If you had told me I would be starting a business at 50, I would have told you that you had some screws loose. But, that’s just what I did. The seeds were being planted a few years earlier but, the action started when I was 50 (49 exactly, a couple months before my 50th bday). If my parents hadn’t taught me anything, they taught me that if a man don’t work, he don’t eat. So, from the age of 16, I have worked. My very first job was at this now gone (at least where I live anyway) grocery chain called Dominick’s. I was a bagger. I worked there for a few years then I went on to UPS as a loader. By this time I was 19. I worked there for a couple of years until I landed (with the help of my dad) my first full time job making some real money. This was a glue factory where I was a laborer and did pretty good at until, Plant shut down. I worked there about 4 years until closure then, I did some construction work for a couple years. I was glad to get away from the construction gig because it was kind of jack-leg, meaning I got this job through a family friend, it was a start-up and a lot of shady stuff was going on around there and, some bounced checks. Then I hit pay dirt, my job that I spent 21 years on until I left in 2024. This was a container factory. We made anything from small pails to large totes.

Now all of these jobs have one thing in common, physicality and the range was from light to extreme. Now, through the years of bad choices in food and not exercising the body takes damage. Its strange that as physical as some of the jobs were, the body adapts or get use to it so, you need to eat well and add in exercising to stay ahead or watch your body slowly transform to something you never wanted. By year 18 at this job, all hell was cutting loose in my body. The pains, knees, back, shoulders, muscular skeletal damage to my neck (I have no idea how that happened) ankles and feet, not to mention hypertension, and a few run ins with covid because the companies higher ups felt we hourly workers were essential while they were at home hiding out from it. Thats when all the thoughts of doing something different started coming in. I use to watch management sit in the front offices and do nothing. My thought use to start out like “you’ve never done a office job before” or “you should look into doing something that uses mind strength instead of muscle strength”, you know, stuff like that.

I finally decided to step out, the first thing I decided to do was Uber eats. Now, I knew I wouldn’t get rich from it but, it was something different from what I knew, you know baby steps and for a little extra money. Once I started hitting that ceiling, I wanted to push it even more. I went from that to Lyft. Now anyone who truly know me knows that, that was a stretch for me. I did NOT want some college kid or drunk weekend partier throwing up in my vehicle or no all horned up couple totally forgetting that my vehicle isn’t their bedroom lol. I have to say, though those experiences do exist, they didn’t for me thank God. My experiences were awesome. Meeting new people, great conversations (not always but, mostly) and a new love for my city that up until that point I didn’t even know existed. I had to be at my job at 6am, I would get off by 4:30pm and then I’d start driving. I would finish up driving about 10pm then head home. I had no problems being out the house that long because it was for me, it was something I need to do to allow myself to feel like I could do more than lift and carry and push. That was me doing something that was owned by me and, controlled by me. I got to say, it felt good. Covid came put a stop to all of that as well as a uprising of carjacking on uber and Lyft drivers. So. it was just the job again and a search of what’s next. In 2022, my search led me to getting an LLC and starting a ecommerce store. which I am currently doing today full time.

I said all of those things above because like I said, I would thought you were crazy to say I could run a business. I thought I would be like my dad and work until I’m bed ridden. I didn’t think I could have a business and it took me until 50 to start it. I’m still learning into my 50’s and still wondering what could be next. Do I worry, yes, do I fear the unknown, absolutely but, I now know that as long as I can breath, I can get another opportunity. I now know that if I get another day there should be a new adventure in it for me. For many years I didn’t think like that. I thought get up, punch the clock and, live in monotony for the rest of my existence. That sounds so damning and sadly, so many of us live that way. Even worse, after 50 we tend to get stuck because we’re thinking about retirement and the last years leading up to it. I mean we can’t mess that up when we’re so close. We can’t do anything new, we have to stay the course and hope not to get fired or laid off or company closure, two of which I’ve experienced.

Lastly, I wish you all well, meaning, if you love what you do, do it until your heart in content. Whether that be Slaving at a job or your business. Do both with a passion and I’m willing to bet you’ll go to sleep at night with a smile. I know everyone is not cut out to be a CEO and everyone don’t want to punch a clock everyday but, whatever you do, do it with a passion. Make it enjoyable for you. Ask yourself are you in the right place at this time of your life and, don’t be afraid of the answer you get back. Embrace it and see where it takes you. I’ve listen to so many people over the years cry out about how much they hate being at work but, I watch them year after year faithfully punch in and whine all day about being miserable. Lets not continue to be those people. Lets find our place or places and live beyond 50. Someone once said that the best businesses, ideas, songs, poems etc., are in the graveyard taken there by people who never found their true place. Lets not be those people. Lets press hard to find out places on this earth and make a difference in our and others lives. All it takes is on win to lead you to another whether small or large, just one.

Until next time, win the day