This is a story all about how, my life got flipped turned upside down, And I'll only take a few minutes just sit right there, I'll tell you how I became the King of my life this year!

1. “MAKE MONDAY GREAT AGAIN”
It was a Monday, good old Monday, and I was sitting in front of my
potential new bosses. This was shaping up to be a Monday better than
most Mondays. On the table was an offer, $150K salary, company car,
a monthly credit allowance. All I had to do was accept, and who
wouldn't accept, especially since I was making nowhere next to that
currently. In my head I couldn't wait to give my two-week notice, or I
was really thinking is a two week notice even necessary. When you get
fired they don't give you a two-week notice. You will be lucky if they
even give you a severance package. But, they need two weeks to find
a replacement if you leave them. Oh yeah that makes perfect sense. I

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went down the list of everything they just mentioned, oh I just gave
you the good stuff I didn’t mention that in between stuff. I would be
on call, working 60+ hours per week (including weekends), working
holidays, responsible for 13 stores in three states, two-week vacation,
and a few sick hours, not days.
This meant a few things to me, I already hate Mondays. No Monday
Night Football for me. I don't take advantage of “Happy Hour” because
I don't drink. However, working 10 hours a day, if I wanted to start
drinking (most likely due to the stress of work) I couldn't because I
would be at work. What about “TGIF”? I can't Thank God it's Friday if I
have to work on Saturday. When would I get to “Thank God” for a
day? It sounds like I will be praying to God for an extra day off
throughout the week. I only get 14 days of vacation out of 365 days in
a year. The previous year I had attended five funerals and four
weddings. All of those days I just took off. But now you're telling me I
only have a certain amount of sick hours. So if I have anything like
those occurrences this year, I would have to pick between going to my
favorite Aunt Dora’s funeral or being the best man at my best friend's
wedding. And miss an EPIC bachelor party, which I would plan.
I sat in the chair and pondered my life up to this point in two minutes,
staring at the ceiling. This opportunity sounded less and less enticing
the more I thought about it. I already felt like I didn't belong in the
corporate world. I was a “creative” masking my identity to be someone
I was not, working with people I don't like and I know don't like me
because I am a young black man in a position of power. I climbed up
the corporate ladder but the ladder was on the wrong wall. My
aspirations were to be a business owner, and a writer. I had spent
most of my years after high school ghost-writing research papers,
essays, admission letters, resumes and cover letters for undergrads
and grad students. One project in particular had stood out to me. I
had written a business plan for a Master’s student. Like many of the

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students I worked with, she had just given me the assignment, and
had no idea what was going on in the class. I researched a few things
and put the paper together for her. A few weeks later she had called
me to tell me that she got an A+ on the project. The professor was so
elated with the business plan that he suggested that she go ahead and
carry it to fruition. I didn't hear from her for a while after that
conversation. I asked the person who referred her to me how she was
doing. She told me that after graduating that semester with her
Masters, she started a business from the business plan I created and
moved to California.
I thought to myself here I am about to sign my life away for a measly
$150K salary that would amount to nothing after taxes, inflation, and
dating in New York City. I would be told when to, come to work, eat
lunch, leave for the day, be sick, or take off. This will be my life until I
retire at 80 years old. Hell no. Am I living to work or working to live? I
chose the latter, declined the offer, and created my own business plan
and company partnering with various industry experts to form a
consulting group for Entrepreneurs and aspiring Entrepreneurs with 1
foot in the door and 1 foot out of their jobs. Upon our one-year
anniversary of being in business this November we have helped a host
of existing Entrepreneurs and Founders of Startups, Small businesses,
and Nonprofits. We are expanding our brand to include an online
school with courses coming soon for Entrepreneurs and those aspiring
to get out of the rat race. Never again will Monday be so despised!