“You’re not fulfilling your purpose in life if you’re not maximizing the various opportunities that come your way,” Jared Isaacman says. “But it would be selfish to do that if you were not also trying to make the world a better place.”

And if you want to talk about fulfilling your purpose in life, Isaacman is a perfect example with which to start the conversation. Isaacman understands the power of giving and the joy of flight. What he began as a teenager in a payments-processing firm has grown into a multibillion-dollar company, and with his success as a firm backbone, he has spread his wings to raise awareness and money for those less fortunate.

In 2009,Isaacman set his sights on the Make-a-Wish Foundation, at which time he also set a speed record for flying around the world in a light aircraft. But then last year, he raised the bar for both himself and his philanthropy.

Last September, Isaacman commanded SpaceX, known as Inspiration 4, which was the first ever all-civilian trip to space. Along with the trip to space came a huge donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. “Isaacman and his wife, Monica, personally donated $125 million to the hospital, and contributions by SpaceX founder Elon Musk ($55 million through his foundation) and many others ultimately raised the total given to St. Jude to more than $243 million.

”It is not everyday you find someone who is so successful and so altruistic. There is no doubt that Isaacman has worked hard for his success. The company he began in his parents’ basement had 100 employees by the time he was 19. And in June 2020, that same company, Shift 4, made him a billionaire as he was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He is also the founder of Draken International, a company which operates the largest fleet of privately owned former military tactical jet aircraft in the world.

But as hard as he works, Isaacman takes his giving very seriously as well. Last year, he and his wife signed up for the Giving Pledge, an act that has them committing to give the majority of their wealth over their lifetime to those less fortunate. That is a huge step and one that he and his family do not take lightly.

From his earliest memories, he has pledged to himself to be part of the solution, when he was in Cancun during a family vacation and saw children and their families living out of their cars. Then in his early 20’s he was a regular contributor to the Goodwill Rescue Mission in Newark, which was located nearby his hometown of Westfield, N.J. In a world of young people trying to make money and support their own bottom line, Isaacman is the exception that proves the rule.

Advisor to Berkeley Capital, Adnan Zaisaid, “The issue with the younger generation is that because most of them came from privileged backgrounds means as compared to their parents, there is a sense of entitlement as a result, and they lack the need to be selfless.”

Lucky for the world, Jared Isaacman learned the value of giving early on, and he keeps on giving now that it matters even more. Hopefully he will inspire other entrepreneurs to look beyond themselves and take care of others around them.