Until the age of 27, I found myself resigned to life of poverty. Then, I realized that in order to make it in America, I would have to do everything myself. I know that members of the older generations take that piece of information as obvious. For what ever reason, each member of my generation has to figure this out on our own. Once I realized that I was fully responsible for my life, I took the reins. I was already working in restaurants, but I took the initiative to get the best position at the best restaurants, making a name for myself in Birmingham’s food scene, which is more prolific than one might imagine. The pinnacle of my food service career came about when I started opening up restaurants across the southeast for the CM FOODSERVICE group. Having done better for myself than ever before, I was filled with gratitude and wanted to give back. I began a 6 year career in social work, working in treatment centers and high end halfway houses. Though the work was rewarding, I had found the love of my life, Britny Flanagan, and wanted to provide for her. I’d never be able to give her all of the experiences and luxuries I thought she deserved. So, I went into logistics and became a freight broker. Within 3 years, I produced more than 75% of the rest of the 50 person company combined. Then, I knew it was time that I go into business for myself. So, I sat out a year to satisfy the terms of my non-compete. Now, I’m back at it, and looking to grow my book of business back to where it once was. However, the market is over saturated with brokers, and there is a scarcity of freight with the fed hiking interest rates to attempt to curb a recession. I’m still putting food on the table, but I’m open to other opportunities. For the first time in my life, I have all of the qualifications to be an immediate asset just for just about any company. I can work in large groups or all by myself. I can talk to anybody without fear, and despite my minor successes, I still treat everybody involved in any of my life processes with fairness and dignity.