It wasn’t too long ago that John Summit, 31, (born John Schuster) was commuting home from a grueling day of accounting work in Chicago and chugging cold brews to find the energy to make music. Working at a Big Four firm like Ernst & Young meant some days ended up being nine-to-nine instead of nine-to-five.

At the time, it was numbers by day, music by night. His day job paid a $65,000 annual salary, but his real passion was making music. Whether in his college dorm or parents’ basement, music became a creative escape that would later become the launch pad for his emerging empire.

After quitting Ernst & Young for its grueling 12 hour days, another accounting job promised better hours—so he pivoted. It only lasted a couple months before he was let go, after showing up to work with bloodshot

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