BDSS Embrace Your Stepping Stones

1
Travis C. Patterson Dante D. Gibson Chantal J. Brown
Billion Dollar Success Stories:

How To Embrace Your Stepping
Stones To Build A Successful
Empire
Authors:
Travis C. Patterson ~ Dante D. Gibson ~ Chantal J. Brown
Contributing Authors:
Anonymous~ Benedict Akwetey~ Italia Anguiano~ Eric

Bettis~ Georgia Broeder ~ Qiana Cannon~ Jeremy
Colon~ Brian Davis~ Anthony DeLoatch~ Gerald Dial~
Sundey Gardner~ Antrick Gaston~ Sharon Gibson~ Li-
Min Huang~ Christopher Marshall~ Dylan Nay~ Michele
Okoh-Bernis~ Crystal Richardson~ Dr. Chad Risoldi~
~Kimberly Russ ~Chris Taylor~ Jason Taylor~ Zohaib
Valliani~ Ledra Walker~ Chidell Watkins~ Noel Walsh~
Rodney Wise~ Al-twann Wesson~ Artreice
Westmoreland~ Imani Williams~ Jessica Williams~
Leslie Williams III
2
Published: Success Press & Media LLC.
P.O. Box 1874 Wilson, NC 27894
Publisher & Editor In Chief: Travis C. Patterson
Senior Editor: Quita Weaver
Editor: Tawanda Auston
Front & Back Cover Photo: Sergi Ferrete
Front & back Cover Design: Success Press & Media LLC
3
Copyright © 2016
Travis C. Patterson, Dante D. Gibson, Chantal J. Brown
Billion Dollar Business Builders
Champion Business Builders LLC.
Champion University
Success Press & Media LLC.
All rights reserved
4
DEDICATION
Time & Relationships are the most valuable assets in new

Life. With time, you will find the opportunity to build
relationships, build finances, start , grow, and sell businesses.
With Relationships, you can make moments that value more
than paper with colorful ink that spends fast and makes slow
for the average person. We are dedicating this book to you,
the Billion Dollar Dreamer. We all have stories that make up
our past of who and what we are today. Embrace your past.
Turn your fear into faith and your pain into progress. For,
there are no such things as Billion Dollar Ideas. There are
only Billion Dollar Executions. How has your past stepping
stones developed your path & journey? Do you know how to
take those same stepping Stones to build UP a Successful
Empire? May our failures, stepping stones, and pasts be a gift
for your present to build your successful future.
Forward Momentum Without Fear Just Makes You A Fool.

-Teddy Glenn Broeder, The Dreamer
5
CONTENTS
Dedication Pg 5
Acknowledgments Pg 10
1 Benedict Akwetey Pg 13
2 Italia Anguiano Pg 16
3 Eric Bettis Pg 22
4 Georgia Broeder Pg 26
5 Chantal J. Brown Pg 29
6 Qiana Cannon Pg 36
7 Jeremy Colon Pg 39
8 Brian Davis Pg 48
9 Anthony DeLoatch Pg 53
10 Gerald Dial Pg 58
6
11 Sundey Gardner Pg 66
12 Antrick Gaston Pg 72
13 Sharon Gibson Pg 75
14 Dante D. Gibson Pg 79
15 Li-Min Huang Pg 84
16 Christopher Marshall Pg 94
17 Dylan Nay Pg 103
18 Travis C. Patterson Pg # 106
19 Michele Okoh-Bernis Pg # 111
20 Crystal Richardson Pg # 117
21 Chad Risoldi Pg # 121
22 Kimberly Russ Pg # 125
7
23 Chris Taylor Pg 128
24 Jason T. Taylor Pg 134
25 Zohaib Valliani Pg 138
26 Ledra Walker Pg 146
27 Noel Walsh Pg 151
28 Chidell Watkins Pg 155
29 Al-twann Wesson Pg 161
30 Artreice Westmoreland Pg 166
31 Imani Williams Pg 169
32 Jessica Williams Pg 175
33 Leslie A. Williams III Pg 179
34 Rodney Wise Pg 183
35 Anonymous Pg 186
8
How To Embrace Your Stepping Stones To Build A Successful Empire
9
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To our friends, family, and mentors: We recognize without

our moments together, success would be the consequence of
stumbling on our stepping stones and learning not how we
arrived. Thank you for supporting our growth, development
and dreams. This book was designed to raise funds for small
businesses across the planet. As of today, 30+ Entrepreneurs
became authors to support each other’s businesses through
sharing Stepping Stones to help readers embrace their rocky
paths and repurpose their way to success. Every book that is
purchased supports & invests into small business owners and
dreamers across the world. You are growing & investing in
the world’s economy and truly making a difference in
Billions of lives.
Follow our growth on Facebook:
Billion Dollar Business Builders
And if you would like to follow our journey through our

newsletter: Text DREAMSMALLBIZ to 44222 to Enroll
Maybe you can Author our next book! See You Soon
10
4 weeks ago, June 2016 there was a conversation taken place
that there are a lot of entrepreneurial groups on the internet,
but is there a group that is teaching, growing, partnering,
inspiring, and funding?
4 Members have Started Businesses

35 Entrepreneurs have become Authors
5 Businesses will be Funded from 60% of profits from this
Book starting September 1st for 2016
8,000+ Entrepreneurs Have The Same Opportunities
11
12
You will never go broke again with establishing a plan B.

Start looking for ways and opportunities to expand your
income streams so one source of income will not determine
your circumstances expenditures. That is how you get to gain
& achieve financial freedom. Knowing you have financial
options keeps you and your family safe from the trending
economic difficulties.
Benedict Akwetey
13
“Expand your income

streams so one source of
income will not determine
your circumstances“
14
Can you relate to this stepping stone? Or do you know a

friend or family member that can get something out this
story? What is it and why?
_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
15
My name is Italia Anguiano, and the majority of my life I

have had to be strong. My mom never wanted to admit that she
was out of control, so as a child I grew up watching her
struggle. The first instance I had to show the world I was strong
was when my step dad molested me. Not only did this affect
my self-esteem it also affected my identity. I grew up with the
belief that it was wrong to cry. Also grew up with the belief
16
that I had no identity, to begin with because it had been stolen.

So when we moved away from my stepdad- not only had he
inflicted misery, but he also inflicted a fear and distrust of the
world.
At 17 I was afraid to enter a store by myself. It wasn't until
I met a very ambitious friend of mine that I became interested
in my own self-development. She spent years encouraging me
to reach for my dreams and become who I originally am.
I decided that I would change the world, by taking a bold
step forward into my own healing.
I would truly understand where that decision would lead me
after my mom passed in a horrific car crash on May 13th, 2013.
I felt that it was important to be strong for everyone around
me. You know, I just desire to relate to the people right now
that carry the weight of being strong for people. It is so hard
right now, and there might be so much pressure! I soon
discovered that the only way to be truly strong?...was to take a
break.
My break happened when I forgave myself, my break
evolved when I forgave my mother, my stepdad; and anyone
else that I carried resentment towards. Not only did this lift a
huge weight off my shoulder, but it also allowed me to work
on my identity again.
My identity started with love, my purpose became clear
17
when I forgave, and I became a stronger person internally when

I opened up to the outside world. I have come to realize that
the overall mission was not about me- it was about helping
others to heal too.
It's just insane how every single, solitary detail has helped
to manifest a good life- ..good because there was bad.
Isn't it beautiful that we have time to work on ourselves?
Today I am just so inspired because I started reaching out,
and began speaking about what happened. In doing that, I
realize that other people have gone through similar things, and
in that I found comfort. It honestly created an opportunity to
realize how bold we really are for seeking answers, and finding
truth.
The truth is we are resilient, we are time-tested, quality
approved, and a deserving life guaranteed Brand. This is what
I want to proclaim to every person who crosses my path.
If as a child I didn't feel understood, now I want people
around me to feel understood, if as a teenager I did not feel
loved- I want others to feel loved if I grew up not believing in
myself; then it is so incredibly important that you believe in
yourself.
This is such a massive journey, and I'll tell you it's not
always easy, but trust and believe; that you have what it takes,
and so do I.
18
Italia Anguiano
19
“I decided that I would

change the world, by taking
a bold step forward into my
own healing”
20

friend or family member that could get something out of this
_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
21
I think my largest stepping-stone to get over was how was I

going to make it in this world as a black man. As I was
approaching my teen years I told my mom I would be a
millionaire at the age of 15 years old but the cruel reality of
this world forced me to believe I would not make it to the age
of 18 years old. I had the pit of success in me early but the
stones of not living a long prosperous life as a black man was
hitting me hard. Trouble followed me but somehow it did not
penetrate.
22
My solution to that stepping-stone came the day I decided

to trust God. I heard Jeremiah 29:11 ringing in my ear from the
pulpit: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the
LORD, “plans to PROSPER you and not to harm you, plans to
give you HOPE and a FUTURE. Every since then I grew and
grew to take God at His word and to live a life of no regrets
and to take chances on your dreams and desires.
Today those dreams and desires have turned into
opportunities I could not have imagined that has thrust me into
Entrepreneurship and an owner of a few businesses. I am
loving this journey and I am enjoying the risk that most people
fear to step towards or into….Entrepreneurship
Eric Bettis
23
“Take chances on your

dreams and desires”
24

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
25
We've struggled financially for years, working jobs that we

hated to make ends meet, while our passions died. We weren't
getting ahead, we weren't loving life. So, we made a goal, I'd
go to school for Business Management (which I did) and we'd
open a restaurant or food truck since my husband's passion is
cooking. In return, I'd get to open a girl's "Geek" camp, a
nonprofit to encourage young women in male-dominated
industries. www.geekdommom.com/
-Georgia Broeder
Forward Momentum without fear just makes you a fool. -
Teddy Glenn Broeder, Dad
26
“Working jobs that we

hated to make ends meet,
while our passions died “
27

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
28
MOMM: Making of a Multi-Millionaire. It was a warm

spring morning, birds were chirping as the sun rays hit my face
and……scratch that this is normally how fictional fairytales
start off. This what I am about to tell you is a non-fiction, true
life harsh reality of how my life’s encounters brought me to
where I am today. These are the stepping stones to my success
and the true “Making of a Multi-Millionaire.”
I was at the age of 20 my high school sweetheart and I
29
had been parents for almost three years and we wanted to

provide our son with a backyard to play in and a place that we
could call home. On my initiative, we decided to have our first
home built. The long awaited moving day had finally come
February 1, 2003, as the disaster of Space Shuttle Columbia
fell apart over the skies that I looked upon that morning, I
couldn’t help but feel blessed on this new venture in our lives.
No more than a year later I decided to open my own in home
childcare. This would allow me to be at home with my son and
ensure that other kids would have the attention and quality care
that they needed. Just after attaining my licensure I quit my
full-time job to take leap of faith, or should I say a leap of faith
on my fiancé. Well shortly after that, my fiancé decided that he
no longer wanted to be this family unit and decided to part
ways. I was left with no money, electricity was soon to be cut
off, and a 3-year-old son that was the only thing that kept me
sane. It was the moment to where I knew that I will never feel
the way that felt the day that my son asked for a $5 happy meal
from McDonald’s and I had to tell him “No” because mommy
didn’t have the money and was driving around with the gas
light on just to make it home from a job interview.
I made it my goal to never allow anyone to have that kind of
control over me or my finances again. I got a job paying little
to nothing, started taking college courses, and figuring out
30
what I really wanted out of life and what makes me happy. I

would go to school, work, come home, took my son to his
football activities, and handling all other motherly duties.
While in school met my future husband. I was a bit reserved
but his Jewish lifestyle showed me that he was different and
was worth me giving him a chance. We built our family, as I
continued to pursue my college endeavors, worked, became a
wife, and again a mother. There were many changes that I
encountered in my marriage from lies, deceit, and loss of trust.
I gave my all, I would wake up at 4am to make him breakfast
and lunch for the day. I made sure that he didn’t have to come
home and his dinner wasn’t cooked. I would even bake
homemade cookies for him at 2am whenever he wanted and
got in late. Even with all that I did in my marriage, I couldn’t
figure out for the life of me why he felt the need to go on his
own way and leave his family behind my senior year of college.
He left and again I was in the struggle of having to figure out
how to now tend to three children and continue to finish my
Baccalaureate degree.
Despite, I was able to attain my degree and walk across the
stage. I found a job not directly in my field of study but bills
had to be paid. Being that my degree is in Social Work, I
always look for a way to help people. When I used free
resources to learn how to repair and rebuild my credit, I taught
31
people. When I learned how to coupon shop to use my finances

wisely, I taught others. When I learned what a good resume
looked like, I wrote them for friends. When I would come
across a place that was hiring, I would call friends that were
unemployed or referred them for open positions at my
company. When I purchased my second home, I am helping
others to attain the American Dream. I sat at my desk one day
and thought what I could do to help people start a new life and
start this new journey to being successful.
A light went off in my head and I had this grand idea that
would take the world by storm and change the way recruiting
would be done. Hey Peek Me was brought to me by a higher
power and the energies of this earth. I then knew that I would
be successful and greatness was upon me. I would wake up
feeling like a million bucks and my account was at its
minimum. I invested a lot in my company and even had my
first web designer steal my money and never gave me a
product. I kept pushing past the obstacles in my road of life
because I knew this was my ticket to never feel the way I felt
the day my fiancé and my husband walked away from me.
Although a challenging life road traveled I now know that the
greater good is to continue to assist people in making them
better and leading them down the ultimate road to their success.
32
“I will never feel the way

that felt the day that my son
asked for a $5 happy meal
from McDonald’s and I
had to tell him “No”
because mommy didn’t
have the money“
33

friend or family member that can get something out this
_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
34
In my life while trying to achieve my version of success, I

have come across many road blocks; I have come across a road
block called net cash, I have come across a road block called
inexperience, I also came across a road block called the
naysayers, this includes family and friends. Oh but the worst,
the absolute worst stumbling block I have ever come across is
doubt and fear. These two stumbling blocks are the dashers of
dreams and the hindrance of headway. So my Biggest
Stumbling Block has been Myself! The good news is these can
all be overcome, whether your dreams are to just have a
35
successful family life or to build a billion-dollar business.
How did I overcome these arrows, darts, stumbling blocks,

roadblocks, or whatever name you want to give them? They
come in many forms but with the same purpose, to hinder your
progression towards purpose and proceeds; or do they? The
solution for me is FORTITUDE and FAITH. I had an aha
moment and realized that every setback was a set-up for my
greater. Yes, these setbacks do come for a purpose; to build
character, to equip, and to educate. Because you see it’s all
about your vantage point. The vantage point you take will
determine if you take those roadblock and turn them into
building blocks and part of your foundation. So when coming
against a foe or a situation that may be stopping or hindering
progress take another vantage point and you may begin to see
it as a building block.
"Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true
education.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Know Thy Impact
Qiana Cannon
36
“I also came across a road

block called the naysayers,
this includes family and
friends”
37

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
38
Jeremy Colon is a 24-year-old and certified personal trainer

and life coach residing in Boston, MA. He is the owner and
founder of multiple businesses, namely JC Enterprises,
BlessedYou Clothing, and ARtistry Management Group.
His Story
The biggest stepping stone in my life happened on on July
31st, 2013 when I made the decision to give my father my
kidney. This was not an easy decision for me to make, but I
knew it was the right thing to do. An unknown virus plagued
39
my father in November of 2012 and left him physically weak,

mentally ill, and overall hopeless. He did not break the news to
my family until the eve of the New Year—coincidentally my
21st birthday. My father pulled me aside to have a talk; I did
not anticipate that the conversation would be about him dying
slowly from the virus with only one year left to live, unless he
could receive a kidney transplant. The doctors told him that he
could wait for a donor, but at the time donors were not certain.
There was no exact timeline as for how long the process would
take, unless someone close to him was eligible to donate their
kidney.
There are new words to describe how I felt, hearing my
father tell my mother, my four siblings, and myself that he was
dying. He refused to ask us to even offer donating a kidney
unless we truly wanted to. My mother’s face drowned in tears,
her eyes pleading for help. He wa everything she had. Not only
was my father the main breadwinner of the family, he was also
the only person who loved and balanced my mother out. The
candidates for my father’s kidney donation, based on his blood
type, were between my two brothers and myself. I couldn’t
allow my brothers to do this; Jordan my twin brother, had a
one-year-old daughter at the time and was working long hours
at Massachusetts General Hospital while going to community
college; Jonathan on the other hand, was autistic so it was not
40
right to ask him to even consider it.

It was my decision alone to do this. I didn’t have an
obligations and I believed I could bounce back because I was
in the best shape of my life; mentally, I knew I could do
anything once I set my mind to it . During that time, I was in
my sophomore year at Lesley University studying business
management. One could only imagine what my mind was
going through with school and my father’s crisis. Once I
stepped up to the plate and made the decision to give my kidney
to my father, I had to undergo a grueling and intensive six
months of testing to see if I was a perfect match. Kidney donors
are required to be at maximal health and physical condition
because the body had to adjust to living with one kidney from
two. Jordan ended up going through the test with me because
in the Colon family, “family is everything.” We could not
fathom allowing the other brother doing it alone. The testing
consisted of, but was not limited to, blood drawing, kidney
injections, psychological counseling, insurance meetings, and
CAT scans. After months of testing and being mentally drained
from the process, the testing concluded on June of 2013. The
results were that I was a 100% match and Jordan was a 99.9%
match. Soon after the results, the kidney surgeon announced
that the operation would happen at the end of July.
41
(July 31st, 2013 7am)

My mind was in a special place and I knew I had to get
myself out of it to prepare for this. The testing really left an
impact on me. During the testing, all I could remember was the
insurance agents telling me that at any point I can say, “I don’t
want to this” and then it would all be over. I knew, however,
that I could not give up on my father. I owed my life to him
because his humble beginnings made me the selfless person I
am today. I could not let the guilt of my actions be the reason
for his death and the eventual collapse of my family.
42
(July 31st, 2013 11:30 am)

My family was and is everything to me! I did not want my
mother to become a widow to take care of two autistic brothers
and a daughter by herself, and I didn’t want my 11-year-old
sister to grow up without a father. I could not see a future where
my niece and my future children would grow up without
grandfather like I did.
43
(July 31st, 2013 12:30pm)

I decided to man up and not let life hit me. I turned my
nervousness and cynicism into optimism and enthusiasm. For
me, all I could ask myself was , “How bad do I want it?” If I
wanted to move on in my life, I had to do it. After six grueling
hours under the knife, the kidney transplant surgery was
deemed successful. My father, Orlando Colon, was saved. I
woke up to the news that my father did not reject the kidney I
donated, and I was announced a hero for my actions.
44
(3 years later – June 17th, 2016)
45
“I turned my nervousness
and cynicism into optimism
and enthusiasm”
46

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
47
I am an Internet Entrepreneur!
My wife and I have a passion for helping people live their
Dreams and Have the Money to Enjoy their Life Now!
I know for myself...I have worked so much to help fulfill

someone else's dream or vision! It was time to break free and
begin to live the dreams in our heart! I like most people
sometimes forget that we only have one life to live so we put
our dreams off until the Future.
But usually, this strategy means our dreams never actually
48
come to pass!
I know for my family... If we don't schedule our dreams we
will be working for someone who is scheduling their Life
Purpose every week!
Since we have chosen to become Internet Entrepreneurs and

follow the journey of others who are living their dreams we are
making our dreams become reality!
One big Reason we desire to succeed currently is to Never

be dependent upon any other person for anything in Life!
Because in my journey I have been too long and it's not a good
road to be on to be successful! But if you are reading this
remember...Your past is over. But choose to embrace the vision
of your future!
We have chosen to build a business that we can operate from

anywhere!
It is helping us solve other people's problems and see them

live their dreams Now! Our business is helping people take all
their spending habits and turn it into weekly residual income,
therefore, they can live their dreams now!
49
Our business partners are from all walks of Life but have
chosen to have a Vision for their future greater than their Past!
Brian Davis
50
“If we don't schedule our

dreams we will be working
for someone who is”
51

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
52
Stepping Stone: Growing up as little boy in the small town

of Princeville, NC I always had big dreams and aspirations.
Though I was surrounded with poverty and the other less than
glamourous conditions of the “hood”, I never let that limit my
imagination. I remember my mother working her butt off to
keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. It was the tin
roof of a super-small singlewide trailer, but we were thankful
for it. Deep down inside I still knew that I was created for
greatness. So in 2013 when I was faced with trouble from
every direction you can imagine I was thinking to myself
53
“Where did I go wrong?” I had lost a job I loved with a

reputable company paying good money. I was the sole
provider for my family so this in itself was devastating, but was
also facing eviction, repossession, and negative bank accounts.
I felt like my life was headed on a downward spiral. At one
point I even thought about ending it all. Thank God that’s not
the end of the story.
Solution: Les Brown often uses the quote “If you can look
up, you can get up!” One day when I was sitting in my
apartment (the one I couldn’t pay the rent on) and I looked up
and thought “How am I going to get out of this?” God spoke
clearly to my spirit and said “Use what’s in your hand.” I
didn’t fully understand what that meant at the time, but I knew
it was time for me to take action. The first thing I had to do
was change my thinking. Stinking thinking was keeping me
trapped in this situation. I had to train my mind to stop
focusing on what I had lost. I had to realize that I could use
what I had left to make my comeback. I had to start over, but
starting over was not a burden it was blessing! Next, I had to
set some goals. I have a saying that I use when I’m speaking
“If you are in a hole, set a goal because fear and doubt won’t
get you out!” I had to decide and be clear I want what I wanted
to accomplish. Lastly, I had to grind! Yep, that’s right, I had
to grind. My work ethic went into overdrive. I would get up
54
at 5am and would go to sleep until 1 am. I was in my zone!

During this time I started 2 businesses with no money that still
pay me residual income to this day. Now, I am an entrepreneur,
speaker, and soon-to-be Author. My book Hustle & Grind will
be released fall of 2016. My passion is teaching people how to
conquer obstacles and achieve their goals. With God you can
conquer anything!
Anthony DeLoatch
55
“I had to realize that I

could use what I had left to
make my comeback”
56

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
57
Stepping stones of success. When it come to the word

success many people will have a different viewpoint and
outlook on the subject , some will explain principles that they
may have read , some will explain off of personal experience
some will even quote passages from books on success . When
it boils down to it no one really knows what it may take to
become successful .
To become successful we always hear the regular the normal

, no days off , no sleep , all grind , etc .
As you take a look at it , all of the above is correct , but on
the contrary, it is just a small portion in a big buffet , plain and
58
simple .
The road to success is was bigger than most will imagine.

There are stepping stones that one must take on the road to
entrepreneurship, the same as stepping stones into life .
A young man like myself should know and understand this
meaning of stepping stones , and embracing the process . I
started this journey really not long ago , really just recent after
release from prison and the street life . As I started this journey
many people question me on how hard and or easy is the
process , truth be told it is hard .
I sincerely believe on the road to success the main stepping

stone that one has to embrace is mental . The mental is the
strongest part of the body , the strongest muscle one may have
. Train the mental on success in itself is a stepping stone .
Coming into entrepreneurship I had to change my mindset
from the way it was a drug dealer , to the way it needs to be as
a C.E.O or even as a leader of a company .
The way a person looks at money is all in thought , the way

a person will handle adversity all starts with the thought , the
way a person will think of production and operations etc , is all
in thought . The thought process in a must to build on , not just
59
in business but in life . The major stepping stone of success that

I will say is embracing the process .
In life and success, many obstacles will come our way and
we have to think differently than we will if we had a regular 9-
5. The work attitude and the attitude towards success are way
different . Chasing your dreams requires one to act and react to
situations on another level .
As I write this I think to myself what do I have to embrace

for a better life a better me . I find the answer to be simple but
not simple in action . The way I think . I must think differently
from my old self. When adversity strikes and I feel like giving
up , I understand that is a part of the process. Reading a subject
on my field and watching videos that may not keep my
attention is also a part of the process .
Something that myself along with many others , coming into

a new game , a new journey , can be the utmost overwhelming
; soon as I start to feel as I am a failure , I already lost the battle
right there . Every time I find myself in a situation where it is
hard I have to think to myself ; continue to think positive” .
Having any negative thoughts towards something I want to do
, is tumultuous and frivolous towards any possible positive
60
outcome .
As stated the mental is the strongest part of a human body .

A human body can only operate correctly by correct nutrients,
food, and water . The same will apply to the brain . As a new
up and coming entrepreneur, I have to embrace the process of
gaining knowledge , knowledge that is dull , boring , but can
bring me far . I cannot think of knowledge the way I did before
this journey because knowledge is the 1 main-golden ticket in
this conversation .
The next stepping stone one has to embrace is the grind .

The grind is real , the real does not care for your feelings , the
grind does not care how much work you have , the grind can
care less if you ate today , or slept last night . Let's be real, the
grind is like, a woman who knows what she wants in life and
who has respect for herself. You will not just approach a
woman with the thought of doing what you want or “this might
be easy” kind of thoughts ; because as soon as that thought is
in play you will get shut down with the quickness .
The grind is the same thing. If I get up and think for one
minute “this shit about to be easy “ I lost right there . Embrace
the process of looking at a hard up and coming battle . The
61
grind and the hustle toward your dreams have no feeling

towards you , has no commitment towards you , is not loyal to
you directly you have to work . The way you think of the hustle
has to change and be upgraded .
The next stepping stone would be to embrace is change.

Change is imperative in life. The change in attitude is the
change in the way one thinks, the change over the course of
time, and also the change in the grind and the hustle. Change
is constant either good or bad. In entrepreneurship, We have to
even embrace the change in people . If I want to be a success I
want to be around success not the homies on the block not
doing anything . Not shutting them down or out but if our views
are different how are we congruent for that time .
The ability to embrace obstacles is another stepping stone I

must point out in success. We cannot expect things to go our
way if so everyone will be doing it . When an obstacle occurs
instead of getting upset and running we need to tackle it at that
given time , but trying to figure out what works and what does
not work . They say new start-ups close down in 3-5 years ,
from lack of planning . I agree then again I do not agree . You
have to have the ambition to make it work and not run to stick
it out and chase what is yours.
62
See there are many things one needs to embrace in chasing

freedom . We all can point out at least one thing we all to
embrace and embrace the process of changing it to become
better in life, not just success. By: Gerald “ Jonathan Blaze”
Dial
63
“The change in attitude is

the change in the way one
thinks, the change over the
course of time, and also the
change in the grind and the
hustle”
64

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
65
I am Sundey Gardner, Business Strategist, and Project

Management Coach. I help Entrepreneurs and Business
Owners transform from being chaotic to purpose driven vision
implementers by applying business strategy and project
management methods to their ideas and plans.
In 2013, I was dividing my time between my full-time

corporate job, 3 offline businesses (barbershop, salon &
transportation car service), all while attempting very poorly, I
might add at being a wife and mother to our 3 kids. I’ve been
a workaholic as long as I can remember. My drive and work
ethic fueled me. I was working 15+ hours a day. I felt good
about being busy. Because in my mind being busy meant I was
66
engaged, working, keeping busy. I kept my full-time job

because the 3 businesses did not even closely replace my 1 full-
time job’s salary. But I was determined to make it work to
make one of the businesses wildly successful. I really thought
that the amount of time and effort I invested in my businesses
would equate its success. I was not taking care of myself, I
was not eating properly, I wasn’t exercising and I was in
miserable shape. Then I got really sick. Looking back it was
inevitable. I got sick to the point I had been on 4 different
antibiotics and was only getting worse. I ended up taking a
leave of absence and ended up needing surgery. I for years was
dealing with a thyroid issue that I had been ignoring. I had to
get my thyroid removed. Unfortunately, I am hard headed, my
body was screaming for rest, it was screaming STOP, but even
after surgery, I was not listening. As you can imagine my
recovery was slow and long. After 6 weeks, I made the decision
to quit my job. I wasn’t ready to go back to that demanding job,
I wanted freedom. I wanted to pursue growing and developing
my own businesses, but I wasn’t really ready to stop being an
employee, even if it was one for my own business. It was not
until money got really tight did I had a really hard decision to
make. I had to a make a choice, keep doing what I had been
doing and risk getting sicker, give up more, or change how I
ran my businesses. It was a hard pill to swallow to accept that
67
I, the workaholic was running myself into the ground and still
not getting the results I wanted. It wasn’t about the effort, it
was about planning , executing, measuring and adjusting.
I’ve been a professionally trained project manager for over
15 + years by that time. I knew the value of the plan. I lived by
plan every day in my corporate job. My #1 strength is a
strategy, but I had failed to apply my extensive experience in
the very thing I was strong in. During my long recovery period,
I made the decision to STOP working so hard, start enjoying
my life, and apply my years of corporate experience to “how”
I ran my business. I had to get out of my own way. I stopped
being an employee in my business. I developed a repeatable
process that allowed us to grow our businesses, replace my 9
to 5 income, and begin to enjoy my life. My team and I created
and implemented a business strategy. It wasn’t just some
document that sat on a shelf and collected dust. It was and
continues to be our approach to how we would get to our
vision. Every major area of our business is and continue to be
directed by that plan. It is our map to navigate through our daily
operations and special projects. I developed a growth plan, I
outsourced activities as necessary to allow me to focus on
mission-critical activities that directly impacted our vision.
I am now:
68
Focused on specific goals

I have measures for our success
I have a prioritized list of projects, and I understand their
direct impact on our vision.
My stepping stone that I overcame was “me”.
69
“It wasn’t about the

effort, it was about
planning, executing,
measuring and adjusting”
70

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
71
Being an Author is one of the most challenging things I had

ever done. I had to motivate myself to share my vision with the
rest of the world. When developing my characters, I had to get
in different mindsets and make the dialogue interesting enough
to keep the reader engaged. The second hardest thing was
trying to find a good publishing house. The book game is a
business and some publishing houses will jerk you on your
check, in spite of what their contract may say.
Gaston Antrick
72
“Had to motivate myself to

share my vision with the rest
of the world”
73

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
74
When the Dream Job Became the Nightmare!

When I was a little girl I used to go to wall street with my
mother and just stare at the big buildings.
I would say to myself “One day I am going to work in one
of those buildings”. I had no clue what took place in those
buildings, but the people in them looked successful. Corporate
was my dream job and power was my addiction. My dream
came true! I got a job in one of those big buildings as a
75
customer support manager, but soon that dream became a

nightmare. My time wasn’t my own even when I took the day
off. The VP of the company did not respect my time off. I
would receive emails and text messages which prevented me
from enjoying my family and freedom. Racism and chauvinism
were exposed and I realized that my opinion didn’t matter as
much as I thought it did. You are never free working for
someone else’s company and just as quickly as they hire you
they will fire you. I mean you have to get permission to leave
work to attend your children’s game or go out of town with
your spouse. You are given 2 days out of the week to enjoy
your life and family and the rest belong to the 9 to 5. I decided
that I want to control my own time, date my husband, and enjoy
my children while they are still young. Time waits for no one
and you have to cherish each moment God has given you. My
husband is helping me start my own e-commerce company
instead of working for someone else’s company. My story isn’t
for everyone, but I pray it gives someone the courage to trust
in your ability to break free and be your own boss.
76
“Corporate was my
dream job and
power was my
addiction.”
77

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
78
How did I embrace my stepping stone?
Well here is my stepping stone, I was getting ready for a

conference I bought a plane ticket to Vegas, I rented a tuxedo
for the banquet, and I paid for my ticket to the event. By then,
I had dropped around $500 dollars total to go to the event. I
had at the time in my account a little under $600 dollars. Now
my mind you, we didn’t even buy groceries yet. We spent $60
79
dollars on groceries and I was left with roughly around $30

dollars to go to Vegas for 5 days. At, this moment my wife,
Sharon, is extremely pissed off at me. I have depleted my bank
account and had no more money for 2 weeks. I was convinced
that this conference was going to change my life and also
change my family life forever.
I was packing my bags for the flight to Vegas, and my wife
came down stairs and started to talk to me about what is that I
am looking for from these companies. I was like, “I don’t
know”, I just need direction and help. I felt totally beat down.
Over the years I felt beat up and discourage. I help numerous
companies get wealthy. I made them millions of dollars and
save them millions. My wife was asking me when will you be
your own Boss? She said “Do you believe in working for
yourself or working for someone”. She kept telling me you are
not a Boss, you are not a Boss, and YOU ARE NOT A
BOSS. I was really upset at this moment. I told her, I was tired
of getting 1099s and I wanted to issue them. I just didn’t know
what area I was going in. It is because I had already invested
so much money, and I just went to Vegas. On my way there
my tire in my truck went flat. I could not find an air station
anywhere. I almost miss my flight to Vegas because of it. I
finally got there on boarded the plane. I was sitting in the seat
next to the window, as the plane went to the air the light bulb
80
went off, I got it! Land the plane! I don’t need to go to Vegas I
know what I can do. While at the conference in Vegas all I
could think about is IM NOT A BOSS. I saw so many people
at the conference acting like sheep, and they followed the
leaders around like they were sheep herders. People running
everywhere trying to get autographs of these guys and gals.
Confirmation! I needed to issue 1099s.
I came home from the conference and built my website and
started working on my own dreams and being the BOSS of my
own company. The amazing thing as soon as I open my firm I
got 4 clients right away. Then I partner with one of my friends
to build other great companies. The lesson I learned is that you
not a BOSS until you put up your own money. I will never
allow anyone to have that much control over my life and
become the 1099 slave. The 1099 slave is a salesman who
believes he owns his business, but in all actuality, your BOSS
own the company. You can’t hire you kids and your family will
not own your book of business. BE YOUR OWN BOSS!
Dante Gibson
81
“I felt beat up and

discourage. I help
numerous companies get
wealthy. I made them
millions of dollars”
82

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
83
The stepping stone I had to overcome was filing bankruptcy

for my business which ruined my finances and my health. I did
these 5 steps to make a comeback on having my own business
again: 1) I accepted my mistakes and the situation so I could
make things right. 2) I forgave myself and allowed for
compassion. 3) I asked for help for what I needed. 4) I reframed
failures – It’s not personal. 5) I practiced gratitude and
appreciated people and things more.
“Your greatest pain will be your greatest contribution to
humanity” -Li-Min Huang
84
I know how it feels to have a foreclosure notice on my front

door. The quick anger that it was made so public, then guilt
and shame that my neighbors probably had seen it. And the
reality finally sunk in after months of denial – I could not
pretend any longer. I was on the top of the world, thinking that
I’ve finally made it, having built up a real estate rental business
up to 14 properties. I thought I had the financial freedom that
I’d always wanted. Not having to go back to an IT job and keep
getting laid off because of reorganization or downsizing. I
wasn’t planning to time the market or gambling on
appreciation. I thought I got solid numbers for a sustainable
business going in. However, I didn’t anticipate the market
crash that would take me down to the bottom. I was in over my
head with close to one million in loans and over $80,000 in
credit card debts. After months of trying to work with the banks
and creditors to no avail, I finally decided to file for
bankruptcy. For someone who was never late for a phone bill,
it was one of the hardest steps for me to take. I had let my
partners down, my family and friends down for their belief and
investments in me. I was financially, emotionally, and
physically bankrupt. I developed chronic fatigue syndrome,
couldn’t even get out of bed most of the time or do anything
productive.
85
It took me almost a year to overcome my physical and

emotional challenges. Taking responsibility for my finances, I
went back to the workforce and started a new career as an
account executive in the corporate training field. Within 18
months I was recognized as the Sales Person of the Year.
Recently, I felt it was time to get back to pursue my
entrepreneurial path. I am currently creating a business
consulting practice and launching a talk show to help
entrepreneurs/small business owners develop strategies and
systems aligning with and supporting their vision, so they can
live their passion and purpose and create the lifestyle they
desire.
I want to share with you the 5 key lessons I learned to get

back on my feet and on track with my dreams and passion. I
sincerely hope this will help you on your journey.
Lesson 1) Accept:
“What you Resist, Persists.” -Carl Jung
I realized that the longer I was in denial of the situation, I
remained a victim. I was stuck in the mud and powerless to
make any changes. Only by accepting myself and the situation,
I opened up the space to evaluate what I did: What went right,
what went wrong, what I could have done differently and what
86
I could do to fix it... After an honest assessment, I then have

the power to look for solutions, make decisions to change the
circumstances.
Lesson 2) Forgive:
“Forgiveness is the Gift you give yourself” –Suzanne
Somers
This was one of the toughest things for me to do. I totally
blamed myself for what happened: I should have recognized
the signs even though the mentor I was following didn’t see
them. I should have known better and gotten out sooner. I
should have…
I was so angry with myself that I kept beating myself up for
my mistakes.
If you ever feel that way, you are not alone! Holding on to
resentment and grudges towards anyone, including yourself,
would not help you heal and move on. It keeps you imprisoned
in your negative emotions. As an act of self-love, you must
forgive yourself.
Forgiving myself allows me to have more compassion and
grace for myself and others. I acknowledged that I did the best
I could with what I knew or was given. None of us is perfect.
We all make mistakes. Owning the mistakes and learning from
them takes courage.
87
Lesson 3) Ask for Help:

“Ask for Help, not because you’re weak, but because you
want to Remain Strong.” –Les Brown
I was so humbled by this experience. I sought help from
realtors, fellow investors, to legal advisors to best handle the
mess I made. I requested assistance from my family to move
across the state and back home. Through friends and referrals,
I found naturopathic doctors and remedies to build my health
back. I learned that asking for help did not make me weak, it
was a sign of strength to know my limit.
Lesson 4) Reframe Failures:

“Tell yourself, ‘I’m not a failure. I failed at doing
something.’ There’s a big difference” –Erma Bombeck
It’s very hard not to take failures personally. After all,

wasn’t I the one who made the wrong choices and had to pay
the consequences? How could it not be personal?
One of my favorite leaders, John Maxell stated in his book
“Failing Forward”:
“The difference between average people and achieving
people is their perception of and response to failure.”
I started to embrace a new perspective that failures are not
88
permanent and they don’t define me. When I take the “I” out
of failures, I could be objective and open to learning from my
mistakes and experiences. It is not easy and I still practice it
every day.
I understand that our identities are so tied to what we do at
our profession or businesses that it’s difficult to separate them.
During one of our healing sessions, a very wise naturopath
doctor asked me. “Is it worth it? To lose everything to find out
who you are?” I was stunned by his question at the time. I
realized later that however painful this experience was, it was
liberating. I was able to see myself as someone who is a
fighter. Yeah, I got knock down several rounds. But I got back
up. It wasn’t about what job I held or what business I did.
Please remember: You are more than a job or a business.
You are unique and you have special gifts and talents that only
you can bring to this world. Whatever difficulties or challenges
you are facing or have overcome shed a light on who you are
and give you a chance to help others along the way.
I remind myself that I might have failed at running a

particular business or at a particular job, but I am not a failure.
The skills and experiences I developed at my previous jobs and
businesses were what made me successful in my sales career
and to my current business or future endeavors.
89
Lesson 5) Be Grateful: I am so grateful and blessed to have

family, friends and mentors who supported me throughout the
rebuilding and reinventing process. I was so focused on my
goals and achieving my definition of success, I lost sight of
what’s important. I sacrificed my health and relationships with
family and friends chasing financial success. Looking back, it
was a wake-up call for me to reassess my priorities in life. I
realized how much I have missed out on my family’s lives.
Besides my parents who have provided love and support for
me, I will always remember and appreciate my sister and my
brother-in-law’s generosity and love for taking me in when I
first embarked on a new career. Because of that, I was able to
create precious memories with my nephew and my niece and
develop close relationships with them. I reconnected with old
friends and I am making new friends. I appreciate people and
things more and I add them to my gratitude list every day.
Remember to spend time with the people you love and stop to
smell the roses.
What’s Next? Will I ever get there? “There”

I know when I achieve my current goals, I will make new
ones. Life is a journey. The road to success is never a straight
road. There will be more ups and downs along the way. All I
90
know is I want to enjoy and appreciate the moments. As one

of my clients said “Life is too short to play small…Become the
person you were always meant to be”.
I wish you the best and see you on the road…
“You create your own championship moments!”

-Li-Min Huang
91
“I remind myself that I

might have failed at running
a particular business or at a
particular job, but I am not
a failure“
92

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
93
The biggest problem in my life is that I had an issue with

limits. Through the years of 2006 to 2014, I served in the US
military. While that was a great career for most people and a
good start for me, I found it severely limiting to my character
and my potential. I never was on my own time, to accomplish
my own goals and my own dreams. I did not feel like I could
trust anyone, "my word" never meant anything unless there
was someone much higher in rank to vouch for me. And I
always felt like my abilities were lying dormant, being only
useful for things that others did not want to do. But instead of
94
constantly complaining and getting myself into trouble because

I did not like where I was, I used my skill set and my resources
available to network and learn from anyone that I could. I made
connections with people outside of the military, started
figuring out exactly what I wanted to do with my life and where
I wanted to go, and after I made a plan I started putting it into
action as much as I could with what time I had.
The first thing that I did, I asked myself "what is it that I'm
good at?" I love sports, entertainment, I love aviation or any
type of aircraft leaving the ground, and I love helping people.
Then I asked myself, "what are the attributes I want for my
future life?" I want to make money through residual and
passive income, I want to be able to spend time with family, I
don't want to work for anyone else but myself, and I want to
retire early and be able to work only when I want to with the
projects that I want to work on. This enabled me to have an
outline of what I wanted my life to be like. I immediately began
to make moves to do the things that I wanted to do. In late 2008,
I found a place to start coaching youth basketball. That
continued through two different duty stations throughout the
rest of my time in the military. I also ended up coaching and
starting up (with the help of someone I networked with) the
Fort Benning Track and Field Club, and ended up with four
youth athletes making it to the last round of the Junior
95
Olympics 2012 in the club's first year. And in 2012 I became

the assistant coach of the Fort Benning men's basketball team,
helping to take the team to the military Final Four in San
Antonio, Texas.
None of these accomplishments came without a fight. I
fought so hard to accomplish things while having a full
schedule and working 12 to 15 hours a day in uniform. I had to
deal with what we all call "haters" that were over me, and
deliberately and consistently trying to derail things that I was
doing in my free time. There were several times where I was
written up for no reason in order to justify them taking up my
time because I wasn't doing what they wanted me to do. There
was one time in 2010 where I even had my rank was taken,
money taken, and the next two weeks of my time. (They call
the time they take up "extra duty" and it usually starts after
work hours and ends as long as they want it to up until
midnight. You are still expected to return early in the morning.
There are no breaks or weekends.) There were also several
times when my teams would have to travel for competition, but
my supervisors would not let me go. The last game I got a
chance to go to coaching the men's basketball team at Fort
Benning, Georgia, we won the conference championship at
Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama by a huge margin. When
that news made it back to my unit, I was not allowed to go to
96
San Antonio for the national military tournament. This also

happened when I had several young athletes make it to the
Junior Olympics. I had to send my assistant coaches with the
team.
When it came to celebrating my accomplishments in spite
of everything that was thrown at me, there was no recognition
at all from my immediate supervisors that were directly over
me and seeing me every day. But I stuck to what I was doing
because I realized there was a bigger mission. A was
influencing the lives of children for years at a time. I became a
huge role model and someone for the youth to look up to. I was
also gaining experience and learning to be a leader because I
knew that my time will come, probably sooner than I think, to
take the stance and take a leadership role when I least expect
it. There was a greater good to be accomplished, and I was so
determined to make it happen while making my dreams come
true. Even if I never got the recognition that I thought I
deserved, I always knew that my work would not be in vain.
Long story short, I ended up getting recognize by the post
commander and brigade commander for my outstanding work
and was a runner-up for Volunteer of the Year and Volunteer
Family of the Year (with my former wife). I only received an
award for my work once, and that was because one of the
children I coached was my battalion commander's son. He
97
awarded me with the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service

Medal (MOVSM), which only brought on more attempts from
my immediate supervisors to derail what I was doing.
Fast forward to present day, I am out of the military and
doing a lot of things that I wanted to do. I am a student at
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University studying Human
Factors Psychology, with two minors in Entrepreneurship and
Aerospace Life-Sciences. I am in various clubs and activities,
in and outside of the school the school, such as Collegiate
Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) in which I am the Public
Relations Officer, the National Society of Black Engineers
(NSBE), the Daytona Beach Sports and Social Club (DBSSC),
the WIKD 102.5 FM radio station where I have three different
popular radio shows, including one bearing my name, along
with working on various business opportunities. I have made
connections with lots of business people, local politicians, and
administrators alike. And I'm constantly looking for new
opportunities to grow and expand in more ways than one.
I am growing and I am determined to win in this game called
life. So, whoever is reading this, just know that you do not have
to be stuck where you are. It doesn’t matter what people try to
do to you, keep doing the very best you can and give everything
you do 100%. There is always someone depending on you to
make it, even if it is just to encourage them. Do not allow
98
anyone or anything to put you in a situation where you have to

compromise your goals and dreams to conform to what anyone
else wants. Your dreams are yours for a reason. No one except
like-minded individuals should be able to understand what you
are doing and why you're doing it, so don’t expect them to.
Continue to KEEP PUSHING!!! If you run into an obstacle,
find a way to go around it, go over it, or go through it.
Regardless of how you do it, your goal is to get to the other
side. Pressure will always be in the midst of what you are trying
to accomplish. But you can either let that pressure burst a pipe,
or use it to your advantage and allow it to create a diamond.
For most people, the sky is the limit. But for me, it is only the
beginning. My limits are only my own illusion.
99
“Always felt like my

abilities were lying
dormant, being only useful
for things that others did
not want to do”
100

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
101
I was constantly struggling, trying to find who I was, why I

was here, and what my purpose was. I was going from job to
job hating my life, trying to figure out what it was that would
make me happy, instead of doing something I didn't like in
pursuit of money. Then one day I saw a YouTube ad by Tai
Lopez. At first, I disregarded it because I thought he was
another scam artist using a rented Lamborghini to attract
viewers. Then a few weeks later I saw another ad from him at
his house, and I thought to myself, "Even if he's renting this
house he would need to have money, let me pay attention."
That is when I got into reading books. I started reading
Napolean Hill's Think and Grow Rich. From there I finally
102
understood how to use my mind to attract and manifest the

things I wanted while living in a state of gratitude. When I
started applying the things I was learning about the law of
attraction, and frequency and vibration and how my thoughts
work, my life started to change. Not overnight, but I started
making new connections, meeting new people, having
opportunities present themselves to me. Needless to say, my
life changed. Dylan Nay
103
“Struggling, trying to find

who I was, why I was here,
and what my purpose was”
104

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
105
Being shy, taking too many risks, learning to trust people

and being naïve are my stepping stones that I had to get over
to find my success and build my empire. If you tune into
Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and also sometimes the
newspaper or even on TV you wouldn’t see how I being an
owner of 3 businesses, partners with over 50 people, and being
a public servant to my city could ever mean being shy or not
trusting people. Before, I did not trust people because they took
106
advantage in a negative way of my kindness and naïve

character. I live by a set of simple rules for the longest time,
and one is to Trust people FIRST until they give me a reason
not to trust them. Understand, the way I was raised I didn’t
have to second guess when a person was telling the truth or
genuinely wanted to help me. I had some major burns by
people that I trusted and wanted to work on some national/local
projects with. Very quickly I began to lose faith in people as I
made my mistakes by depending on people that I didn’t know
to keep their word or do what he or she said that can do. When
I lost trust & faith in people most of my projects started to fail,
nothing would grow anymore, the bank account was in the
negative, it was horrible. It felt like all in one time I lost my
Dad, my Fiancé, my hustle, my job at the time, my livelihood,
finances, my home, my Dodge Charger, and some of the people
who claimed to be my friends. At a very low point in my life,
I understood and had a revelation that having faith in people
and material things was not the key. I began meditating,
praying and asking for forgiveness. When things go wrong or
not the way that I prefer for them to go I always pray for
forgiveness because although I have free will to do as I please
there is a certain lifestyle that I have become used to by being
in accord with my Heavenly Fathers’s will. My faith, character
and the very fabric of who I thought I was, were all challenged
107
and through the resistance of life, I became stronger in my faith

for the provider & creator of all that we call life. ALL at once,
doors after doors, moment after moment, opportunity after
relationships made with people began to blossom and flourish.
I felt alive again, and I also felt my hustle/entrepreneurial spirit
come back. I started my first company and was faced with the
challenge of the need to hire or do all the work myself. I didn’t
want to be burned again so I prayed about sending the right
people my way and I also prayed for them that working with
me would be a good fit for them as well. The moment I began
to put my faith in the right hands and help build and serve the
way God’s Son served, is the moment I really found myself as
an adult and as a Business Owner. Today, connecting with over
50 people and working with them all to help make other
people’s lives better has given me more satisfaction and
happiness than ever working for material things. I no longer
live for the weekend or for the quick smiles. Everything that I
do now, I can truly say that I am not the focus of those goals
anymore. Success was revealed as my purpose was revealed.
www.CoachTCP.com www.Mywrw.com Follow me on
EVERTHING  : CoachTCP or Travis Patterson
108
“Success was revealed as

my purpose was revealed”
109

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
110
Failure, that is exactly what I felt like I was during my

greatest stepping stone. That experience taught me that there
is no failure, only opportunity. When I became pregnant with
my son, it seemed like the worst thing that could ever happen.
I thought I had taken all the necessary precautions to make sure
something like that didn't happen. At the time, I was a
Freshman at LSU, a member of the Honors College, politically
active, and so much more. I was considered to be a so-called
111
"Power Freshman", someone who was destined for greatness,

and my social life reflected it. I was surrounded by people who
thought that I was the kind of friend who would carry them to
where they wanted to go. I ultimately defined myself by this
perception. I was great because everyone else thought I was
great. That was something that I did not want to lose. To lose
that, would also mean that I would be losing everything that I
was. Therefore, I decided to have an abortion.
So what made me change my mind? How was it that I ended
112
up giving birth to my son with my entire future on the line?

Well, it was God. The night before I was supposed to go on my
trip to have my abortion. I felt His presence like never before.
I was lying in bed with thoughts racing through my mind. I was
flooded with the idea after idea, worry after worry, and then
total silence swept over my brain. All thoughts were quieted
and this peace washed over me. Out of this stillness, only one
thought ran through my mind: "It will be okay." This thought
was both simple and powerful. I found myself trusting this
voice, believing this peace, and I decided not to have an
abortion. I am not saying that this decision is right for
everyone, but this was the decision that was right for me. From
that decision, I learned who I was. We are not defined by other
people or what other people think we are. We are defined by
our values, and that abortion was not consistent with my
values. That meant that I had to let go of everything that I
thought actually mattered. All those friends, who supposedly
thought so much of me, all disappeared as soon as they found
out that I was pregnant. Because to them, I no longer had a
future. To them, I was no one, but they were wrong. I was and
am someone. I became stronger, and I realized that I have a
strength beyond anything that I thought I had. Despite what
everyone expected, I graduated college and went on to earn my
law degree from Duke Law. I have continued my political
113
work, and, as an attorney, I have dedicated my life to public

service by giving a voice to those forgotten by society. I have
been confronted by the illusion of failure every step of my
journey. However, I have learned to look beyond the illusion
of failure to see it for what it really is, the opportunity to make
great things happen.
Michele Okoh-Bernis
114
“Experience taught me
that there is no failure, only
opportunity”
115

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
116
MY LARGEST STEPPING STONE WOULD BE ME

taking a step in faith and branding my business Sweetriches as
agency having different departments to showcase the many
talents my team has to offer. I network with people to help
them get to the next step. The goal is to see what I can do to
better my company by bringing in new ideas. I hold my team
together by making sure they don't fall apart and make sure
they know I got there back so we can be an one stop shop and
show at most events and shows that we travel to. Learning
117
different ways to have structure in my business to help bring

money avenues.
Crystal Richardson
118
“Taking a step in faith

and branding my business”
119

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
120
The largest obstacle for any newly graduated Doctor is the

problem of expectations - you go to school with tons of them.
Some of those are financial expectations, many of them are in
the lifestyle, few of them are true to reality. Professors warn
soon-to-be graduates of the huge up and downs that come with
the first few years out. Yet, as always is the case, you never
truly appreciate what you're in for until you are knee deep.
The good news is that obstacles are life's way of teaching

you how to pivot. Expectations are phantoms that evolve and
121
exist to drive your next step forward. Learning to manage what

people think and how people perceive you is something that
comes out of necessity - you cannot deal with the general
public without it. I have focused on the expectations of others
in my practice and found that my own wants (and needs)
somehow fall exactly where they need to be. It's crazy to think
that a solution so personal can be found in the external world
but I have found that focusing on others has afforded me just
that. Life, as they say, seems to be about the marathon and not
the first couple laps.
Dr. Chad Risoldi DC, MS, CCAc
122
“Learning to manage
what people think and how
people perceive you is
something that comes out
of necessity - you cannot
deal with the general
public without it.”
123

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
124
Well in order to get here you must be able to separate

yourself from all the fears that hold you back, every second,
reminding yourself that you will succeed. Once you have it in
you to succeed the rest is easy. Your mental health is your
stepping stone. It's your mind that controls you, stopping you
or allowing you to proceed. Your mindset is either getting you
equipment to handle failure and push through it or succumb to
it and let it overtake your life.
Kimberly Russ
125
“You must be able to

separate yourself from all
the fears that hold you
back”
126

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
127
“The Triumphant Up Rise”
Hello fellow entrepreneurs my name is Chris Taylor, I am a

29 yr. old entrepreneur from Dallas TX, now residing in the
woodlands TX. I have an amazing supportive wife and two
beautiful children. I started my entrepreneur journey roughly
a yr. ago. It all started with the book “The Secret”. It was
referred to me by a friend who knew I wanted more out of
life. After reading this book I came to the conclusion, I have
unlimited power. My creative juices started flowing. I knew
128
what I wanted to do but did not know how I was going to do

it, so I just believed in myself and stepped out on faith. I
wrote down all of my ideas that I would come up with, and
started deciding which one I was going to pursue. I had a
wonderful invention that I felt was going to change the
grilling industry as a whole. I reached out to my friends and
they all laughed at my idea, saying it could never happen it
was too “crazy” of an idea. I got discouraged for a little bit,
and started to revert back to my old ways, drifting through
life with no purpose. I stopped believing in myself and started
believing the opinions of others. It wasn’t until a few months
later when I saw “The Secret” pop up on Facebook, that I felt
that I needed to read it again, so I did. After the second time
reading it, I again started believing in myself. I started calling
around to see how I could get my invention off the ground. A
lot of companies were not interested in my invention idea, but
I wouldn’t let that stop me anymore. After calling around to
several companies I finally came across one that was willing
to give me a chance. I pitched my idea to them and to my
surprise they loved it! So now my idea is patented, and will
be a reality this year!
Fast Forward six months with my grill coming out and all
my money invested in to it, I was now living paycheck to
129
paycheck with no extra income coming in. on top of that I had

a really bad shoulder injury that required surgery. Which put
me out of work for six months. I couldn’t find another
physical job so it was then that I was introduced to network
marketing. My largest stepping stone was the mental hurdle I
had to overcome to start my business. I had a mental blockage
and wasn’t thinking for myself, but allowing society to think
for me. I ended up blocking out the Nay Sayers and started
my online business this year. Now I plan on moving to seven
figures by 2019. If it wasn’t for the ability to think for myself,
I probably would have never went for it. I am so thankful for
all the people that have crossed paths with me, and have
showed me that I don’t have to be a part of the workforce, but
I can be my own boss, make leveraged income and secure my
wealth wall.
Now with all that being said, I am not just doing this for
me, I am doing this for my children and our future leaders.
That is why I am currently creating a movement called YBM
(Young Billionaires Mentality). I am creating this movement
to teach our youth and adults looking for a change, that they
don’t have to be confined by societies way of thinking. YBM
will be offering mentorship, entrepreneur classes, self-
development library, and all the tools that you need to start
130
your journey to being a successful entrepreneur. I am creating

this movement so individuals can create more businesses and
generate more wealth. But also to have a group where they
can come for support and guidance. There has never been a
more perfect time to be an entrepreneur, than right now!
My road to being a billionaire has only just begun and is

far from being over. I have seen the bottom of the barrel and
the top of the moon. It all starts with your mentality and belief
in yourself. All my failures built me up to the person I am
today. There was a reason I picked up the book “The Secret”
and started this path. There are no coincidences or accidents.
Time is the cheapest asset and the most abused. There is no
better time to start than right now! If you are waiting for
someone else to make it happen, you will be disappointed
every time. All in all, I have failed a lot on my journey, but I
have also learned a lot. With positive thinking, a can-do
attitude, and a strong belief system, you will achieve all of
your wildest dreams and live a prosperous and abundant life!
Stay positive, believe in yourself, and never give up! with
those three things, you will achieve anything you desire!
Chris Taylor
131
“There are no
coincidences or accidents.
Time is the cheapest asset
and the most abused”
132

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
133
Current location: D.C
In 2014 when I first got into entrepreneurship I was on a

Windows refresh project with Microsoft touring the world. My
colleague and I wanted to start a business that would allow our
friends to continue to travel together on various projects.
Unfortunately, our partnership did not last because of different
work ethics. So I decided to start my own company called
Phenomenal Staffing. I did not have much knowledge on
business in general and was looking in several places for the
answers. One day my father told me I should read Peter
Voogd’s book, 6 Months To 6 Figures. Once I read it I joined
his mastermind and consumed everything he had to share. I
started finding mentors who were several years past the level I
134
was on and started being more proactive in my search for IT

projects.
Fast forward to 2016 I now have several mentors who are

current millionaires. My favorite connection is Craig
Newmark, founder of Craigslist. When I connected with him,
I understood from a previous mentor the value of giving. I
decided to connect with him via social media and offer my help
in his philanthropy campaign which you can find more about
at craigconnects.org. I used that same technique to find my first
contract with SIAC and DELL, supporting GSA across the
world. Now that I have learned the steps to make it in the IT
industry I started giving back by hosting webinars, seminars,
and giving free copies of my book Lead Yourself to Financial
Success to entrepreneur enthusiast and millennials.
Jason T. Taylor
135
“I started finding mentors

who were several years past
the level I was on and
started being more
proactive”
136

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
137
Born in Chicago, Illinois and by no means do I remember

any of it except that there was four of us. My dad, mom, sister,
and I moved to Dallas, TX for a few years which was really
what I consider the start to my story. My family was close, I
was a nerd, and a star athlete although I was overweight.
Making friends was not an issue and was considered to be a
popular kid up until the fifth grade when my whole life was
shaken. The summer before 6th grade I moved to Houston, TX.
Being an Ismaili Muslim at the time we attended a place called,
"Jamat Khana" which is similar to a church or mosque. We
attended a service Friday evening, and right once I walked out
there was a group of kids around my age
and I heard one of them talking bad about the Dallas
138
Mavericks, and coming from Dallas, and knowing every stat of

every player I completely demolished this guy in an argument.
All the women right there started hugging on me and flirting
with me and boom I had friends.
I'll fast forward a little. The day of football tryouts 7th-
grade year, my sister’s boyfriend had given me a brand new
pair of some black, red, and purple Jordan retro 7s, so I thought.
I rocked them when we were turning in our physicals, and
having our back checked. A guy complimented my shoes, but
when he took a closer look he realized my shoes were fake,
which I honestly had no idea. As sad as this was in a span of
24 hours I was told by my “friends" I could not hang with them
anymore. I left school, and my mom picked me up and I cried
all day. Such a small event but for a couple months I was made
fun of so much to where all my confidence, everything my
mom and I worked hard for was all gone.
The following year my family, and I cut off my father
because he was charged with a sex offending case. I,
unfortunately knew both of the women and he was put on
probation and attempted to do it again. This is when everything
started to go downhill. I got into a lifestyle of crime, drugs, and
violence. I started going to the juvenile hall frequently smoking
and drinking BEFORE school. I felt like such an outcast at
school, and lacked the confidence to speak to anyone so I
139
would get drunk, and finally, be able to talk to people, but I

still looked stupid. I kept getting incarcerated until a little after
I turned 18. My mom, sister, and everyone were tired, but
because they weren’t healthy, and I choose to not seek out any
support I was stuck to do this on my own. I went on a spree for
2 years and went back to doing the same thing. During this time
though I started applying for jobs, and realized the only job I
could get was being a waiter. January 1st, 2015, I looked at the
scale and read 271 lbs., at 20 years old, 28.5 percent body fat.
I’m writing this on June 12, 2016, at 190 lbs., age 21, and 10.5
percent. Now, what does this have to do with my
entrepreneurship life? How did I develop the greatest work
ethic in the world and grind that nobody except God could
stop?
On May 28, 2015, Stephanie Pena, My best friend got
shot in the head in the CVS parking lot on Westheimer and 99
here in Katy, TX. I remember it like it was yesterday. Being
very close to her family, seeing her all the time, every day when
in high school, after school, and the year following made it one
of the most tragic events in my life. The beginning of that year
in January I lost about 15 lbs. while she was alive, and she told
me all the time how proud of me she was. How proud she was
that I stopped smoking, and that cut down so much on that
lifestyle. A couple month before she passed I went back to
140
doing all of it until the week after her funeral. I started waking
up every morning, and attempting a mile but making it to .8
miles before I would quit and throw up all over the concrete
like the fat boy I was, but the grinder inside of me had me try
again every morning after that. Then I went to 1 mile, then 2
miles, then fell off, and started to doing bad, then 3 miles and
4, then fell off again, then 5, then went jail, then got out and
did 6 and by Dec 31st, 2015 I was running 7 miles every
morning at 4:45am. Now I am a personal trainer, competing on
December 10th for the NSL SPACE CITY bodybuilding
competition, I am a professional model, and am preparing to
create the largest health, and nutrition center, with our
movement’s classes on the fourth floor.
How do you get to this point? Through the practice of
training your thoughts, showing gratitude, and prayer. What
changed? I found my WHY. I told Stephanie's dad that
although she died I would keep her name alive forever. I was a
fat, drug dealing, stealing, fighting, insecure, spiritless,
unethical, piece of scum, and today I wake up every day at
2:45am and fall to my knees off my bed to thank my Lord
upstairs for waking me up, but not just waking me up but
waking me up at 2:45am full of energy ready to grind. I hit the
gym from 3:00 until 5:30, come home meal prep, shower, and
then accomplish every task on my schedule. I have been
141
supervised under the law, did over 2 years and 8 months

incarcerated, and am on colors. I call in every morning, and if
they call my color I go in to get drug tested, if they say I need
to go in, I go in, I completed 396 hours and have 84 hours of
community service left. I am a role model to every parolee, and
probationer that is out there trying to share my story with them
anytime I have the chance. I provided life coaching to an older
man and Stephanie's little cousins into becoming grinders like
us and showing them what character really is. I still accomplish
90% of all my tasks that will help me get to where I want to go
in the future and working on perfecting it to 100%. What
changed? I stopped making excuses, I stopped blaming
everybody else and started accepting responsibility. Will I ever
stop? No. Will I fail again? Yes, it’s where you grow, perfect
the art of getting back up, accelerate your grind till everyone
thinks you’re crazy, but most of all surround yourself with
amazing people. Everyone in this books knows each other, but
most of us have not met.
LISTEN TO ME. YOU CAN DO IT! I PROMISE!
WHENEVER ANYONE TELLS YOU THAT YOU CAN'T,
F*** THEM, YOU CAN!! YES, YOU, READING THIS
RIGHT NOW, YOU ARE A CHAMPION, A STAR IN THE
WORLD, AND YOU CAN HELP THE MASSES JUST
TAKE THAT STEP, AND DONT EVER LOOK BACK!
142
GET UP EVERYTIME YOU FALL. THIS WORLD IS

YOURS FOR THE TAKING. I LOVE YOU. NOW LETS
GRIND!
WWW.MyKaizenGlobal.COM/SucceedWithZ
Zohaib Valliani
143
“I stopped making
excuses, I stopped blaming
everybody else and started
accepting responsibility”
144

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
145
People are always going to talk about you, so you may as

well give them something to talk about. My name is Ledra
Walker, also known as “Tambourine Girl.” I wasn’t always
nicknamed this. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t beat the
tambourine worth anything as a child growing up. I would
desire to play with the church and the youth that was my age
growing up. I would begin to pick up my instrument of praise
and would feel eyes judging and criticizing me. I would begin
to feel depressed, anxiety, and unwelcomed at times when I
clearly was in a place where you are supposed to feel accepted,
wanted, and welcomed. I let people get the best of me, they
146
would tell me that I couldn’t play and that I would never be a

part of their little tambourine group. I almost just let the
thought of it go until one Sunday morning, things began to
happen. The children of the church began to line up with their
tambourines one Sunday morning before the choir to play and
I felt the urge, confidence and spirit to join them and play
before the church. As they began playing, it sounded like the
music was filling up the air with the voices, hand clapping, and
feet stomping. I will never forget how I felt this day as an
overwhelming warm feeling overcame me. On this particular
day as I picked my tambourine up with a feeling of hope,
confidence, ultimately feeling like more than just a conqueror.
I played it as if no one was judging, pointing or watching, as if
I had been playing all of my life, and I didn’t "just" play it. I
played the tambourine and added some movement to the
rhythm. I moved my hands, stomped my feet and everyone
stood in awe and amazement as I played my little heart out!
Even I was amazed at my gift as the spirit moved the ENTIRE
BUILDING! So I look at it like this, people can talk about you
behind your back, but God will keep blessing you in front of
their faces. Keep God first in everything you do and you’ll
reach your goal like I did. Not only did I play that Sunday, but
I’ve gone to play my tambourine all over North Carolina. I’ve
played for Tammy Edwards and the Edward Sisters, The
147
McDonald Sisters, Darrel McFadden, Doc McKenzie, Roy &

The Revelation, Luther Barnes and the Spiritual QC’s, The
Brown Sisters, The In-laws, Roy & The Sunset Spirituals, Roy
& the Carolina Jubilees, and many more professional and
known gospel groups! God has truly blessed me and I look
forward to even playing for some of the biggest gospel singers
in the United States like Tye Tribbett, all because I believe
God. Most of my adult life I played and practiced playing my
tambourine to Tye's music. Hopefully, and Prayerfully I will
get to use all of this practice to play and worship with him one
day. God can take you anywhere you want to go in life as long
as He’s first!
Ledra Walker
148
“It is because of my faith”
149

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
150
Time, help and leadership. I now have a great mentor and

leader who is the best at what I do and taking me under his
wing so I'll be better. I have delegated tasks and I left my high
paying, two weeks a month sales job to focus completely on
my sales training and my Conquer U online platform.
It's nearly impossible to conquer your dreams and make big

things happen not knowing what you are doing.
- Leadership
151
When you are trying to do things you struggle with and not
focusing your time and energy on what you are great at, you
are losing traction.
-Delegation
When you have too much on your plate and you are taking
on too much at once you aren't applying your time wisely.
-Time
Noel Walsh
152
“It's nearly impossible to

conquer your dreams and
make big things happen not
knowing what you are
doing.”
153

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
154
As entrepreneurs, there may be moments when you think or

feel maybe this isn't for you. There may be times when
things may not work in the manner you hoped they would.
Everything begins with a thought and an idea.
For me, I've had ideas, 2 main ideas in particular in which the
thoughts of these ideas/projects haunt me almost on a daily
basis. I'm sure this is or could be the same for others.
We attend motivational seminars, workshops, conferences

etc. We get hyped up while we are there 'in the moment' only
to come home back to reality and see most if not all of the
people you connected with at these events pushing towards
155
and meeting even exceeding the goals they have shared with
you and everyone present. I've allowed myself to become
stagnant and crippled by the thought of having a full-time job
and juggling that with life.
With the etiquette business I started a while ago, Etiquette

Plus, I was on fire with that and managed to juggle it pretty
well with work and family. Then something happened, and
I'm not even sure why it did. I stopped the business and I've
been asked why I stopped it. I still don't have a valid answer
for it.
I also have a women empowerment organization Girlfriends

Connected. The purpose of this organization is to inspire
encourage and empower women to believe in their goals and
explore their dreams as well as connect likeminded goal
driven women. Girlfriends Connected started with 8 women
at Mimi's Cafe and has grown into an annual empowerment
conference in which more than 100 women have been in
attendance. One year I decided I wasn't going to do the
conferences anymore, however, I was encouraged by other
women to keep going because the positivity empowerment
encouragement inspiration and sisterhood generated by the
connections at the conferences were too powerful to stop. I
realize Girlfriends Connected is a strong force by which
156
women are empowered and encouraged daily to continue to

believe in themselves their dreams and each other. We also
explore avenues to give back to the communities where we
live as girlfriends connected has members in different states
across the country.
This past April I was pushed out of my comfort zone and held
my first 3-day women's empowerment conference! It was a
huge success!
There are times when I think... This is too much, or what is

this all for and I realize if it only helps one person, even
though it's helped multiple people, then my work and my
journey is not in vain.
After attending yet another business building workshop and

receiving multiple requests to teach etiquette classes again I
picked myself up and began to rebrand the business. I was
beginning to feel that I wasn't good enough and I don't have
what it takes as I watched others go forth with the visions
they've shared with the world. I've been waiting for the
'perfect' time and the perfect way to book a class, have a
workshop, seminar, write a book or two etc. Worried about
how many people may or may not show up. Tyler Perry said
30 people showed up to his first few plays. And most mega
157
churches started in homes with less than 10 and they were

mainly household family members. I feel you could only
'talk about it' for so long. I have to 'be about it'. I'm also
learning to not watch everyone else as that's a major crippler
speedbump on your path to success. That's just it. It's your
path. Everyone's path is different and no one is perfect.
I have so many people pushing and cheering for me that it

hurts me sometimes that it seems like they are cheering for
me yet I feel unworthy of it. I get texts emails calls and
messages of praises and encouragement even offer assistance
because they believe in me that much.
When I received the message about the billionaire success

stories this was yet another kick in the butt of encouragement
to get moving! There's so much for us/me to accomplish. I
have FOMO as I watch my fellow entrepreneurs and
Parapreneurs and Authorpreneurs excel to their next level.
I know I was not born to live a mediocre life as this

entrepreneur thing constantly occupies my thoughts.
Don't wait for perfection ... Take action
Don't worry about what you don't know. Teach what you do
know and continue to learn along the way. Chidell Watkins
158
www.girlfriendsconnected4u.com
“There may be moments

when you think or feel
maybe this isn't for you?
159

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
160
You are reading the words of a true procrastinator…

Speaking for the vast majority of people that waste
time, somehow you tend to think you have a lot of it. This is a
very careless way of thinking because time is literally valuable.
We’ve all heard the cliché, “time is money”. Well, let’s just
say I’ve been a frivolous spender.
Allow me to list a few troubles procrastination caused me;
1. Poor grades in school/college
161
2. Health concerns
3. Financial woes
4. Failed marriage
5. Lost opportunities
6. Job termination
And so on..
I hear many people use the excuse that working under the
pressure of a tight deadline often yields great results. For me,
over the years it only seems to feel like an avalanche of
incomplete tasks. I would get sick to my stomach at all the
important things in my life that I put off for things of lesser
importance. I knew my potential but could never meet that
potential because I wasted time. And I wasted time because of
arrogance and being over-confident with assignments. I wasted
time because of selfishness. I also know there were certain
fears and some guilt that can still bother at times. But within
all this self-pity, one day I woke up and I realized that my tasks
won’t get done unless I do them. Your assignment is indeed
your purpose! This revelation hit me like a freight train. Soon
after, I started vlogging, I went back to school, I decided I
wanted to work for myself so I started writing, I started a
podcast, etc. I created unusual goals for myself within the last
year like one day doing a TED talk, writing a play, or even a
movie script!
162
I had to do what I was supposed to do. I had to do things

worth my while. As in while, I’m here. As in here on earth. As
in purpose. We all have one. I hope you find yours.
Al-Twann V. Wesson
163
“I wasted time because of

selfishness”

164

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
165
Overcoming My Disability: Accepting myself and realizing

I can help other people with disabilities accept themselves. If
you are dealing with a disability of any kind, do not let it stop
you from living your life and accomplishing your dreams.
Artreice Westmoreland
166
“Help other people”
167

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
168
When presented with the question, "What has been your

greatest adversity and how did you learn from or overcome
it?" I shuttered slightly. I was so uncertain about how to
respond that I began to overthink and further lost sight of the
original inquisition. I began focusing on my path to success
and later every mistake or indiscretion that lead me farther
away from what I consider success. After about seven days of
deep thought, I came a frightening conclusion... I was so
uncertain about everything, that certainty- or rather the lack
of certainty, had been my greatest adversity. I must admit, it
169
is not uncertainty alone but my yield to it that effected my

ability maintain momentum on my journey to success.
During my young adult years I began to dream big, excelling
in extraordinary leaps and bounds, only to find that "life"
wasn't just a box of chocolates. I began my journey in fast
food like the vast majority, then into retail, Always seeking to
climb the corporate ladder that many of you reading are still
seeking. I found myself working among some of the most
revolutionary HR professionals of my generation and began a
career in HR. What a humbling experience it was from being
the person seeking employment to the person passing out jobs
like candy!
Yet, the yield to uncertainty of what was to come, lead me

down a soar journey of corporate strategy and politics. I was
astonished at the statistical data of unhappy employees who
continue employment willingly with a company they mentally
quit months prior. Realizing that I too was guilty and desire
more.
170
I knew something had to change, for one brave millisecond of

my life I embarked on entrepreneurship. One magic seed
planted by one of the most affluent individuals in my life
began to grow like the unwanted weeds in my backyard. I
challenged myself to rid myself of uncertainty for mere
moments at a time to allow myself to imagine myself in my
element and plan an entry to my own definition of success. I
found later that the journey would be much more difficult
than I could imagine.
As I began to push myself and with the assistance of

phenomenal mentors, I have achieved what some desire a
lifetime. Though uncertainty still lingers I have learned to
171
stretch, beyond the comforts of my discomfort. Since we are

our own worst critic, we see the most authentic versions of
ourselves. Choose to see and allow the champion in you to
shine.
172
“I challenged myself to rid

myself of uncertainty”
173

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
174
Some time ago, I thought about creating my own pressure

washing business. I didn’t have the type of support that I truly
hoped for from my friends, family, and superiors at my job.
Managers at the jobs I had never would support me in my
dreams and goals to better myself... but that was in 2008 and
today in 2016 I am the Owner-Operator at Bright Shine
Pressure Washing. Feeling limited and unsupported cannot
stop nor slow you down from living your dreams. Truth is that
you are either working toward living your dreams and making
them come true or you are living your life to make someone
else’s dream happen and you slowly killing yours. Six years
175
later, I now am planning my 2nd business. Remember, you are

awesome. If no one tells you this today, YOU ARE
AWESOME.
From Employee To Entrepreneur

Jessica Williams
Owner-operator at Bright Shine Pressure Washing
176
“Feeling limited and

unsupported cannot stop
nor slow you down from
living your dreams”
177

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
178
Close your eyes and imagine … that's it … that's your life.

A lot of people think that being blind is a stone over which to
step in order to realize success, but not for me. For me, that's
just how it is, it's just a part of normal life. "Wow LA, that's
awesome that you have that mindset!" That's what I call
Dangerous Praise. Once I started taking that approach on a
thing in life (being blind) unbeknownst to me, that's how I
began to approach Life overall.
"I can't afford it so it won't happen… that's just how it is" or

"I can't imagine how it's going to work out so it won't… that's
just how it is". No LA… That's just how it SEEMS! I had to
learn how to divide being blind, which is something I can do
179
absolutely nothing about, from everything else in my

life. My life of which I can totally take action over.
Are there areas in your life that you would like to change,
but right now you are submitting to "how it is"?
Leslie Williams III
180
“I had to learn how to

divide being blind, which is
something I can do
absolutely nothing about,
from everything else in my
life”
181

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
182
I am homeless due to a mistake I made nine months ago. I

refuse to let that define me. I am building two businesses. One
is just starting in two weeks that I have been working on for
three years. My first business I started six months ago and have
had to pivot the direction of its revenue source. I refuse to give
up. I am grinding day after day to make them work. I am
confident there will be a payoff for me in the end of financial
freedom. I will succeed no matter what.
Rodney Wise
183
“I am confident there will

be a payoff for me in the
end”
184

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
185
I am now 37 years old. I don't own a house and I am in a lot

of debts. 1 year after getting married, me and my husband
wanted to have kids. We tried for about a year ..we started
following up with Doctors and specialists. We had to do
insemination multiple times which was an out of pocket
expense. I was working at that time but my income won’t that
much. Once I had my first baby, I was so excited and I decided
that being a mom would be my full-time job. I didn't want to
miss out on my babies firsts.
Our debt started to increase. A year later I found out that I

have a cyst in the brain and soon after I started having severe
headaches. Thankfully it was benign.
186
It took me a long time to recover. After taking tons of

medications that affected me physically and psychologically I
stayed home for years.
Our debt increased.
I had my second child and now she is 2 year of age. I felt

like I had to do something to get my family out of the financial
stress, I so I began working on my resume. I had big gaps due
to illnesses. I have started working part time after recovery but
not enough to support the family.
I came to the conclusion that I won't be able to find a job

that offers me flexible hours (for my kids) and in the meantime
a good paycheck.
I met a friend of mine who introduced me to Rodan & Fields

and I saw an opportunity. I felt it was too good to pass up this
opportunity. I will be able to work it around my kids and make
extra income that would help my family. I see where the
company is going. It's going be the household brand. So I am
working it as a job, not as a business. Setting hours and pushing
myself to do everything to help my business. I see other people
in this business making really good money. With this
187
opportunity, I am hoping in 3 years I will be able to surpass my

husband's income. My business is my vehicle that will help me
to get to my goal, which is to be debt free and own a house .
Anonymous
188
“I felt like I had to do

something to get my family
out of the financial stress”
189

_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
190
Billion Dollar Business Builders started with one vision in

mind. Yours.
Join us of Facebook: Billion Dollar Business Builders

And
Text DREAMSMALLBIZ to 44222 to Follow our Journey
191
Essence Events, Inc. is a eastern NC based event planning

and design company known for taking your vision and adding
our touch of "Essence".
Facebook: Essence Events
Owned & Operated By Alicia Eatmon
192
Brian Davis Business Consulting Services

Owned & Operated By Brian & Kassandra Davis
Business Coach | Helping people become successful
Entrepreneurs at a quicker pace!
Facebook: Webcenterteam
193
Hey Peek Me (HPM) allows Employers to view "On

Demand" video resumes from Jobseekers therefore reducing
time to fill and getting people hired quicker.
Owned By Chantal Brown
www.HeyPeekMe.com
Facebook & Twitter: Hey Peek Me
194
Five Touch Spa & Salon sponsors young adults through a

scholarship to take them back to school and follow their
dreams. Proceeds from some services and Five Touch LLC
events donate to a student that can no longer receive
government funding or loans. For more info, go to
www.FiveTouchSpa.com
We're in the business of helping people feel better and
Catering to all of your Five Senses.
Owned & Operated By Tawanda Auston
Facebook & Twitter: Five Touch Spa
195
Geekdom Mom
My passion is to unite other “geek” moms, women and
girls in hopes to empower and inspire them to be the best
geeks they can be.
Owned By Georgia Broeder
GeekdomMom.com
Facebook: GeekdomMom
196
Want Thousands of readers to know about your brand?

Contact Advertising at Ads@ChampionU.org
197
Want Thousands of readers to know about your brand?

Contact Advertising at Ads@ChampionU.org
198
Ready To Read The Next Book?

Want to Author The Next Book?
Email:contribute@championu.org
199
Always Finish What You Start.

Start With The End In Mind.
True. Entrepreneurs do the most work at 2am, but how
much of it quality work? Sleep is just as important as healing
any other part of your body.
~Written at 3:24am by a Entrepreneur that will never let
a day go undone & a stepping stone unturned.
Travis Patterson
200

BDSS Embrace Your Stepping Stones

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

BDSS Embrace Your Stepping Stones

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1

Travis C. Patterson Dante D. Gibson Chantal J. Brown

Billion Dollar Success Stories:

Travis C. Patterson ~ Dante D. Gibson ~ Chantal J. Brown

Anonymous~ Benedict Akwetey~ Italia Anguiano~ Eric

P.O. Box 1874 Wilson, NC 27894

Publisher & Editor In Chief: Travis C. Patterson

Senior Editor: Quita Weaver

Editor: Tawanda Auston

Front & Back Cover Photo: Sergi Ferrete

Travis C. Patterson, Dante D. Gibson, Chantal J. Brown

Billion Dollar Business Builders

Champion Business Builders LLC.

Success Press & Media LLC.

All rights reserved

Time & Relationships are the most valuable assets in new

Forward Momentum Without Fear Just Makes You A Fool.

17 Dylan Nay Pg 103

18 Travis C. Patterson Pg # 106

19 Michele Okoh-Bernis Pg # 111

20 Crystal Richardson Pg # 117

21 Chad Risoldi Pg # 121

22 Kimberly Russ Pg # 125

24 Jason T. Taylor Pg 134

25 Zohaib Valliani Pg 138

26 Ledra Walker Pg 146

27 Noel Walsh Pg 151

28 Chidell Watkins Pg 155

29 Al-twann Wesson Pg 161

30 Artreice Westmoreland Pg 166

31 Imani Williams Pg 169

32 Jessica Williams Pg 175

33 Leslie A. Williams III Pg 179

34 Rodney Wise Pg 183

To our friends, family, and mentors: We recognize without

And if you would like to follow our journey through our

4 Members have Started Businesses

8,000+ Entrepreneurs Have The Same Opportunities

You will never go broke again with establishing a plan B.

“Expand your income

Can you relate to this stepping stone? Or do you know a

My name is Italia Anguiano, and the majority of my life I

that I had no identity, to begin with because it had been stolen.

when I forgave, and I became a stronger person internally when

“I decided that I would

Can you relate to this stepping stone? Or do you know a

I think my largest stepping-stone to get over was how was I

My solution to that stepping-stone came the day I decided

“Take chances on your

Can you relate to this stepping stone? Or do you know a

We've struggled financially for years, working jobs that we

“Working jobs that we

Can you relate to this stepping stone? Or do you know a

MOMM: Making of a Multi-Millionaire. It was a warm

had been parents for almost three years and we wanted to

what I really wanted out of life and what makes me happy. I

people. When I learned how to coupon shop to use my finances

“I will never feel the way

Can you relate to this stepping stone? Or do you know a

In my life while trying to achieve my version of success, I

successful family life or to build a billion-dollar business.

How did I overcome these arrows, darts, stumbling blocks,

“I also came across a road

Can you relate to this stepping stone? Or do you know a