Starting a Fallon business called Lumegent in 2016, and consulting for other businesses are what have occupied Billy Thompson in the past few years. But now he's turning his attention to writing his first book, “Charting Success” scheduled for release on July 2 just in time for the Fourth of July weekend.
According to Thompson, he started Lumegent with a few thousand in revenue, and within six months grew the business to 50 employees with 10 million in revenue. “It was pretty chaotic. We bought the building in March of 2017 and renovated it. Our logo is still on some of the beams under the stairs.”
Per the Churchill County public records, the building was sold to Edward Camacho in August 2018, and “The Fallon Post” is a tenant of the building that now houses Camacho Auto Sales. Lumegent's annual filings with the Nevada Secretary of State show Patrick and Jillian Thompson as the corporation's officers and directors since its inception in 2016.
“I'm still running Lumegent but took a completely different path with it. I just wanted to take a new direction. I was actually approached by a publisher who asked what happened to Lumegent. I said 'Well, here's my story,’ and she said we should write a book about it. So, I dove right into writing my first book. We changed the title about six times so far, but I think this title will stick.”
A book launch with family friends and associates in Reno on July 9 will include book signings. Thompson said he is also planning a book signing at Barnes and Noble, and we discussed having one here in Fallon. “It's been an interesting roller coaster getting into the limelight and getting my face out there. With this transition, it's been more about being home with my girls, never missing a volleyball practice, and just being involved in their lives.”
Thompson described his life experiences and the book's beginnings by saying, “I had a very interesting and troublesome childhood. I went through everything from drugs, violence, abandonment, you name it I faced it. I hit a roadblock when my dad committed suicide right before my senior year here in Fallon. The book starts with an autobiography, then translates into my unique career, every step that I climbed until I ultimately built a couple of multi-million-dollar companies that eventually led to Lumegent which grew insanely big. But I kept the reasoning behind what I did with the company to myself. I had built this company to about 100 million dollars, then just walked away. I didn't sell it; I just gave it away. I helped my team get jobs in the community because I didn't want to leave them high and dry. As I was closing our sites in Dallas and Toronto, and then Fallon, we sold the equipment for pennies on the dollar, gave away our book of business, and sold the building to Camacho.”
“Once I hit that peak level of success at such a young age, for me, I just didn't feel any happier. I was on the road all the time, 100-hour work weeks, no family time or time off, consulting all around the world. The world teaches you that success is defined by fame and fortune, and I burned myself out trying to reach that. I was miserable. The book shows how I reached what the world defines as success, and that there are many different layers of success. Each person should define what that success is for them. The conclusion of it wraps through a series of questions that will help somebody identify if they are on the right course if that course is the right one for them or are they going in the wrong direction. Once I learned that and stepped away from Lumegent I realized that there is a way to build a business that will still allow you to pursue your successes. I rebuilt Lumegent, and never got rid of the name because my wife created it, so it meant a lot to me to keep it.”
Thompson summed up what his life is like now. “Through the transition of getting rid of Lumegent, I still have clients reaching out to say, 'Hey Billy, we still need you'. That's when I decided to build a whole new business model, a 100-percent remote-based business. I kept the staff minimal, focused on vendor relations and the consulting avenue. That allowed me to control the amount of time I spend working which averages about 20 hours per week. It's kind of like a semi-retired lifestyle while still enjoying some successes.”
The book's cover design and publishing were provided by Pierucci Publishing with contributors Jonathan Grant and Dale and Hannah Chaplin. The opening quote sums up the book. “Rather than following what others define as success, I help people find THEIR success.”
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