How I used Business to Combat Poverty
I grew up the son of a Library Support Tech ( Mother) and Master Plasterer (Father). I have 4 siblings we were happy for the first three years I witnessed. My father left our family in Cleveland, where we had lots of family. His leaving left us in poverty as a library tech made just over minimum wage.
It was far from where we lived so my mom would take a bus. She couldn’t drive, she took a bus everywhere. When I grew up a little I learned to hate poverty. We suffered with at least 1 utility off regularly until I turned 8 and had a realization, that I hated poverty and would do something about it. I walked my mom to the bus stop each morning, if she was late we had to walk to the transfer point a good little walk. We passed stores and businesses everyday and most were opening as I passed on the return.
I asked some of the minority owned businesses if I could help them by sweeping the sidewalk and front area of the store. If I saw lights out in their display, I asked to fix it and did. I passed 2 neighborhood stores and noticed lots of boxes scattered in the back yard, I offered to flatten and pack the boxes. I did these little hustles in the mornings before school. My mother and I had to be at the 1st bus stop by 5:30A for her to be across town at 8:00AM, her start time. The 1st bus ran every hour, on the half hour, the connecting bus runs on 15 minute intervals so if we missed the first bus, we could walk to the connecting bus before the next bus comes at the first bus stop and often did. My opportunities expanded when we missed the first bus, we passed more businesses with messy fronts and boxes.
In the winter Cleveland had bitter cold I would shovel the sidewalk and approach at stores for money. I did the first job for free the next was for $.25 over minimum wage. I used the money to buy breakfast for my siblings and food for our cupboards. I used it to buy school clothes and supplies. I made more money than my mother, walking her to the bus. The money bought food and overall improved our lives. We stopped having our utilities shut-off and I bought my mother bus passes.
When there was sufficient time I would make breakfast for my siblings and always I would make lunches for my siblings and me. Then I would go to school and become a normal kid. I knew every morning I became a business kid.
I did great in school. I was valedictorian at my Elementary School. At that time the kid with the highest scores is the valedictorian. Over time my mom got raises and we moved from our poor digs to Garfield Heights. In Garfield Hts.
My youngest sister the one next to me, my cosmic twin and I had a Cleveland Press paper route with 138 customers. We collected a whopping $82/wk of which we netted $34.50/wk .
I did that paper route until middle school. By that time my little sister started getting the business bug. She is very artistic and we started making and selling ceramic pieces to sell. We made vases and bowls Snakes Dragons and water pipes for head-shops.
We had vendor’s licenses and paid taxes. I say all this to show that business no matter how small can empower us to great heights.
I and that same sister have done well our entire lives and for our entire lives we have been in business. My sister chose Architecture as her career and is respected in her space. I became a Marine Corps Sgt, Radio Tech/Crypto Tech, Presidential Color Guard and served with distinction. I chose to manifest an Engineering career where I was director of Engineering for 2 Los Angeles stations, and Assistant Director of engineering for Telemundo and one of the founders. I was the EIC for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I won an Emmy for writing, shooting, editing and uploading 5 stories about the rain in January. We came from a broken home and business saved us and molded us into success magnets. My sister built a successful construction company in Columbus Ohio. I love business, which is why I teach it to anyone interested. I know personally how confidence is grown and wisdom has guided my path.
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