Eric Mulvin (00:00)
Hey everybody, welcome to the Unfinished Business Podcast. I’m your host, Eric Mulvin and this is a show where we sit down with CEOs, visionaries, leaders, and creatives who are out there changing the world, out there making the world a better place, and leading through their creativity, through leadership, and through their business. Because it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve started or accomplished, there’s some unfinished business out there that you want to get done. And we explore those stories here on this show.

And today we have a bit of a different episode. It is May 12th, 2026. And with a heavy heart, I am announcing about my father’s passing last night, almost about 24 hours ago from when we were filming this. And so for today’s episode, instead of releasing one of the interviews that we have lined up, I wanted to take a moment and share some stories.

about my dad and how it relates to entrepreneurship. So if you’re a business owner listening today, which I think a lot are, I think you’re still going to get some interesting insights and stories and some of the stuff that shaped me a little bit over the years. And so it’s not going to be a full episode. We’re not interviewing anybody. But I thought today in honor of my dad, I want to share a few of these stories. And so that’s what you’ll hear today on Unfinished Business with Eric Mulvin

All right, welcome back. And so I have three stories that I’d like to share today and also share a little video of something that some one of my last memories with him from Sunday night. But I wanted to start with this story because as I’m staring into this Canon camera I have in front of me, it is reminding me of how I got to be into photography and videography.

So I have here the family camera that we had growing up this Nikon film camera. And I do have to credit my dad for being the one to not only let me use this camera, but develop those pictures. And so I wanted to share this. This is part of my business origin story. But when I was, I don’t know, maybe seven or eight years old, I had built this Lego city, which

If you guys follow me personally, you know I’m really into space, really into astrophotography and into business. And so this photo combines all three of those things. My photography, the Lego city that I actually charged admission for. So check this out. There’s a admission for my parents to see. So I consider this my first business I ever started, but it’s so amazing. I have a photo of it. And so I credit my dad and my parents for actually

developing the pictures and you know, it’s one thing to have the camera and to play with that, but actually have the pictures and see like, this picture came out blurry. This one came out dark. Let me try again. It’s not like the digital cameras we have today. And we didn’t have a lot of money. My dad was a blue collar worker, worked in a machine shop in an industry that was already dying. And there was, he got to experience that firsthand.

what some of the people today are experiencing with AI and the shift that’s happening in the world. He experienced that machines took over the work he was doing. He used to be a tool and die maker. Some of you have never even heard of that. Some people are like, whoa, I knew my grandparent, that grandfather that did that or a great uncle or something. But that was my dad. And he works graveyard at a machine shop here in Tempe and Phoenix or Phoenix area.

And, um, and even though despite all that, he was able to get me into photography, develop those pictures. And because of that, uh, what was really amazing, uh, in 2019 and 2020 in the city of Tempe, he was there in attendance when I was given awards for my photography, including some of the ones that you see back behind me. Uh, so I’m really proud of the work I’ve been able to do with my photography.

but also share that with my mom and dad and the fact that they were able to be there in attendance to see that is pretty awesome memory. But I have them the credit for that. So that’s one of the stories. Obviously, me being into photography is a big part of my life, and I definitely would not have been into that if it wasn’t for them. Another thing, little later on in my life, with the first business that I started,

The real first business, not the Lego city. I always point to this behind my desk where I got my first dollar from the first customer we had in our taxi cab. And that was March 1st, 14th, 2012. We started it December 2011 and it took a few months to get that vehicle license insured and on the road. But…

I had all these crazy ideas for my business that my dad helped execute because he could make things and do things that I could not afford with my first startup. So one of the crazy ideas we had with the taxi business, which as you know is in the theme song, I took my last paycheck from my job and use it to get a loan for the first taxi. So again, not a lot of money, but

I had this idea of putting Android tablets in the back of all the cabs. And so in 2012, the iPhones, fairly new iPads were just coming out. And so I thought, hey, this will set us apart. You can go in the back of the taxi. You could watch YouTube. You could check your email, check out the location. So we loaded up with internet. We put Pandora on it. You can connect to Bluetooth through the sound system in the car. So we upgraded all the sound systems to be able to play Bluetooth.

And the challenge was those things were really valuable and they had a data plan on it from Verizon and we couldn’t afford to have those disappear from the taxi. So I was like, we got to make them secure. There was nothing out there that existed that secured a device like that where you could freely pass it around between people in the backseat. So I worked with my dad. We worked on some prototypes and he came out with our actual design and we got some pictures here. So you could see.

get a little idea of what it looked like. But we had to go back and forth on the design even because I was worried with people in the backseat if there was some kind of accident. You don’t want liability for someone hitting their head and smashing it onto a mounted iPad tablet. we ended up changing up the design a little bit and ended up on this, which we were able to put into all the vehicles custom manufactured. And I could only imagine

Uh, today especially, but even in 2012, when we were bootstrapping the business and had no money to go out and pay for the tooling and the manufacturing for something like that to be created. And it helped come, uh, help bring one of my dreams and visions for True Cab, that first business to make us really unique. Uh, there was some other cool things we did, but that one was really special and important to me. And, uh, he was able to help get that executed.

Also with True Cab though, I had another crazy idea. I had lot of crazy ideas. we obviously with not much money, guerrilla style marketing. I graduated with a marketing background so I knew I had all these ways to get the word out. One of the things we did I thought was one of our more successful ideas was we went to the local bars in Old Town Scottsdale.

and gave them cornhole board games for free. It like, just put them out in your bar. We’ll give them to you. And then if you guys need a taxi ride, give us a call. And so it was a way to establish a relationship. Like, wow, these guys are giving us a free cornhole board game, know, buying them new even back then. They’re like 150 bucks. Great. We’ll be happy to call you. And I think we ended up he ended up making about 10 sets of those.

hand-painted, hand-built. I got the custom stickers made to put on the front. So we’d had the labeling, but the first early versions, he actually even hand-painted. So there are a few of those sets floating around. I still sometimes see them at family backyard barbecues. So it always brings me back great memories. In fact, my former COO and our people director Josephine was visiting us recently in April.

And we got to see one of those in the wild and took a picture by it, but they still hold up. got them in my backyard. And it’s a, again, another example of, what the theme here I’m talking about today that all these stories have in common is the support that no matter who you are as a business owner, an entrepreneur to support your family can provide parents, not necessarily that they have to be workers in the business.

Right? You know, if you have a, maybe you see it in a restaurant, you got the parents in the back cooking or out kids cleaning the restaurant. But a lot of businesses like my company Pac Biz I can’t have my kids answer the phones. And it’s a remote office. So it’s not always that family members can be direct employees, but they could support in so many other ways and leveraging their skills and talents to be able to help out.

which, you know, with my dad, he was already into retirement age. When we were doing that, that was 15 years ago. So he was already 75 years old. So it gave him a nice purpose. And I know he was proud of the work he was able to do. And again, it still holds up these cornhole boards 11 years later, 12 years later, are still in people’s backyards and I would imagine still in bars in different places.

And then one last story that I’ll share here relates to our house and what my dad was able to do to help out with that as well. So it was spring of 2014 and ⁓ funny story, we’re out going to yard sales and we found a house that they were doing yard sale and I asked, why are you doing a yard sale? And they were getting ready to move the owner they were renting from was selling the house. So I was like,

great, what’s, I love, this is an amazing house. What’s his number? I’m gonna buy this house. amazingly enough, it worked out. We were able to get it and it was a big fixer upper. 2014 economy was just barely getting back here in Phoenix. And so house prices are still really low. And that was also right in the middle of the taxi business, True Cab. So we didn’t have much money.

And we were doing all the work ourselves, putting all the sweat equity into the house. So we ripped out the flooring, ripped out electrical, started doing a ton of stuff ourselves, removing the popcorn ceiling. And my dad was able to help out there as well. We have our kitchen island. So there’s a time lapse here. You can see a little bit of it. He helped build that and helped with a lot of the door projects around replacing the doors. It’s something I didn’t want to do with reframing and getting the doors to fit.

But things like that that have been really helpful. So maybe again not a direct employee not a someone who’s directly impacting your business, but Because I didn’t have to work on that and I’m also running my business while trying to do the remodel you know freeze you up to be able to spend more time on the business and Less time doing construction work when trying to save money and keep costs low which I think every

bootstrap entrepreneur can relate to. And so, yeah, I hope you don’t mind me sharing some of these stories. You know, as I do think they tie back to business and it’s not just a dad, you know, it could be any kind of family member in your life, a spouse, your kids, your cousins, uncles and aunts, titos and titas for Filipinos out there.

And it doesn’t matter. There’s different ways that they could support you. And behind every amazing entrepreneur is a whole community of people back there supporting them in ways that you might not ever get to hear. Maybe when someone’s up doing an award speech, then you get to hear them think they’re, know, spouse, their parents and different things like that. But not a lot of opportunities to do that. And

Now I’m grateful that for my dad, at least I was able to let him know the impact that he made and he was able to see it. Some of my favorite memories were when I got to visit him, showing him some of the pictures I took over the last week or two and the stories behind it. It wasn’t like, hey, just check out this picture. But my gosh, you know, I drove an hour and a half in the middle of the night to capture this.

all of us next to this saguaro and Andromeda Milky Way behind us all there. So it’s stuff like that that would light up his face. so got some really great memories there. Here’s a cool video too from the wildflower garden I shot a week or two ago. And when I visited him Sunday when he was already looking pretty weak and sick, he was still able to smile and it lit up his face seeing

the flowers in the garden and the birds chirping in the front yard. So you never know where life takes you and where the journey will go. But ⁓ you know, this show is called Unfinished Business. And I did get a chance to ask him, I asked him a lot of times, like, is there anything else you want to do? Maybe it didn’t say directly what’s your unfinished business. But I know he was he was happy and content.

I offered him the opportunity to travel more and to do more. We do a lot. So I’m like, join us on this road trip to Sedona or join us on this astro adventure. But I was able to share those over the years through photos and through stories. so with him, I know he lived a good life. And a last final story that I thought was a beautiful moment, I’ll leave this with.

when an opportunity like that comes up, family members passing, go be there, take the time to cancel your meetings for the day and, and, show up because you never know what could happen. we were able to get my siblings together, some ministers together, that

that had been a part of his life for many years. And we were all there when he was taking his last breath, which was a sad but also beautiful moment. And, you know, people didn’t show up, wouldn’t have been the same. But, you know, that’s, it’s pretty crazy, you know, when we talk about this show, unfinished business, and, you know, one day all of us will meet that fate and…

What is it that’s your unfinished business? I like the quote or the it’s something that I’ve heard my business coach Fred, who is a past guest on the show, that he likes to say someone had shared this with him. Then you go out and live the life that you want to see in the obituary. You know, you can’t write your own obituary. Maybe you could try and send it off. But if it’s full of a bunch of stuff that no one believes, what’s the point? But

you know, every day that you’re out there, every day that you’re building up the business, creating opportunities, shaping your community, making an impact with your employment, with the nonprofits that you might support, you know, that you’re helping set what people will be looking at you. What’s your legacy? It’s something that I’ve heard on the show in the past as well, that, you know, that you’re building this legacy for yourself. And so

We don’t always get the opportunity to sit back and look at all the people that have supported us to get us to where we are. And so if you’re listening to this today, then there’s a reminder. Maybe I can hope I could motivate somebody to go out and go thank some of the people behind the scenes that maybe we haven’t thanked in a while that really helped us get here. And again, it’s not just those early employees that were part of your startup. It could be

family member that watched your kids while you were out on a business trip or a mother-in-law who helped get their lunches ready or prepared with their homework so that you could again get stuff done for the business so that you could focus on that and the kids are also taken care of. Those are invaluable and you can’t put a price tag on it and so so thank you to all those people in my life who have helped out.

But that’s it for today’s episode for Unfinished Business. to leave or end the show today, there’s a video I made because my dad is about three months away from hitting his 90th birthday. He’s really close to that. And when he hit his 80th birthday, I got a bunch of the family together and I made like this little documentary style video on him and had myself and some family members share some stories. And so I thought,

We’ll end with this to celebrate his life here a little bit. And for family that knows me, I’ll get some information out on Memorial Service in the future. So look out for that. But thank you guys for watching. I know this wasn’t your traditional episode. And I hope you got something, some nugget of information or something helpful or inspired to go thank some family or friends that helped get you to where you are.

Until next time, we’ll catch you on the next episode. We got some really great guests.

Lined up interviews are shot. Just look out for them as you know We have new episodes coming out next and every Tuesday and so follow us on Line at biz with Eric or just look for our podcast unfinished business with Eric Mulvin Which you could find on Spotify Apple podcast I heart radio wherever you listen to podcasts So until next time we will see you on the next episode and thanks for watching. Goodbye

Eric Mulvin (18:27)
William Robert Malvin II was born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1936. To put that in perspective, how long ago that was, sorry dad. Just like tonight we celebrate the opening of the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, 1936’s Olympics was held in Germany, Nazi Germany.

Despite those rough times in the world, Willie grew up and went on to trade school in Erie to go and work in the tool and die industry where he remained until he retired in the 2000s.

Thousands of things we use every day are made with them. Or they are used in making other machines that make bicycles, electric motors, gasoline engines. In fact, most of the necessities and comforts of our modern lives. He remained in Pennsylvania until the 1960s where he packed up his stuff and motorcycle and went west, all the way to a growing young town called Phoenix. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Jack Douglas.

And these are the peaks and ridges of a mountain range in Arizona which roughly forms a 360 degree circle. Now the area within this circle of volcanic rock is known as the Valley of the Sun. And in the heart of this valley, the vacationer will find one of the most attractive and fastest growing cities in America. This is Phoenix, and this will be your armchair vacation and mine to the Valley

of the sun. That move from Erie, Pennsylvania to Phoenix, Arizona set the stage for over five different kids spanning the 1960s to the 1980s. Here are some of the stories from his kids making up the 80 years that dad, grandpa, or Lola Willie has created so far. I have a position, number one. First son, yeah, it’s almost like, well, I am old enough to be your dad.

considering I have kids that are your age. My name is Eric Malvin. I’m the oldest son of Willie and Perla.

Yeah, I wanted to share a little bit about my experiences growing up with Dad or grandpa or however you guys look at him. My name is Keith Mulvin and I’m the last son of William Mulvin. I have to add that my dad did get a vasectomy after I was born. The dog Henry had done something.

which was a poodle, pretty good sized poodle named Henry. A poodle named Henry. Yeah, the earliest memory of dad, I would say, led to me not eating fish for a better part of my young adult life. He was sanding a cabinet.

in the backyard and I wanted to join him but he wouldn’t until I finished my fish. He was very stubborn about me eating my fish that I did not want to finish. Needless to say, I didn’t finish my fish nor I had the opportunity to sand the cabinet which led me to not eating, it led me to not liking fish for

good 10 years I would say. It’s very stubborn about me finishing my food which now you know I finish all my food it’s a good trait to have. I don’t let anything go to waste.

So no one else seemed to have too much of a story behind their name or how they got their name. Little story, but I think I have the most interesting story out of everyone. My dad likes to tell everyone that he wanted to name me Angus. Before I was born, he wanted to name me Angus for my name, Angus Malvin. So luckily my mom was like, no, I don’t like that name. And so she picked Eric.

Thank goodness. They were married in 83 and then you were born in 85.

Yeah, I can’t forget that because that was the day I had to go to the hospital. Getting in little accident on my own. I went in the same hospital that your mom had you in. Oh, so you That day, January 9th or 10th. January 8th. 8th. Okay, yeah, January 8th, 85. Definitely a big memory I had from growing up is Christmas time.

tradition and we started traditions that I want to keep going for our kids. know, like every Christmas Eve, we would always get to open one gift on Christmas Eve. And I remember, you know, bugging him all day, you know, can we open a gift? Can we open a gift? It’s Christmas Eve. And he’s like, that means evening, evening. So you got to wait until, you know, the evening time and five o’clock comes around like, hey, you know, we had dinner already. Can we open the gifts now?

 Nope, you gotta wait till it’s dark and you know, and you’d always keep pushing us back until it’d probably be like eight o’clock or something and finally get to open that one gift. But I definitely remember that. You know, Christmas is definitely a big part. Even though we only had a little tiny tree and I think we got a ton of pictures, you know, around this like three foot tree. It’s funny because of that, always having a fake tree and a little tree, now we actually get a real tree every year because I want to have a real tree.

Woo, we’re our Christmas tree.

So, influences in different kind of ways. While I got my first car, it was a big old Buick Electra from Mecham Pontiac. Big old used Electra 225 with the 454 four barrel. It was a tank. It was just ugly. It was $1,000. Never used grease. My dad used to use grill cream.

It was an old, it looked like a tube of toothpaste but it was goop that you put in your hair. Oops. Now there’s a happy accident. An accident that could lead to opportunity.

But then he had to take off his hat. And uh-oh. Poor guy. Dry, lifeless hair can take the fun out of your life, but you can put it back with brilcream. With brilcream, a little dab will do you. Watch brilcream put life, life, life in dry hair. I’m coming upon my 30th birthday and there’s a couple of things that are surprising traits that I’ve picked up. One is, I don’t know if you guys…

come across it, but our dad likes to off every license plate he comes across. Even though they don’t make any sense, he thinks it has some meaning, as well as obscure names of stores. Just any store. just reads it off when he passes it. And I notice…

I do that sometimes and I am shocked about that. He always liked to cut my hair. Didn’t like it getting long. He always kind of a crew cut or about like I have it.

He probably hated it when I turned 18. Hey dad, happy 80th birthday. I wish I was out there in Phoenix, Arizona celebrating with you guys, but I’m out here in Richmond. Richmond, I feel like is a little bit about, a little bit like eerie maybe, the weather probably. It’s cold and rainy and a lot of trees, a lot of water, but I’m sure it was a nice place to

to be, but Phoenix was our home and it…

was an amazing place to grow up and life growing up with you was great. Going to church left a huge impression on me and the service.

nature of it also, again, really had a profound impact that really shaped who I was and created the set of values that I live my life by. And I thank you for that and mom and the kindness that you showed me and just

the just keep your head down, work hard mentality. And again, try to live by that example every day of my life.

and I hope you guys are having a great time and I’ll see you guys all soon. So to dad, know, thanks for everything that you’ve taught me and for everything, everything you’ve instilled in me and you know, I definitely wouldn’t be the man I am today or be able to take care of the family that I have without the sacrifice and the work that you and mom both did. So thank you so much for that, you know.

wouldn’t definitely have our house because of you guys and wouldn’t be here, wouldn’t have these businesses if it wasn’t for all the hard work that you made me do. So I definitely appreciate that and just want to say, know, happy birthday and you know, 80 is a long time, 1936. I can’t even imagine what the world was like back then and I can’t imagine what the world’s gonna be like.

for Mia, even when she turns 18. But ⁓ you live through it all. You have an iPhone now. You send me text messages and picture messages. You’ve kept up. The car was only around for barely 30 years or so when you were born. now we’re looking at going to Mars and all this crazy stuff that you probably never even dreamed of. So hopefully, we’ll be living out the Malvin legacy.

 Long into the future and you know myself and everyone else here in this room will be making you proud and changing the world out there. So happy birthday, happy 80th birthday and love you. I would just like to say happy birthday dad and I’m glad you’re still doing really good. I can only hope that I make it to 80.

Go for it. Hope there’s at least another 10 or 15 years, you know.

See some more great grandkids.

Thanks for everything.