This is true even for those decisions I made that seemed patently wrong at the time. For the decisions I made that were obviously correct, I stopped being concerned with them and immediately focused on the next decision I needed to make or step I needed to take. Every successful business is built upon one good decision after another. Obviously, bad decisions are important because that’s how you learn things you won’t find out any other way. If I had a do-over what would it be? I would have been treated for PTSD much earlier and become a better father and husband.
Q: Two of your overriding mottos that weave their way throughout the book appear to be “being happy is more or less a choice,” and “worry is a waste of time.” Is that an accurate take on your life outlook? If so, where did those mottos come from?
A: It is an accurate take on my life. I learned at a young age that if I’m going to be happy that’s what I have to decide to be, this got me through the grimmest of situations. I also learned to be mostly worry free very early on and also during the Vietnam War.
Q: What message do you hope readers get out of the story of your life?
A: That if I can do what I did, maybe they can do it too. This doesn’t have to be making billions, though that could certainly happen. Many readers learn how to be happy in the darkest of situations. I show them how. Who doesn’t want that?
About Bob Parsons:
Bob Parsons is the CEO and founder of YAM Worldwide, home to his entrepreneurial ventures in the fields of motorcycles, golf, real estate, finance, marketing, innovation and philanthropy. However, he is perhaps best known as the founder of GoDaddy. A US Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran, Parsons is a recipient of the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. After serving in the Marine Corps, he attended the University of Baltimore on the G.l. Bill and graduated magna cum laude. His alma mater presented him with an honorary doctorate in 2008 and named him Distinguished Entrepreneur in 2010. Three of Parsons entrepreneurial ventures — Parsons Technology (#11, 1992), GoDaddy (#8, 2004) and now PXG (#123, 2019)-have been recognized and ranked by Inc magazine as being among America’ fastest-growing privately-held companies.
