Born and raised in Atlanta and coming from a long line of entrepreneurs, Adam watched his father and stepmother build a company (APCO/EasyCare) from the ground up. His childhood was filled with stories from both of his grandfathers about the ups and downs of building a company. He watched his mom work hard as a salesperson and consultant in the banking and mortgage industries. In watching his father build a business, Adam saw someone working 90-100 hours a week and going years without turning a profit. Because of this, he set his sights on personal fulfillment over financial gain and became a professional musician, majoring in English Literature at Arizona State.
Throughout college, Adam had the opportunity to play and tour with the likes of John Mayer, Ben Folds, Alison Krauss, and Shawn Mullins. After college, he moved from Phoenix to the DC area to follow love. He graduated, didn’t have a job in DC, Atlanta, or Phoenix, but had been seeing a girl with whom he saw a future for a while, and she had a few years left at the University of Maryland. Adam decided to go for it and made the move to DC. It turned out to be a great decision; they have been together 20 years, married 15, and have two amazing daughters.
Adam worked to pursue music in DC but became increasingly unhappy. When music couldn’t pay the bills, he took on various jobs from substitute teacher to server to bartender. His grandfather, Bob Krasnoff, always told him, “Money doesn’t make you happy, but it gives you freedom and choices, and it’s hard to be happy if you’re not free.” Adam never understood what he meant until he found the person he wanted to marry, but he didn’t know how he was going to afford the life they wanted to live together – providing safety, harmony, education, and experiences to their future children. In hindsight, Adam certainly could have worked harder to hone his skills in music, but, when he really looked at it, he did not want to do it to make a living. It is still a passion for him, and he still plays, but it’s more fun when it’s not his livelihood. Adam had not yet found his true calling.
He moved back to Atlanta in February of 2002 with the goal of figuring out his future and finding his path. Try as he might, he could not stay away from the world of business. Working nights in Buckhead bars, Adam spent his days filling out applications and sending out resumes for sales positions. His life changed forever when, in June of 2002, he was offered and accepted a position at a direct sales company in Atlanta. He was hired to sell business phone and internet services by Marketing Endeavors, Inc. – a licensed vendor for BellSouth. The company was structured in a way where pay was 100% commission, and Adam had a chance to move up based on his performance – not based on seniority.
Adam’s intent was to work there for a year, pad his resumé, make money, and then go get a sexier sales position. He thought he had found a job; he was wrong. Adam found his calling. The focus of the business was helping other people be successful. He found a place that combined his love of teaching and public speaking with the ability to write his own paycheck. Marketing Endeavors trained him, developed his mindset and skills, and gave him the opportunity to open his own business in July of 2003.
Adam discovered his personal “WHY,” the reason he believes he was put on this planet. He feels everyone deserves the opportunity to be as successful as they want to be, provided they are willing to do the work and make the necessary personal changes. At DMC Atlanta, Adam has built an environment where anyone with the right work ethic, heart, and passion for success has an opportunity to own a piece of the company, a philosophy that has helped the organization expand to over 70 offices nationwide, each run by someone who started as an entry-level rep within the company. Adam and his team are are also active supporters of many philanthropies, including LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, Songs for Kids Foundation, and the Movember Foundation – having raised over $220,000 in the last nine years for Men’s Health and Mental Health Awareness.
Adam comes to work every day with the intention to help people become successful, erase their limiting beliefs, and discover their true potential, and that is the sole intention of establishing “The Adam Dorfman” brand online — to show people near and far from me that they are capable of wild happiness and success, both inside and outside of the office. By maximizing the power of social media, he looks to coach anyone who stumbles upon this page on the outcomes they can have in life through accountability.
Adam Dorfman 