“Life Happens For You, Not To You”—Rob Lee on Cutting Ties With Old Stories and Building a Business From Nothing

Cut The Tie Podcast with Rob Lee

What happens when you start a business with no corporate background, no MBA, and no plan—just the willingness to figure it out? In this grounded and inspiring episode, Thomas Helfrich talks with Rob Lee, CEO and co-founder of Swift Passport and Visa Services. Rob shares how he and his wife built a thriving travel document company from scratch, overcame black mold illness and a pandemic shutdown, and learned that the biggest obstacles are often in your own head.

From hand-delivering passports to airline crews, to finally building a SaaS platform after years of false starts, Rob’s journey shows that business success is as much about mental clarity as it is about strategy.

About Rob Lee:

Rob Lee is the CEO and co-founder of Swift Passport and Visa Services, a Chicago-based concierge travel document company specializing in expedited U.S. passports and international visas. Serving major corporations, airline crews, and business travelers across the country, Rob’s team navigates the complex and time-sensitive world of global travel documentation. With a background in forestry and no prior corporate experience, Rob built Swift with his wife Laurie, growing it into a nationally recognized service while staying true to a vision of freedom, purpose, and constant personal growth.

In this episode, Thomas and Rob discuss:

• Cutting ties with societal definitions of success
  Rob shares how he stopped letting external expectations dictate who he should be—and how that shift changed everything.
• From conservation to concierge travel services
  How Rob and his wife went from wildlife biology degrees to running one of the country’s top travel document firms.
• Losing it all in 2020
  How the pandemic wiped out Swift’s revenue overnight—and how they used it as a chance to rebuild from the ground up.
• Mindset as the ultimate growth lever
  Why Rob believes the mental clarity of a founder directly reflects in the health and direction of the business.
• The “old stories” that still need cutting
  Rob opens up about self-doubt, worthiness, and pushing past the limits in his own head.

Key Takeaways:

• What happens in your head happens in your business
  Founder mindset isn’t just important—it’s the main driver of business direction.
• Obstacles are opportunities in disguise
  Illness, shutdowns, and failed projects can be turning points if you approach them with curiosity instead of fear.
• Life happens for you, not to you
  Adopting this perspective changes how you handle challenges in both business and life.
• Cut ties with old stories
  Self-limiting beliefs can quietly cap your growth if you don’t challenge them.

Connect with Rob Lee:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eelbor/
🌐 Website: https://www.swiftpassportservices.com

Connect with Thomas Helfrich:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutthetie
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfrich/
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
🚀 InstantlyRelevant.com: https://www.instantlyrelevant.com

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