The Semester That Changed Everything
He entered entrepreneurship because a single semester opened a door he did not expect.
Leo Adams remembers being a junior at Clemson and realizing he had earned enough credits in high school to create extra time in his college schedule. He did not want to graduate early. He wanted to use that time for something meaningful. That was when he found a program called Young Entrepreneurs Across America, a hands on experience that taught college students how to run painting businesses. He learned how to sell painting services and how to show up at homes for estimates. He hired a team and managed the jobs. The work was difficult and uncomfortable, but it was also the most fulfilling experience he had ever had. That single semester showed him what it felt like to build something from nothing. It showed him how much he loved the combination of pressure and growth that came from entrepreneurship.
After graduating, Leo took a traditional job because it felt like the responsible next step. But something inside him resisted the structure. He spent his evenings and weekends exploring anything he could build on the side. He experimented with digital marketing and fulfilled by Amazon. He tried to create a Shopify store. He explored small projects that sparked his curiosity. He liked the feeling of chasing ideas and seeing how they worked in the real world. He pushed those projects far enough that his employer eventually noticed, and he was fired for pursuing side hustles. It was a moment that could have discouraged him, but for Leo it became an invitation to choose the life he actually wanted instead of the one he thought he was supposed to follow.
He found drones soon after. At first he built a drone media business in Charlotte, creating aerial videos and content for clients. That was his entry point, but it led him into a much larger world. He discovered drone data and the possibilities hidden in mapping, inspections, surveying, and specialized data solutions for renewable energy, construction, utilities, and more. He saw that drones were not just tools for creative footage. They were tools for information and infrastructure. That discovery changed the trajectory of his life. He decided to create a national drone service that delivered data at scale. He launched Skye Link in 2018 and spent the next several years learning what it meant to build a company that could grow beyond him.
During those early years, Leo pushed through the same survival period that many founders face. The traction did not arrive immediately. He spent long stretches coaching soccer to earn extra income. He took on videography projects that did not fulfill him but helped him pay rent. He lived with a friend in a small apartment in Charlotte so he could keep expenses low. He found ways to support himself financially while he worked to build Skye Link. Those moments tested his patience and resilience. He shared that he spent almost three years in that survival mode before he could finally step into a place where the business supported him and gave him the breathing room to make decisions from clarity instead of pressure.
When Skye Link reached sustainability, Leo began to explore what else he could create. His curiosity had always been a steady force in his life. It guided him toward new industries and new expressions of his creativity. He started Linxy, a live social tech company. He invested in the retreat space by creating a luxury Airbnb property on Lake Norman. He built a high end production studio in Charlotte that hosts events and provides media and marketing services for founders and brands. Each venture reflected a piece of what he enjoyed most. He liked creating environments where people could collaborate and feel inspired. He liked working across disciplines and bringing teams together to build something they cared about. He pursued these new ideas not as distractions but as extensions of what entrepreneurship felt like to him.
When he thought about the purpose behind all his work, Leo returned to the idea of impact. He loved working with people who wanted to build meaningful companies. He loved offering value and receiving value in return. It created a cycle that energized him. By blending his experiences across data, media, technology, and community, he found ways to help founders expand their vision. He saw his role as someone who could help others reach escape velocity, a state where the gravitational pull of expectations no longer held them back from what they wanted to create.
The idea of escape velocity became central to how Leo thought about his mission. He believed that people often remain stuck in structures that restrict them. These forces could be difficult jobs, inherited beliefs, or assumptions about what life requires. He wanted to help people rise above those constraints and step into the fullness of their creative potential. He knew that artificial intelligence would shape the future and that entrepreneurs who ignored it would fall behind. But he also believed that nothing could replace human intelligence. He wanted to blend both into something that helped creators move into a new stage of possibility. His goal was to grow his ventures into sustainable systems and eventually shift into a role where he could support creators more directly.
When he looked back on the biggest challenge he faced, Leo pointed to the early years of Skye Link. He remembered how difficult it was to navigate those periods of uncertainty while still trying to build. He shared that those three years were filled with long days, financial stress, and constant effort. He coached soccer. He took side projects. He did whatever he needed to do to stay afloat. Yet even in that season, he held onto the belief that he was building something meaningful. When he eventually reached stability, it allowed him to operate from a place of strength rather than fear.
That shift changed how he approached new ideas. Curiosity had shaped every major change in his life. He saw it as a superpower because it pushed him into unfamiliar territory, and that discomfort created growth. When people lead with curiosity and enter the places where they feel unsure, they gain understanding of who they are and what they want to create. He believed curiosity moves a person toward their purpose, especially when the path feels unclear.
When he thought about scrappy decisions he made in the early days, Leo remembered selling stocks to give himself breathing room. He remembered living in that small apartment and making every financial decision with care. He remembered finding small ways to stay alive long enough to build traction. He did not look back on those moments with frustration. He saw them as part of the process, the necessary steps that allowed him to build something real.
The best advice he ever received came from a simple idea he carried with him. He said it might sound cheesy, but the advice was to believe in yourself and take the leap. He explained that people who now admire his progress were the same people who watched him take a chance without any guarantee. He remembered feeling scared and unclear. He remembered thinking that everything felt foggy. But he still believed there was something inside him that mattered, something that deserved a chance. He credited his mother for nurturing that belief. She encouraged him to be himself and never pressured him to follow a traditional path. Her support gave him the confidence to trust his instincts and move forward even when he could not see the full picture.
As Leo continued to grow in his work, he noticed something about the people who surrounded him. He found joy in creating with people who shared his vision and carried strengths he did not have. He believed that every person has their own brilliance, a part of themselves that expresses their best contribution to the world. He believed that if people could understand this brilliance and outsource everything outside of it, they could show up with clarity and strength. He spoke highly of his team, especially his chief of staff, whose brilliance lived in execution, structure, and operational detail. He loved that he could remain in the role of visionary while trusting others to bring their own strengths forward. Together they built systems that aligned with their collective talents.
As Skye Link and his other ventures continue to evolve, Leo carries the same curiosity that started his journey in college. He carries the desire to build something meaningful. He carries the memory of those early years when he pushed through uncertainty. He carries the belief that impact comes from the relationships he forms and the creativity he brings to each project. He carries the awareness that escape velocity is possible for anyone willing to trust their curiosity and take the leap before they feel ready.
He believes that entrepreneurship offers the freedom to create something aligned with who you are, and we can’t wait to see what he creates next.
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