Our Story
I've proudly served my country in the United States Air Force, both stateside and overseas in Afghanistan during Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. I came home carrying that belief. Now it was time to live it.
For the better part of my civilian life, I worked for others. I paid the bills, kept a roof over our heads, and put food on the table — but that's all it ever was. Surviving. Every night I laid my head on the pillow unsatisfied, quietly dreaming of something more for my family and I.
I'd come home to my beautiful, supportive wife and our 4-year-old triplets and wear a smile that wasn't genuine. I was going through the motions, and the people who deserved my best were getting what was left.
My wife had had enough.
One crisp evening, sitting around the fire, she looked at me and said it plain:
“That's it, put in your 2-weeks' notice and go for your dream, open the damn cigar lounge like you've been dreaming!!”
I'm sure my face said everything I didn't. We have triplets. A house. Two cars. Bills on top of bills. Has she lost her mind?
“We'll make it work, we always do, we can't continue with you coming home miserable, the kids are starting to notice.”
Within a month, the dream stopped being a dream.
I handed in my resignation — hesitantly, if I'm being honest — and we became a single-income household overnight. It felt slightly insane. But with my family behind me, we built the plan.
Just The Tip Cigars is the greatest adventure of my professional life. This is my American Dream — my business, my lounge, my legacy. A place where family, friends, and fellow dreamers gather over a fine cigar, share laughs, make memories, and maybe find the courage to chase something of their own.
A place where you can learn about cigars. Where I can learn from you. Where the conversation is good and the smoke is better.
This is my dream. Pull up a chair, have a stick with me. You're family now.
