Embracing Opportunities: How Bart Merrell Turned Life’s Challenges into Success

There’s a moment in every business journey where things don’t go to plan.

For Bart Merrell, that moment came when his dream of joining the FBI fell apart. After years of studying accounting (despite not enjoying it), he discovered that a prior eye surgery disqualified him completely. Just like that, the path he’d been working towards disappeared.

But here’s the thing: what looked like an ending was actually the beginning.

Because shortly after, a friend casually asked if he wanted to go to Japan. Bart said yes. That one decision led him to become a bungee jump master—and ultimately opened the door to a lifetime of entrepreneurship.

And that’s the thread that runs through this entire conversation: opportunities rarely look like opportunities at first.

Opportunity Favors Action

Bart shares a powerful reframe on luck:

“Luck is when opportunity and preparedness meet—but nothing happens unless you take action.”

It’s easy to overlook this part. Many people wait until they feel ready, qualified, or certain. But in reality, most opportunities show up before you feel prepared.

Bart didn’t know how to run international business deals when he started importing camping trailers. He didn’t plan to become a dog trainer. He didn’t even want to get into health products.

But each time, he said yes first—and figured it out later.

That willingness to act is what separates ideas from income.

The Truth About Risk

One of the most memorable parts of Bart’s story is—unsurprisingly—the bungee jump.

Not just the jump itself, but what it represents.

Entrepreneurship isn’t about reckless risk. It’s about calculated risk.

Bart had done over a thousand jumps before attempting something unconventional. He understood the variables. He made an informed decision.

That’s the difference.

If you’re coming from a corporate background, the idea of leaving a stable income can feel overwhelming. Bart’s advice is simple and practical:

Start with a side hustle.

Build something alongside your current job. Reduce the pressure. Gain confidence gradually.

Because the hardest step isn’t scaling—it’s starting.

Monetize What’s Already in Your Life

This is where Bart’s approach becomes incredibly actionable.

He suggests asking yourself three questions:

• What do I enjoy doing?

• What do I need to do?

• What am I already doing?
  
  

Most people focus only on the first one. But often, the real opportunities sit in the other two.

Things you have to do anyway—like commuting, managing your health, or even paying your mortgage—can become income streams when approached differently.

Bart turned his own weight loss journey into an affiliate income stream. He monetized his need to train his dog by becoming a dog trainer. He reduced his living costs by renting out space in his home.

None of these started as “business ideas.”

They started as life situations.

Stop Dismissing Your Value

A common mindset trap is thinking: “This is too simple—no one would pay for it.”

But what’s easy for you isn’t easy for everyone else.

As Bart explains, a third grader sees a sixth grader as an expert. There will always be people behind you who can benefit from what you already know.

Your job isn’t to be the best in the world.

It’s to be useful to someone.

Final Thought

If there’s one takeaway from this conversation, it’s this:

You don’t need to wait for the perfect idea—you need to start paying attention to what’s already in front of you.

Opportunities are everywhere.

The question is whether you’re willing to see them—and act on them.

👉 To hear the full conversation and dive deeper into Bart’s strategies, listen to the full episode on the You’re The Boss Podcast.

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Unchained. Unapologetic. Unstoppable.

— Ange Dove, Personal Brand Coach & Message Strategist