Josh Melton serves as co-founder and CEO of Athens Cleaning Company and is a partner at Grounds Guys of Athens, Melton Insurance Group, and Circle 7 Strategies. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce.
In his words, Josh is a full-time entrepreneur whose mission is to tell a story that awakens souls, reignites dreams, and challenges the status quo.
Start with the Dream
Josh believes that one of the most important steps to achieving success is clearly defining the life you want to live. He wants to help others reignite the dreams they once had for their lives, and his passion for that work is behind the launch of his latest venture, Circle 7 Strategies.
He describes it like this: “If you’re breathing, you have a dream. When we were kids, we believed anything was possible and routinely envisioned ourselves as the best and coolest. We were astronauts, professional athletes, and rock stars. But the older we get, the more reluctant we become to boldly go after what’s possible for us.”
Circle 7 Strategies challenges individuals and entrepreneurs to clearly define what they want in life, associate with those who have achieved in those areas to learn what they know, and be willing to make the changes to do what they have done. Nothing moves Josh more than seeing the light come back on in someone’s eyes as a dream comes alive again.
The Power of Association
Josh believes that where you are in five years is dependent on two things: the people you meet and the books that you read. His biggest wins and worst failures in life and business have been come through the people he’s chosen to associate with, whether by book, song, or in person.
Two of Josh’s business partnerships were launched with people that he met through his association with the Athens Jaycees and his involvement at Athens Church. He didn’t join the Jaycees or start attending his church to gain business partners or launch businesses. But through these communities, he was able to associate with like-minded people that have made a huge difference in his business path and his life as a whole.
Because he believes so strongly in the power of association, Josh consistently connects the people he meets to ideas, books, music, and people that he thinks will help them advance toward their goals.
Growing Relationships
Over the past decade, Josh has been deeply involved in the Athens networking scene by hosting his own events as co-founder of the Classic City Professionals, and by acting as chair of the Athens Young Professionals Network. He believes that the best networkers hold and display a genuine interest in the people they meet. Good networkers don’t show interest in order to get favors, they get to know others to make new friends. The purpose of networking isn’t to grow businesses, it’s to grow relationships.
Josh came to Athens with no contacts, but through the relationships he developed through the Chamber of Commerce, Athens Jaycees, YPN, and GroundBridge, his career has developed dramatically. In turn, he identifies his belief in people and passion for connecting them as his greatest strengths.
I generally believe in people and their potential, in many cases, perhaps more than they do. I believe God gave us these great gifts and abilities, and part of life is figuring out what those are. When I’m talking with someone, I want to discover their unique greatness. An amazing landscaper has a gift, just like a rock star does.