Profile of Success: It’s in the Bag

Cobb had been a brand manager for Samsonite. At the time, he felt that was a perfectly fine career path. But after his brush with death, he wanted more from life.

“I said, ‘If I make it beyond this, I’m going to take more chances and do something different,’” Cobb recalls. “I’d make a lasting mark because you only have one go at this. Slugging it out in a 10,000-person company where you’re one of many was a comfortable life, but I realized I wanted to do something different — something more challenging and rewarding.”