INDUSTRY NEWS
From Rags to Enrichment – A Tribute to the Late Wayne B. Brown by Cathryn Castle Garcia ,Owner, ClearStoryCoach.com, The Azores
I N MY WORK AS A WRITING COACH and editor/publisher, I’ve had the good fortune to work with many leaders and innovators in the scuba diving industry. I worked with Aggressor Fleet owner Wayne B. Brown to publish his book, From Rags to Enrichment: How I Define Success in Business and in Life. We were set to launch his new book during DEMA 2024 in Las Vegas, but Wayne had to cancel, last-minute. Gall bladder surgery. He said it was rou- tine. Wayne B. Brown died on March 3, 2026, after what a
success, and identifies the pet peeves he regularly deals with as an entrepreneur. Wayne’s honest, down-to-earth style of chronicling his personal ‘from rags to enrichment’ experience will probably leave you feeling like you’ve just spent time gaining valuable wisdom from a trusted friend.” A Finely Tuned BS Detector and Honesty as an Antidote to Nonsense Among the many things I learned from Wayne is that it’s pointless to try and make friends with everyone, just for the sake of “being nice.” Wayne valued honesty and integrity. He lived by these qualities, and he expected them of others, too.
press release issued by Aggressor Fleet stated was, “a very private battle with bile duct cancer.” Seems the gall bladder thing wasn’t routine, after all. Dammit. The news of Wayne’s death came as a shock. We’d worked closely together over a two-year period, collecting and refining the stories he selected to include in his book, and during that time, formed a friendship. We discussed the prospect of other books he wished to write, and future plans he had for his business and his family. He was living a full, rich, happy life. When he rattled off his to-do list of projects and
In his book, he explains, “When it comes to the people I aim to associate with, integrity is a fundamental component of the relationship. To me, the word integrity describes iron-clad honesty, the no-nonsense kind that doesn’t waiver, no matter what. It’s about doing the right thing, without any drama. Some years ago, I owned a business in partnership with a couple of friends. We decided to sell the business, and during our first discussion about selling, I said, “I
adventures, it was easy to imagine he’d live forever. I’m sorry his death is an occasion to use the cliché, “he’s gone too soon.” But it’s true. My heart goes out to his wife Dana, his children and grandchildren, the Aggressor family, and everyone who loves him and mourns his passing. To follow are a couple excerpts from Wayne’s book. I’m thankful to William Cline and Scuba Diving Industry Magazine for agreeing to honor Wayne in this way. Wisdom from a Trusted Friend Dive industry veteran and Wayne’s dear friend Doug McNeese kindly offered to provide the book’s preface, saying, “Wayne shares his unique and sometimes unconventional perspective on what success really means – and how simple it can be to achieve it for yourself. But this isn’t a formulaic business how-to book. He shares personal anecdotes about his family and friends, challenges some so-called business norms, reveals a few of his own missteps along the road to
know money has a way of making enemies out of friends. I want to make sure, right from the start, that we go through the financials carefully and put everything on the table, and we determine ahead of time how the proceeds will be divided. We need to avoid a situation that could impact our friendship.” We all agreed, and we enlisted a broker to handle the sale. We each submitted our financial records, which showed I had invested the most money in our venture. The broker used the financial data to come up with the amount each partner was to receive at closing. Because I’d put in the most money, I’d earn the most from the sale. The math was simple, but it didn’t stop the situation from getting complicated because one of the partners insisted on receiving a larger share. This might be okay when you split a lunch tab and one person’s burger is more expensive than another’s salad; maybe you’re only talking a few dollars’
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