Episode Details

The moment Bill Derrick says the only sure thing about multiple myeloma is that it eventually comes back, the conversation stops being theoretical. Bill is the president of Derrick Companies and the author of “Restored by the Storm,” and he joins us to tell the full arc: chasing financial independence, stepping into a family construction business, then getting hit by two life-altering storms that forced a total reset on what “control” really means. 

We dig into family business leadership the way it actually plays out, including the tension between earning your own identity and honoring the legacy you inherited. Bill shares why he believes the best preparation is leaving home first: work somewhere else for three to five years, learn how to be an employee, and bring back real operating experience. He also explains how integrity becomes a business survival tool when you are negotiating with lenders and trying to keep a company alive through the Great Recession, collapsing real estate, and land values that fall off a cliff. 

Then the story turns personal. After years of grinding through the downturn, Bill is diagnosed with multiple myeloma and ultimately goes through chemo and a stem cell transplant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. What comes out the other side is a simple framework for resilience and mental toughness: focus on what you can control, especially your attitude and your effort, and let the rest shape you into someone stronger. 

If you care about entrepreneurship, family business succession, crisis management, resilience, faith under pressure, and leadership that holds up when life turns, this conversation will stay with you. Subscribe, share this with someone walking through a storm, and leave a review with the takeaway you needed most.