The average businesswoman or businessman is perceived as tucked under ties and buttoned down. The general image persisted over time, mainly due to popular depictions of a fast-paced, down-to-earth working person we've become too familiar with. But it's far more interesting than we could ever imagine.
Successful businessmen and entrepreneurs have colorful background stories. Their stories about the path to success are, more often than not, inspiring to say the least. But those stories also carry many life lessons and roadmaps to achievements.
One of the more successful businessmen whose story differs from the average is 46-year-old Ozzie Blessed - a business partner at Growth Cave. "My life and business journeys were not smooth sailing," says Ozzie. "But it greatly impacted everything that I am today."
Ozzie grew up in a high-crime neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. With a childhood marked by gangs and roaming the streets from when he was just nine years old, young Ozzie was destined to become yet another victim of the faulty system, as he had no idea that gang life doesn't lead to a life of riches - at least the one that allows you to live long enough to spend that money.
"I spread myself too thin. The business was booming, but then I learned about real estate and invested in the absolutely worst time possible," he says. "I put a wrong bet down and went home with nothing."
Broke, but with his spirit intact, Ozzie started from scratch again. How hard would it be to walk the same road again, but this time with tons of experience and knowledge this time, right? Turns out, relatively easy as Ozzie knew which mistakes to avoid.
First, he got a job as a salesperson at a solar energy company which led him to start a solar panel installation company which further led him to meet his current business partner and create Growth Cave - a digital marketing consultancy company whose mission is to help other businesses build and grow their online presence.
With Growth Cave, Ozzie wanted to leverage his partnership to build a sustainable business. Ozzie plans to cater to the online learning market. "Among other things, we are making videos in Spanish as well," explains Ozzie. "Because we want to cater to all Spanish-speaking countries."
Despite facing various obstacles during his life, Ozzie never gave up - he used his skills and knowledge to dig his path to success. The story of Ozzie Blessed is an inspiring example of how anyone can turn their life around or change their ways of living regardless of the background they carry with them.
"No matter how hard it is, people should never give up on themselves and their dreams," says Ozzie. "Life won't be fair, and it will hit hard, but as long as you get up, it will all be fine."
