When I was in high school in the 10th grade, I remember stopping my mom in the kitchen and telling her…”mom, I decided that I wanted to go to the NBA.” I came to that decision because that was the only way I knew to manifest my future accomplishments. I had the desire to create a community center and a youth center to bring forth an environment to promote growth in our young people, along with a place to have fun while gaining life skills. I wanted to feed the hungry around the world, be able to sponsor people financially in their endeavors that I wanted to help in, and fulfill the dream that I had since the 4th grade of being a business-man.
How was I to accomplish all of these things? It’s going to take tons of money! Millions of dollars! That is why I came to the conclusion of going to the NBA. At that time, I was one of the best players on my varsity basketball team, and the only door that I saw to make millions of dollars, was through the NBA (professional basketball league). I was phenomenal and track but that sport doesn’t pay out as much and I did love football enough to dedicate that much time to develop skills.
I knew from an early age that I desired to travel to different places and work without sticking to the traditional 9-5 job and being stuck in one area the whole time. This was at a time where teleworking was not a common term. I didn’t know how this was going to happen, but all I knew was that I had a dream.
I ended up being the MVP of my basketball team my senior year, but not being heavily recruited for collegiate basketball. The real journey began. Everything I did, every thought, and every move I made was with being a professional basketball player. I got better, bigger and stronger, but at the end of the day it wasn’t enough. What happens when your body begins to break down and you can no longer do the things you used to? This is what began to happen to me in my pursuit of a dream…
There had to be a way out of the typical 9-5 rat race, but I personally didn’t know anyone who had attained that lifestyle. I had the desire to have the luxury of wanting to live in the northern states during the summer and traveling back to the south during the winter. I remember telling one of my close friends in NY that I hated the cold, and in the future, I wanted to be able to work in the south during the winter. 6 months up north and 6 months down south, that is what I desired. My friend’s response?
“Ant-Man”, you’ll never be able to do that.”
I remember sitting in my driver seat with a blank look on my face as we both looked forward at the road as I was driving. I didn’t have a response, but I knew the desire and a dream that was burning inside of me. How do you express something to an individual who does not have the capability to think on the same terms as you? How can that person help you achieve your goal? They Can’t.
I needed to find a way to not only find something that wasn’t a typical job so I can travel, but I needed to make an unusual amount of money! I wanted to be able to open community centers and youth centers for young people to have a safe environment to grow up and play in. I wanted to create a basketball court and soccer fields to teach young people about different sports and to have tournaments on the weekends as an alternative to being on the streets or to step away from video games. The only option I saw to accomplish these things was through basketball. I chased the dream for as long as my body could, to only play up to my potential a handful of times and for my body to give up. I was good…but I wasn’t LeBron James. The NBA was something that slowly slipped from out of reach as an option to make millions of dollars to fulfill my dreams. What was I to do next?
Collegiate basketball was done, and I wanted to play some kind of sport professionally, but I had a bummed knee that would not get better. What was I to do? Then, from out of nowhere, I came across some people in a small business where I got linked up in network marketing. This is where the mindset begin to shift for me.
I went to this meeting with a group of business men and women, saw a presentation, and was blown away by the fact that I could make a good amount of money over the course of years, but I had to put the system to work. The problem was that I didn’t feel as if I had the skills to do what the business required of me. I had to talk to people, sell things, and become knowledgeable of products that I had no desire of using myself, and plenty of other things, but I saw an OPPORTUNITY. This was the first time that I saw something outside of sports that could allow me to accomplish that which was brewing in me all along.
As the bible says about Jesus while he grew up from a little boy…I began to grow in wisdom and stature. I became a student of “the game”. I went to tons of business meetings and conferences, I had successes, met tons of new people, sold products, overcame my fears of talking to people…but I just couldn’t truly break the success barrier. I just couldn’t get my business over the hump!
I worked even more harder, going out to local flea markets to sell my products, driving 2 hours to other locations to network and recruit other team members to grow my business, handing out business cards to many people that I didn’t know, but still…no growing business. This was a frustrating mari-go-round for a few years. It felt as if the dream was slipping away. But sometimes in those moments, you don’t see the transformation on the inside of you even though you’re experiencing failures.
Even though I had yet to achieve the successes I wanted with this business, the character that I grew during this time, was priceless and irreplaceable. The skills that I picked up, being able to read body language easily, being able to connect with any person in front of me to create trust at the snap of a finger without even blinking…everyone cannot do that. Why? Because they didn’t have to go through what I went through to acquire my skills. The same goes for you. Everyone may not relate you and your personality, but hardly anyone can go through the things you went through in life to acquire the skills that you have obtained.
I had the chance to move back home and complete some of my schooling to gain some computer certifications. In that time, I spent a lot of time reading and developing my newly acquired skills. I happened to be up late at night, and one of those weird infomercials came on after one of the tv programs I was watching. You know those weird 30 min commercials that is trying to sell you a knife or something at 1am in the morning? Yea, one of those.
This guy came on and began to talk about real estate. He spoke about closing deals and making a ton of money. The best part about it was that he was able to use these no-money-down techniques! My ears perked up. As he began to talk about creating a lifestyle where you don’t have to struggle and how the housing market at that time was perfect for such techniques, the time was NOW! I’ve seen this guy’s face on tv before but I never paid him any attention. Apparently, he was a big deal. He then had a book he was selling. Nothing more, nothing less. I purchased the book without hesitation and could wait to get my book from this guy named Dean Graziosi.
Around the same time, I had ordered a book about internet marketing. I didn’t know much about internet marketing, but it sounded interesting. Once again, I could see the opportunity in it. However I wasn’t sure if I could trust the guy on tv because he seemed a bit fake to me, however, the things he was talking about had a lot of facts. Just like Dean Graziosi, Anthony Morrison was selling a book of how to get started in internet marketing and how he became a millionaire at a young age. By the time I received these two books, I consumed them. You should also know that I HATED reading with a passion, but I ate these books like it was the best desert I ever had. This was a turning point in my life in terms of entrepreneurship.
The internet marketing intrigued me greatly, but in order to do a lot of the things taught in the book felt unethical to me. I couldn’t push myself to do some of the things. It also required that I purchased certain programs that charged monthly fees. Money that I didn’t really have at the time. This was my first introduction to product creation and monthly subscriptions online, which is something I’ve became an expert in at this present time. Then from out of nowhere, I received a parcel of mail saying that I was invited to a real estate meeting. I got a free ticket! FREE!?!?
So I went, and once again my eyes were opened! I saw more opportunity! People purchasing homes for a few thousand dollars, and cash flowing on them after 3 years. People buying burnt homes for a few hundred dollars, fixing the up and making boat loads of money! How did they do this? I realized that all I needed was to close one deal, and I could be on my way to achieving my dream goals! One thing stood in the way. At the end of the presentation, I had to spend $1,997 in order to go to a 3 day coaching event that was an hour away in order to learn these secrets. I”EVE NEVER SPENT THAT TYPE OF MONEY BEFORE! I think the most I ever spent on at the moment was $150 and that was for a pair of Jordan shoes in high school. And even then I felt like I sinned for spending so much money on something that was on my feet.
Thankfully, I had a credit card and I spent the money. Fast forward, to the end of that event, I ended up spending another $7,000 to start my own real estate business at the end of that event. I had access to information, coaches that has closed many deals before, and a bright future to make a lot of money!!! At least so I thought:(
The next 2 years was another list of failures and I desperately tried to close my first deal. I would spend time calling these “professional coaches” to help me find motivated sellers, but I found out that I had to ask the perfect questions in order to get any good answers from these people. The time window was closing because I only had access to certain resources for a limited of time. If I didn’t close a deal within that time window, I practically would be on my own from that point. I would read, try the techniques, have 1 on 1 phone calls that were only 30mins at a time to find out that they had to get off of the phone for another phone call with another client, and I would try some more with no luck. Now not only have I never spent this type of money before, but I also have debt that I never have had before. At this point, I’m done. My entrepreneurial efforts is not going anywhere no matter how hard I try.
What do you do when you have tried all you can to accomplish something and you don’t get the goal that others have promised if you work hard? How do you feel when you have a dream and you realize that you may never be able to touch it, and you have to slowly release the grip of if to only watch float away in the horizon even though you still have an unexplainable desire? Do you quit? Do you regroup? What about the bottomless pit feeling in the stomach that doesn’t go away for hours or weeks? Are you crazy? Do you tell all the people that doubted you that they were correct?
I stared at all of these thoughts and feelings in the face. I rolled and tossed in bed. I just knew God had placed the gift of entrepreneurship in me. I couldn’t be feeling these desires for no reason, because no one else gave them to me. I didn’t even know anyone who accomplished these things to give me the desire! And then I remembered a talk from a successful business name Laniger who coined his talk as “Entreprenu”.
It is times like these that you have to realize that you are a entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs always end up doing things that hare not normal. We find ways where there are no ways. We find doors where there are no doors. That is the whole things about being a entrepreneur. When there is an obstacle, you need to ENTREPRENU! There will be times that are up and times that are down, but you must always be wise and entreprnu. Those who have reached the top, all have stories like this, but no one has been honest as to when they hit the bottom of their business or businesses…sometimes their 4th or 5th business, until they tasted true freedom and success. I decided to give this real estate thing one more try. I had to entreprenu.
I tried to close a deal after I found one more person’s programs. He seemed honest, and full of integrity. I put in use some of his techniques and they seemed to be bringing me more success than the previous program I spent a ton of money on. I only paid about $37 for this one, but still no deals. Although I didn’t have any deals, it seems like I can trust this man Jamel Gibbs. In his one program, I was able to get more progress in my business in 1 week, than with the 10 real estate “knuckleheads” that I paid thousands of dollars for! Obviously, I needed someone to tell me what I was doing wrong so I can close it deal. I had to call this guy for his coaching. This was going to be my last shot or I was going to hang it up.
I stared his 30 day coaching for $999. He told me I wasn’t consistent and that I was jumping around too much. I had the knowledge and know-how for all of these techniques but I was a master at none. The light bulb went off for me. I had yet to stick to one thing and perfect it to give it a real chance! Jamel Gibbs told me to put out bandit signs CONSISTENTLY for 2 weeks and to see what happens. Fast forward and BOOM! Within 30 days, I had 2 deals locked up under contract and I closed them for $10,000 net profit! My first deal finally closed and within 30 days after I chugged along for 2 years! I couldn’t believe it! Best of all, I was getting married that year, and I paid for my wife’s ring and the gold package of the real estate coaching! From that point I never looked back and more doors began to open. Real estate has been my most successful venture thus far to this day.
Since then, I’ve been able to buy internet marketing coaching and on my first JV launch, I created a digital product and we were able to sale over 300 copies!! As far as real estate goes, I continue to score and knockdown real estate deals every year. What an accomplishment to go from knowing nothing about real estate, to being a professional in real estate who owns property. WOW! Who would’ve ever guessed!?
Now, I’m able to share my experiences with others as they try to “entreprenu” their ways to success. I’m about helping people. I get total satisfaction out of it! Imagine the feeling of having a dream and not knowing how to get it, only to meet another individual who can prove to you that it can be done, and then show you the resources of how you can do it! Your world changes! A man by the name of Mick Murdock says “you’re one person away from your season to be changed”. Jamel Gibbs was that one person for me.
Coaching and consistency were the 2 key things that changed my world around. What is it going to be for you? They says coaching takes 2-3 years of mishaps and failures from your business. I’m a testament of that being true. Emancipation Occupation was made for you. PLEASE, take advantage of everything that I release to you. All of the programs, the tips, tricks, motivation, words of wisdom…EVERYTHING that I release to you. I assure you that you can benefit from it all. Join my mailing list so I can stay in touch with you via email. There are essential things that I send out that are not on my website.
I wish you the very best, and please, don’t lose touch of your dreams. They’re attainable. If it is real to you, it doesn’t have to be real to anybody else.
