Joseph Blake Smith (born August 27, 1983) is an ex-Army Lieutenant and serial entrepreneur in the United States. He is the founder and CEO of SQRL Holdings, a company noted for adopting laser-precision-tactical service approaches to alter the convenience store sector.
Joseph Blake Smith (born August 27, 1983) is an ex-Army Lieutenant and serial entrepreneur in the United States. He is the founder and CEO of SQRL Holdings, a company noted for adopting laser-precision-tactical service approaches to alter the convenience store sector.
He’s also the author of “The Comeback,” a narrative about how he became a self-made millionaire, lost everything, and came back to build yet another successful enterprise.
Susan Collins-Smith and Joseph Mack Smith gave birth to Blake Smith on August 27, 1983. His mother was a concert pianist and businesswoman, while his father was a University of Arkansas linebacker.
Billy Ray Smith, his father’s illegitimate grandpa, was a Hall of Fame football player. Smith was unaware of his forebears until both of his parents died.
He earned Summa Cum Laude from the University of Arkansas with a triple degree in Psychology, Business, and Physics. After that, he enlisted in the United States Army. In 2005, he completed his military service and enrolled at the University of Arkansas for law school.
In 2007, he obtained his Juris Doctorate as well as an MBA from Stanford University. He was admitted to the Arkansas Bar in 2007, but voluntarily renounced his license since he had no desire to practice law.
While still in college, Blake enlisted in the Army ROTC. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Ranger Battalion after completing the jump, dive, and mountain combat training. Though this has not been proven, he was afterwards selected and assigned to the CIA’s Special Activities Center (SAC).
While still in law school, he began his career in commercial real estate brokerage and property development, focusing on developing property for Casey’s General Store around Arkansas.
When he began leasing and purchasing mineral rights in Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma, he launched his entrepreneurial career. Later, he formed and served as CEO of Rock Capital Group, an investment firm focusing in oil and gas investments and commercial real estate development.
The firm has successfully deployed and managed over $100 million since its inception. In 2015, one of his business partners sued him, and a $7 million mediated settlement was struck as a result.
Blake created Standard Development Company in 2012, a completely vertically integrated convenience store development company that develops net-leased convenience stores around the country. The company owns and manages around 250 branded and unbranded convenience stores throughout the United States as of 2022.
He launched Z Banq in 2018, a startup that uses decentralization and blockchain technology to convert any physical commodity into digital shares and create a new kind of money. He founded Standard Energy in 2021, based on his experience with the Rock Capital Group.
