"Ageing is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been" -David Bowie

Those words, from David Bowie, couldn't be more spot-on, as life is about continuing to evolve and striving to become a better person and professional by learning from our past experiences and from others.

Today marks 4 years since one of music's most influential artists, David Bowie, passed away. When the name David Bowie is mentioned, we, of course, think of "rock star" and "musical pioneer".

David Bowie fans like myself can go on and on about Bowie the musician and all his amazing songs and the concerts we went to, but what is sometimes overlooked is David Bowie's groundbreaking business ventures and his family-first lifestyle. Below are some of those little known or forgotten facts about Bowie, the entrepreneur, and father, and why he'll always be someone I admire, as a person even more than as a musician.

Bowie Bonds: David Bowie bet on himself when he was the first musician to offer Bonds so investors can invest in the future earnings of his music catalog. Other artists soon followed with bonds of their own. 

Bowie.net:Way before social media and chat rooms, Bowie created Bowie.net, a web-hosting platform and social community where you can engage with others in an online community in real-time. 

He was the first musician to drop a digital album completely unannounced without any advertising before the release. Mega-artists soon followed with their own surprise releases.

Work-life balance and family values. Bowie stopped touring after 2004 so he could spend more time with his family and be a full-time dad to his young daughter. 

Perseverance and passion to experiment and create: Even during the 18 months that David Bowie fought cancer before passing away, he created an award-winning musical, Lazarus, and then dropped his last album, Blackstar, on his birthday, 2 days before he died. Note that both the theater where the play was rehearsed and the studio where the album was made were both walking distance from his home, so he can continue to spend time with his family.