Embracing Assimilation to Reach Entrepreneurial Success

Throughout my life I always wanted to be my own boss. However, embracing assimilation to reach entrepreneurial success came with many obstacles.

Hi, my name is Emerson, welcome to my blog!

That’s me in the picture with my daughter Mila. She was 2 years old at the time.

Most people who write “About Me” pages and share their story focus on how large of a social following they have, how big their bank accounts are, and post a ton of pictures of cars and homes they own.

Don’t get me wrong – I like a success story.

But even more than a success story, I like the story of the person who made something out of nothing. I love a good underdog story, stories of blue-collar working men and women who break through barriers because they measured success by their terms and not by anyone else’s.

So, here’s my story. I hope it gives you an idea of who I really am.

My journey to entrepreneurial success has been long, full of challenges, setbacks and disappointments. Having to mold into a new culture presented many challenges. Along the way I never forgot what my parents told me, “Work hard, have faith, and never forget the definition of the American dream.”

At the age of 6 this made very little sense to me. Not to mention that we lived nowhere near the United States, but thousands of miles away in Brazil. Yeah, Brazil South America, not Brazil Indiana!

I’ll share more with you in a bit.

My goal is to provide established and aspiring entrepreneurs like yourself with comprehensive reviews of entrepreneurial resources.

I believe in leveraging on strategic partnerships and technology to scale businesses digitally. That’s me on the right rocking a tank top! (Oh yeahhh!)

I want to place you on the right path to business ownership and success, find and grow high value consumer traffic to increase your sales, scale your business and outrank competitors in your niche markets.

When I decided to go into business for myself, it felt like I was climbing Mount Everest. I was completely alone and scared. I had to learn on the go, losing money, time, and in the process hurting the ones I loved. Now that I’m experiencing success, I want to share what I learned over the last decade with you.

I want to help as many people as I can discover their entrepreneurial spirit. That’s why I launched this site. Here we can start the journey together. You will have access to all the resources I used to launch several traditional and online businesses. You will join me and thousands of other entrepreneurs like yourself reach the success you deserve and dream of.

Let’s build something special together!

Yes, it all started in Brazil.

Witnessing my parents run two accomplished businesses (a family owned sawmill and a local pub) while completing their college degrees in higher education inspired me.

The entrepreneurial seed was planted at a young age. They watered it every day with a servant leadership approach to teaching my siblings and me life lessons.

I was born on August 13, 1981 in a very small city called Tiros (translated to English means gunshots) located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The city was not recognized on local, state and federal maps until the late 80s.

One of my very first memories is of me at the age of 4 out in the backyard playing with an old tire and my cousin Marcos.

Marcos ran fast, jumped high and was good at climbing trees. All the things I wasn’t good at.

Marcos was the coolest cousin a kid could ever want. He was great at teaching me how to play soccer, hide and seek, Simon Says and all the other childhood games we all remember too well growing up. Ultimately for Marcos and me, this phase of our lives pretty much peaked when we were gifted bicycles from our parents. That’s me standing shirtless next to my cousin.

Life got really complicated.

From 1981 to 1990, Brazil’s economy tanked. Due to high inflation rates and failed economic initiatives the country found itself in economic crisis.

During this challenging period my parents lost both businesses and their jobs as teachers. Because the education system was managed by the government, funded by federal and state subsidies, schools were broke. Teachers went on strike. With no businesses to run, schools closed and mounting debt meant no income for my family.

In January of 1990 my life was turned upside down.

My parents had no choice but to leave Brazil. Destination… USA. As an adult looking back on my life, it made a lot of sense. Growing up hearing my father say, “Work hard, have faith, never forget the definition of the American dream” became crystal clear when we landed in Miami, Florida.

We settled into a small two-bedroom apartment, planted roots, and I quickly realized this was my new reality, my new home, my new life, and a new set of challenges for me to overcome.

1991-1996 I Embraced Assimilation into a new homeland.

Overall, for not speaking a word of English and trying to learn about a new culture, my experiences in school were positive at first. I made lots of friends in grades 3 through 8.

In 6th grade I joined the Ambassadors Club. I was the Junior Ambassador of Brazil for my school. This program helped kids understand diversity in south Florida schools. I was even featured in the Sun-Sentinel (a south Florida newspaper) for my role in the Ambassador program.

I learned from a young age that it sucked being different. Bullies saw me as a target because I spoke and dressed differently. I recall dreading any time we had to move classes.

During lunch, when we were forced to sit at long tables based on a single file line, I strategically placed myself in the best position to avoid bullies.

My only defense was to avoid conflict and try to fit in at all cost. I joined my school’s band and played the trombone from 7th to 8th grade.

From 1997 to 2000 I somehow avoided an awkward phase in high school.

Besides staying busy with school, I remember watching a lot of TV, especially MTV. I loved the classic episodes of TRL, and I listened to a lot of music by Eminem, Jay Z, Limp Bizkit, Blink 182, and The Thong Song. I’m sure you know the good stuff that played during the late 90s and early 2000s. As a freshman I joined the JV football team and continued to later play varsity ball.

But my heart was set on getting a job. I wanted to make my own money. I really didn’t have a choice; I had to work. Both my parents held two jobs each to put food on the table. I wanted to help by earning a little money and buying my own things.

I held various jobs during high school.

My first job was folding papers at the Sun-Sentinel warehouse in south Florida. I made $60-$100 a weekend, depending on the total number of newspapers I managed to bundle.

During the summer months I worked as a busboy at a local Italian restaurant, the Bronx Café, working my way to making pizzas in the kitchen. It felt good to earn my own money. Plus, I knew my parents didn’t have to worry about buying me school supplies, shoes, and clothing with money they didn’t have. Any opportunity to contribute to my family’s household was important to me.

I did well in high school. I had good grades As and Bs for the most part. I graduated high school in 2000. For a while after graduation I wasn’t sure what my career path was going to be. My parents were both teachers but never really encouraged me to continue my education. They were more concerned with keeping a roof over our heads and putting food in our bellies. I thought a college degree would never be possible for me.

I didn’t mind hitting the work force at a young age.

I learned responsibility, time management skills, and my worth as a young worker. Not to mention, it helped me to perfect my English speaking and writing skills. However, I wanted more for myself.

One night, I sat down with pen and paper in hand and started to list short and long-term goals for myself. I thought about what my parents told me as a child, “Work hard, have faith, never forget the definition of the American dream.”

So, naturally, I started my list of goals with… you guessed it, the definition of the American dream!

“The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where professional and personal growth is possible for everyone. The American Dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance.”

My goals were simple:

1. Further my education.
2. Have my own family.
3. Be an entrepreneur working for myself.
4. Live a life in service to my family and others.

With these goals in mind my entrepreneurial journey began.

In 2005, I enrolled at Palm Beach State College EMS/Fire academy. I completed my studies and training in Emergency Medical Services, securing National Registry recognition as an Emergency Medical Technician. I worked and held EMT certifications in the states of Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Arizona, Arkansas, and currently in Indiana.

In 2012, I met my wife while working as an EMT in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. We moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where I finished my undergrad curriculum and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in Healthcare Administration with an emphasis on Healthcare Management.

I continued my graduate work at Arizona State University in Tempe, where I graduated from the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions with a master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Emergency Management and Homeland Security. In 2014 we got married.

During the summer of 2015 we relocated to Arkansas. My daughter Mila was born in May of 2016. Having a baby is truly the best thing that ever happened to me. She was only one week old in this picture.

Finally, I took the plunge.

I launched my first business, a small real estate startup in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We secured $5 million of listings in our pipeline. I thought for sure life was good! One year later, to support my wife’s career progression in D1 athletics, we relocated to Indiana. At the end of year one in business for myself, we made zero profits, sold zero homes, ran out of money and had no choice but to dissolve the company. I was devastated! I had invested time, energy and big money into getting this business off the ground.

After several weeks of walking around feeling like a failure, it dawned on me that not all was lost.

During that year, I worked hard and realized how big of a commitment it is to build a business from the ground up. I learned important skills during that year marketing, sales strategy, networking, and building an online presence – all important skills I worked hard to master.

I discovered different avenues to incorporate a business and how to leverage on other successful entrepreneurs.

Ever more, establishing meaningful working relationships with people from all walks of life was my goal that year. Having partnerships with attorneys, bankers, investors, mortgage companies, local, state, and federal officials allowed me the opportunity to learn processes and procedures.

It was a blessing, not a failure, that my real estate company didn’t take off like I hoped it would. I learned a ton from my first go at it. So, I took what I learned and went back to the drawing board.

Business school was a great option for me to reinforce the skills I mastered.

This time, I enrolled at the Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 2018.

All the hands on and practical experience I gained from the failure of my real estate startup helped me succeed in business school. More importantly, my life’s journey fueled my desire to get better, seek out opportunities, and build a sustainable future for my family.

Isn’t that what the American Dream is all about?

Have you taken time to self-reflect?

What are your dreams and aspirations?

What are your goals? What’s YOUR WHY?

What’s YOUR definition of the American Dream?

My dad was right!

America is one of the best countries in the world. Anything is possible here. But, the American Dream is much bigger than my family, my failures, my successes and some motivational saying my parents taught me as a kid.

It has deep roots with tenets found in its Declaration of Independence, which reads,

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

You and I can live life to its fullest as we define it.

Whether you live in the United States of America or NOT!  You and I can measure success and happiness by our own terms, not someone else’s definition of success for us. You have the freedom to make both large and small decisions that affect your life. You have the freedom to aspire to bigger and better things and the possibility of achieving them. You have the freedom to accumulate wealth and to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams. You have the opportunity to lead a dignified life, and the freedom to live in accordance with your values.

Today, I am the Founder and President of Negotium Concepts, LLC., Co-Founder and Director of Operations and Business Development at BDSCamps, LLC., and hold ownership of several online businesses including this site and my blog.

With all the above said, my biggest thrill in life doesn’t come from money, but rather, when I’m lucky enough to meet someone new and teach them something that may change their life.

My goal is to provide entrepreneurs like yourself with Comprehensive Business Resources, Professional Development Tools, Online Marketing Platforms, and Personalized Business Development to help you establish the success you and your family desire. I want to help you grow high value for your business, to increase your sales, scale your company, and help you outrank competitors in your niche markets.

Now that I’m experiencing some success, I want to share what I learned over the years with you! Let’s build something special together.

No one ever gave me the actionable, step-by-step advice to entrepreneurial success.

Just like my parents helped and nurtured me, pointing me in the right direction, I want to help you discover your entrepreneurial spirit. This phrase, “entrepreneurial spirit” is not just a saying.

Above all, it’s a state of mind. It’s your attitude and how you seek out opportunities for change, rather than sitting around idle waiting to adapt to change.

Most importantly, it’s a state of mind that welcomes critical questioning, innovation, service and continuous improvements that will maximize personal and business growth.

That’s why I launched this site and my blog. Here we can start the journey together. You will have access to all the resources I used to successfully launch several traditional and online businesses. You will join me and thousands of other entrepreneurs like yourself to reach the success you deserve.

No matter your goals, my dream is to help get you there faster. Life’s too short not to give it your all, don’t you agree?

Thank you for being here.

If you made it this far, I appreciate the time you took to read my story. I deeply value every relationship I make. I’m here for you as both a guide to entrepreneurship and as a friend.

I try to respond to every email and want to hear your story, both the good and the bad.

I want to provide a safe community where established and new entrepreneurs can collaborate, provide encouragement, and work smarter.

We need to band and grow together, pick each other up, and rally together to win. I hope the story of your life brings you all the happiness, freedom, and peace you and your family deserve.

Thank you for reading about my journey. This is my story… What’s your’s?

 

 

Pronounced (Day-OH-lee-VAIR-uh)