The Pageant Planet Story…

I was born November 18, 1981…yeap a Scorpio watch out. I have 5 sisters, zero brothers and I am kind of in the middle of the birth order mix. 3 sisters are older, 2 younger. I grew up in small town USA code name, Belpre, Ohio…population about 7,000 if you throw in the cows.

The house I grew up in had 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. When I was about 6 or 7 I got fed up with fighting over the bathroom and just started going outside…hey we lived in the country. Well, my dad being the dreamer that he is didn’t like the fact that his only son was having to share a room with 2 girls and go to the bathroom outside set out to remodel our house into a 5 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom home. One problem…we were poor. So my dad leveraging big dreams and his charisma got the bank to loan him the money if he did the work.

So as a family throughout the remodeling process we got the privilege of enjoying

• a week without a roof over our heads while we were rebuilding the roof
• no windows or doors on our house while we were waiting
• hearing my sister scream when she found a mouse in her hair in the middle of the night
• no carpet for several months
• sleeping in our kitchen during the first winter with nothing but a corner gas heater and a stove to keep us warm
• washing dishes in the bathtub
• and the list continues….

But, it finally was completed and we were happy. This lead me to be a dreamer. After high school I went to Bible College and got ordained as a minister…bet you didn’t see that one coming. But, I liked business and marketing so much more so I decided to pursue that. I worked my way through college as a model and television host which made for interesting conversations at clubs, cocktail parties, and fashion events when people asked me what I was studying in college

My Biggest Risk

Then at the age of 23 I took a big risk…I purchased an arena football team. At the age of 12 I began saying that I wanted to own the Chicago Bears, then by the time I turned 23 I thought it is about time that I gave this dream a shot. So I bought it…while working as a server at the Cheesecake Factory. LOL Another story for another time. Actually, to date I am still the youngest person to ever own an arena football team. My business partner, Dwayne Robinson, from Bermuda is the first black man to own one so we were in a league of our own. Anyways, long story short…the football team failed. Miserably.

My Big Break

Through the next couple of years I tried several things to get back on my feet but the proverbial rug kept being pulled out from under me. Then Calvin Hill, a great Internet marketer, took me under his wing and started showing the tricks of the game. He brought me in. I owe him everything I now have. God used Calvin to pull me out. Everyone else in my circle seemed to lose faith in me save a Dwayne, Mom and Dad…though they were beginning to wonder “Is he ever going to bounce back?” But, Calvin believed and his belief changed me.

For the next year, I struggled to learn the industry but then Rob “Waldo” Waldman, gave me the breakthrough that I had been waiting for. He believed that I could help him market his site and get his name out there as a motivational speaker. We experienced a successful marketing campaign that landed him on the New Times Best Seller List and for me a renewed sense of self.

Quickly thereafter I started a company based on Waldo’s advice called, “The Marketing Model,” specializing in Internet Marketing. Things began expanding very rapidly and I am still running to keep up.

Boy Meets Pageant

So, during my football owning days I was introduced to the world of pageantry. Though I can say that watching girls compete for endless hours was not the most fascinating process for me the personal development aspect of pageantry captivated me. What pageants develop in young women is what really caught my attention. Something else that caught my attention was the fact that there was not a website that taught girls how to successfully compete in pageants. So that is when I decided to create, The Pageant Planet.

I interview state and local title holders and pageant coaches from New York to Nevada trying to learn the best tips to give you so you can not only experience the confidence boost and professional contacts that pageants provide but win the crown you seek. The Pageant Planet began 5 months ago and is already getting about 500 visitors per day. And the crazier thing is pageant directors both local and out of state have been asking me to judge their pageants. The difference is now I really enjoy it, things grow on you I guess.

My Advice

My advice…keep plugging away towards your dreams. Those close to you will probably not understand you. Dreamers are some of the most misunderstood people on the planet. Keep people close to you that will support you and show their belief in you. If those close to you don’t believe in you cut them off for a season until you can become the success you desire and then if you want come back. Don’t be deceived…your environment does determine your success. If you want something different you have to do something different.