In this episode of Humble Beginnings, we chat with Rancher Government Solutions CEO Paul Smith about his Baltimore, Maryland, upbringing, and ultimate rise to leadership. Smith and his seven siblings all worked their way through high school and college after attending Catholic parochial school as children for its values, proximity and affordability. While Smith’s first job after graduating from Loyola College with a business administration degree was with Exxon Office Systems, he spent time in his youth cutting lawns and serving papers. These experiences taught him the value of hard work at a young age, and he’d later categorize his leadership style as a “connector,” for reasons that also resonate with his journey.

Listen to learn about Smith’s journey from selling word processors at 22 to retiring from Red Hat, and then coming back to lead Rancher Government Solutions just 19 months later. Today, he’s giving back, remembering the leaders who impacted his career and sharing words of wisdom to the next generation.