CONNOR CURTIS

After reaching the highest stakes in poker, Connor recognized an opportunity to turn his hard-earned expertise into something bigger. The path from micro-stakes to competing with the world's best wasn't just about cards—it was about mastery of strategy, psychology, and mental resilience. That knowledge had value beyond the tables.

Connor launched a coaching business with a simple promise: measurable results. Not vague advice or theoretical concepts, but concrete improvements in win rate, decision-making, and profitability. His clients ranged from losing players looking to turn the corner to winning players ready to optimize and scale up stakes.

The transformation stories speak for themselves. Losing players became consistent winners through systematic strategy overhauls and mental game coaching. Winning players saw their win rates climb as Connor identified subtle leaks in their game and rebuilt their decision-making frameworks from the ground up. Players looking to jump stakes learned not just the technical adjustments required, but the psychological preparation and bankroll management discipline that separates those who make it from those who don't.

Connor's coaching covered every dimension of the game: live cash game dynamics, online optimization, theoretical foundations, mental resilience under pressure, tilt management, and the overall strategic mindset required to succeed long-term. Every engagement was results-driven, focused on quantifiable improvements that showed up in the bottom line. Because at the end of the day, poker—like business—is measured in outcomes.

Before poker consumed his focus, Connor was deeply embedded in the Western Michigan music scene. Not as a musician, but as a fan who couldn't stay on the sidelines. He attended shows constantly, built relationships with local artists and bands, and became a familiar face at venues across the region. The more time he spent in the community, the more he heard the same frustration from every artist: booking shows was nearly impossible, and when they did land gigs, the pay was often insulting.

Connor saw an opportunity. Artists were talented but lacked the connections, negotiating leverage, and business infrastructure to get fair treatment from venues. He positioned himself as the solution—offering artist management services with one clear promise: he'd get them booked, and he'd get them paid fairly.

The model worked. Connor leveraged his presence in the scene and relationships with venue owners to secure consistent bookings for his roster of artists. More importantly, he negotiated compensation that reflected their value, not just what venues were used to paying. His artists went from struggling to find opportunities to having reliable gig schedules and respectable income from their performances.

One of Connor's proudest achievements was managing a full regional tour for an artist client. Most tour managers work with rough estimates and hope things balance out. Connor took a different approach. He mapped every expense with obsessive precision—travel costs, lodging, food, gear, contingencies—projecting the total tour budget down to the dollar. When the tour wrapped, actual expenses matched his projections almost exactly. It was the kind of meticulous planning and execution that would later define his approach to bankroll management in poker and strategic thinking in every venture since.

Connor's time in the music industry wasn't just about business—it was about solving real problems for people he genuinely cared about. He combined passion for the community with sharp business instincts, creating value for artists while building trust and a reputation throughout Western Michigan's music scene.

Before launching his own ventures, Connor built his foundation in high-pressure sales environments where performance was everything and results were measured daily. From residential solar energy to roofing and direct sales, he learned how to prospect relentlessly, close confidently, and deliver results consistently.

In solar energy sales, Connor conducted in-home consultations where he designed custom systems and presented detailed financial projections. It required technical knowledge, consultative selling skills, and the ability to simplify complex financing options for homeowners. He didn't just sell solar panels—he trained new representatives, teaching them the art of objection handling and presentation flow that turned conversations into contracts.

His roofing sales experience sharpened his ability to generate leads in competitive markets. After storms, Connor pioneered neighborhood canvassing strategies that generated high-quality prospects while others were still waiting for phones to ring. He performed inspections, managed insurance claims, and coordinated with production crews to ensure projects ran smoothly from contract to completion.

Connor's performance earned him rapid promotion to branch manager, where he recruited and trained teams of 25-30 sales representatives. He managed operations, led training sessions, ran sales meetings, and coordinated territory planning. At statewide trade shows and expos, he consistently achieved top performer status, proving that his success wasn't luck—it was skill, discipline, and an unshakeable competitive drive.

These early years weren't just about hitting quotas. They were about learning how to perform under pressure, read people, manage pipelines, and build the mental toughness required to succeed in commission-based environments where every day is a test. The skills Connor developed in these roles became the foundation for everything that followed—from dominating poker tables to building businesses from scratch.