Magnetic Balance: Drive & Humility with Elliott Noble Holt

There’s a magnetic quality to Elliott Noble-Holt—a balance of relentless drive and grounded humility. As the founder and CEO of MediCopy Services, a Nashville-based company that grew to serve more than 4,000 clients nationwide, Elliott built a career rooted in vision, grit, and service. After selling the business, he stepped into a new chapter; one centered around writing, mentoring, and sharing the lessons he’s learned along the way. His book, The Bald Bearded Boss: Manifesting Who You’re Meant to Be, is a testament to his belief that success comes from creating your vision and aligning purpose with persistence.

I am inspired not only by Elliott’s professional accomplishments, but the way he approaches life with intention. He understands energy. When you give out good, it has a way of returning to you. In our conversation, we explored how personal growth and professional success are deeply interconnected, and how the vision you hold for your life often bridges both worlds.

++++

1. What moment feels like the true beginning of your entrepreneurial story?

Growing up, I remember my father and grandfather sitting in our living room with my mother and grandmother, talking about putting in $1,500 to invest in a printing press. That may not sound like much today, but in the early 80s it was a big decision. That small leap of faith launched a family printing company.

Back then, everything was done manually. They started with printing business cards, letterheads, and charge tickets, with most of their early work coming from medical offices and Ingraham Book Company.

As a kid, I loved watching it all unfold. I’d sit at my dad’s desk pretending to be a businessman, flipping through invoices, and soaking up how money was made. Summers and afternoons after school were spent delivering print jobs around town or helping on the press that had started in our garage. Being around entrepreneurs and working at a young age lit a spark in me. As the business grew and new employees were hired, I also learned the importance of how you treat people who work for you.

2. Today, there’s a lot of glorification around being an entrepreneur, but the reality is it takes grit. Can you speak to that?

Entrepreneurship is risk-taking at its finest. You have to bet on yourself. Believe in your instincts. Trust your vision. The challenge is that we’re all human—we get insecure, we take things personally, we doubt ourselves. But grit is what carries you through. It’s not glamorous. It’s resilience, execution, and the willingness to keep showing up when no one is clapping yet.

3. In your book you write, “There’s nothing ordinary about me.” How did you come to believe that and how did you keep going when life got hard?

I knew I was gay when I was five or six, but at that time I felt like I had to hide it. That forced me to become a master of adapting, and while it could have turned negative, I chose to turn it into an opportunity. To this day, I believe in finding the good in every situation and flipping it into growth.

Life has a way of throwing curveballs. My father died suddenly when I was a senior in high school. I was devastated. I didn’t want to finish school; I just wanted to sleep and escape. No one told me it would be okay. That loss taught me that I had to figure things out on my own. It gave me an awareness that every day is a gift. Life can be taken away at any moment, which is why I value productivity, contribution, and making an impact.

Most people live in the same patterns, the same habits. The ones who succeed are the ones willing to step out of routine, face uncertainty, and create change.

4. How do you check yourself to make sure you’re not getting too comfortable?

I write down my goals. Daily, weekly, monthly. Checking them off keeps me accountable, but it also shows me how those goals evolve over time. Personally, I don’t like comfort. I’m always in motion.

Another way I check myself is by asking for feedback. Sometimes we wear blinders and don’t see what others do. Asking people you trust, both in business and personally, creates awareness and opens the door to deeper communication. Growth often scares people, so keeping honest conversations alive ensures relationships evolve with you.

One tool I love is a game called The UnGame, which uses questions to spark connection. I’ve used this game in my personal relationships and I’ve used this approach in business to really get to know employees on a deeper level. Before diving into questions, I always set the tone: I care about you, I value this relationship, and I want us to grow together. That reminder, that they are enough, is essential for building trust and long-term success.

5. When the path wasn’t clear, what scrappy, practical moves kept you moving forward?

You’ve got to keep coming back to your “why.” Why are you doing this? Is it passion? Profit? A love for design? The why has to be clear, because it anchors you when things get tough.

Dreaming is only part of the master plan. Execution is everything. You can’t afford to be stagnant. Even a 5% change can be transformational. Momentum matters. Consistency matters. Keep moving the needle, no matter how small the progress feels in the moment.

6. If done is better than perfect, how do you know when the work is complete?

Nothing will ever be perfect—and that’s the point. We put so much pressure on ourselves to measure up, to get it “just right,” but the truth is, perfection is a moving target.

I’ve learned to focus instead on self-reflection and progress. Ask yourself: Did I put my best effort into this? Did I grow from it? If yes, then it’s done. You can always improve and refine in the future, but the real growth comes from finishing, learning, and moving forward.

++++

My conversation with Elliott left me both inspired and challenged to look at how I’m showing up in my own life and work. His story reminds us that entrepreneurship isn’t just about building a business—it’s about building yourself, staying open to opportunity, and finding meaning in the process. This is only part of what Elliott had to share. In next week’s post, we’ll dive deeper into his guiding principles, how he protects his energy, and what legacy beyond business truly looks like. Stay tuned!