After football practice and during the weekends, Mike would work for his father at a tire retread and retail store.
He later transferred to East Tennessee State University and graduated with a degree in computer science in 1986.
After his stint as a Sheriff's Deputy, Mike went on to build a successful computer consulting company with international clients.
He began investing in real estate, and was either a full-time or part-time owner of five privately held companies.
The result was the television show COAL, whose first season aired on Spike TV on March 23, 2011.