Chronicling my personal story while imparting crucial business lessons, Unchained: Rewriting the rules of business, family business, and culture shares how I left a Wall Street job behind to work for my family's Dunkin' Donuts franchise. Years later, I became an entrepreneur and set out on my own path, only to ultimately do the one thing I swore I'd never do: come back to the family business. It is a journey of twists and turns, highs and lows, one that has taught me lessons for how to build wealth, bootstrap a company, and find your way. Now, I wish to share those lessons with others.
I come from a family of entrepreneurs, exemplified by my father who ran a string of successful food service franchises. But while they were financially successful, they were plagued by capricious management and a toxic culture. When the rising tension between me and my father reached a breaking point, I opted to pivot into the unknown, putting everything on the line to become an independent financial advisor (and later open my own firm) and answer what I knew was my true calling: running my own business. Unchained recounts the challenges of building a new company, including the dark days of COVID which almost derailed the fledgling firm. Then, when my father got cancer, he asked me to do the unthinkable: return again to the family business and take the reins. Crackling with humor and packed with valuable lessons from the entrepreneurial trenches, Unchained is a refreshingly honest and heartfelt contribution to the genre.
I am the founder and CEO of Green Ridge Wealth Planning and Mascia Capital Group, through which I own and operate several successful businesses. I was recognized as the NJBIZ Leader in Finance in 2024, and as a financial planner and business coach, I've helped countless families realize their own dreams of financial independence and entrepreneurial success.