Career Roadmap
Tony 's work combines: Entrepreneurship, Business, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
Some High School
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Founder & CEO:
Bachelor's Degree: Business, Marketing, Technology
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Let’s go back to the ages of 14-20 (1990-1996) when I joined the gang—went from selling drugs to becoming addicted.
2.
In '96, I decided to move away from Chicago, Illinois, to get away from the streets only to find myself getting high in the streets of Memphis, Tennessee.
3.
I didn’t last long in Memphis. I got homesick, went back to Chicago, and it was no time before I hit back into the bad habits and ended up in jail for 9 days. I decided to give Memphis another shot.
4.
This time, I came to Memphis with my girlfriend and tried to start a life on our own and it was no time again before I got back into drugs. Now in Memphis with a pregnant girlfriend and addicted.
5.
After traveling to Mississippi to work from Memphis, we decided to move to Mississippi. That’s when I started to tap into my entrepreneurial skills and decided to open up a small taco shop.
6.
Things seemed to get better but I knew nothing about managing a business so it was a struggle keeping it alive and that’s when the drugs came back into play. This time for a quick buck not just a high
7.
I got busted soon after I started and spent 9 years in prison for selling 4 lbs of weed. But that’s where I met all of the right people and when I came home, I hit the ground running.
8.
I was released in 2010 and since then, I’ve opened up several restaurants and two CBD stores and I hold the contract to feed the inmates and sell them commissary at the jail I served my time at.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
I’ve always heard I've been hard on myself because of my past. Being a two-time convicted felon and battling addiction for more than half of my life has always made me feel unworthy of my accomplishments or chasing my dreams.
How I responded:
Know who God says you are and that he has the final say so and that his plans are already written out for you it’s up to tap into his will for our lives.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I’ve not overcome my addiction. I fight it daily by staying away from the triggers, the wrong places, and the wrong people. Above all else, staying close to God and in his word.