One of the things I love most about these conversations is that nobody's story is ever a straight line.

Greg Snyder's path to founding No Alumni wound through the construction trades, the 2008 economic collapse, BNI networking rooms, and a chance encounter with a Harley mechanic's anti-establishment merch. At every turn, Greg found himself recognizing something, a cool factor, a gap in the market, a moment where people were being left behind, and deciding to do something about it.

No Alumni starts with a simple premise: college isn't for everyone, and there are many paths to success. But the more Greg and I talked, the more I realized it's about something deeper than just education. It's about belonging. It's about the working-class kid who builds engines for fun not having a community that holds them up the same way a Notre Dame alumni network holds up its graduates. It's about giving people who took the long way around a brand they can identify with and a place to stand.

We got into some territory that I think a lot of business owners need to hear. Greg called out a conversation he had with a business owner who was frustrated that three young hires didn't work out, they didn't want to work 40 hours, they had different expectations. And Greg's response was essentially: so what? Why not meet them where they are? The businesses that are going to survive the next generation of workforce aren't the ones holding firm on 30-year-old assumptions. They're the ones willing to figure it out.

We also talked about the Six Types of Working Genius, which Greg is certified in, and which he's bringing to companies as a culture change tool. The premise is straightforward: 80% of this is about how you work and where you find fulfillment. Knowing what you're genuinely great at, and being able to say out loud where you struggle, is a kind of quiet confidence that most of us spend decades trying to find on our own. Greg's using it to help businesses and individuals get there faster.

And of course, we talked about goals. Greg's calling his shot: he wants No Alumni to become a brand that people without the formal education experience can identify with the same visceral pride that a Notre Dame fan feels at a football game. A tribe for the people who didn't have one.

That's a shot worth calling.

Find Greg and No Alumni at noalumni.com, on Facebook and Instagram @noalumni, or at newgameoldgame.com.