Growing Pains

What happens when a clueless, desperate 22-year-old lands a "dream job" in professional sports... and discovers it's mostly cold calls, chaos, and questionable life decisions?

In Growing Pains: How Launching a Pro Soccer Team Also Launched Me, Jon Axtman takes you behind the scenes of building a professional soccer franchise in Las Vegas-and it's nothing like the highlight reels.

Armed with zero experience, a shaky moral compass, and a commission-based paycheck, Axtman dives headfirst into the unpredictable world of minor league sports. What follows is a laugh-out-loud journey through bizarre coworkers, impossible bosses, unhinged fans, and a workplace culture that feels more like a social experiment than a business.

No story is too outrageous. And somehow, he lived it all.

But beneath the absurdity lies something deeper.

As Axtman chases success in a high-pressure, low-paying, anything-goes environment, he begins to confront the real question facing every young professional:

What does it actually mean to "make it"?

Blending sharp wit, self-deprecating humor, and brutally honest reflection, Growing Pains is more than a sports memoir-it's a coming-of-age story for anyone who has ever:

• Started a career with no idea what they were doing
• Worked a job that looked better from the outside
• Felt lost while trying to "figure it all out"
• Or laughed their way through failure just to survive

Perfect for fans of humorous memoirs, sports business stories, and workplace comedies, this book delivers relentless entertainment with just enough heart to make it stick.

If you've ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes in sports-or just need a good laugh-this is your ticket in.