Soar to Success October 2016

4 / 50

Michael Kaplan has been involved as a business
owner for over 35 years. He learned how to run his
own successful business and today has a passion for
helping other entrepreneurs realize their dreams.
But, it wasn’t always this way. He earned a
master’s degree in social work and counseling
and moved to the east coast, forsaking his
father’s furniture business located in Lafayette,
Indiana. He enjoyed the counseling portion of
his chosen career, but soon realized his income
would not provide for his new wife and future
family in the way that he desired.
When Michael contacted his father about the
possibility of returning to the Midwest and joining
his enterprise, Kaplan said,
“My father had to pick his jaw up off of the floor.”
Why? Because Michael had not shown any interest
inthe familybusinessandhis fathernever imagined
that he would ever want to become involved. But
in 1978, a plan was devised to transition the family
business from father to son.
On the first day that he assumed the official
leadership role his father handed over a set of
keys and said,
Experience and Passion
Led Him to Business
Life Coaching
SOAR TO SUCCESS / October 2016 / Feature Article