When I first moved to Tampa I was upset. Maybe even depressed.
I wanted to be back home.
I wanted to go to my old school.
See my old friends.
I wanted to go to 85th and play handball till the sun went down.
But life had a different plan for me.
A plan that required me to be in Tampa to realize what I wanted to do with my life.
Fresh out of New York I took an entrepreneurship class my first semester of junior year at Wharton high school.
That entrepreneurship class changed my life by opening my eyes and making me think about the possibilities of building my own business.
It required me to write out a business plan and it was that plan that ended up being my first draft for what I’m doing now.
It was a plan for a retail store that would sell the dopest sneakers and clothes.
And I’m trying to execute that plan with Gully Steez, my blog network and aspiring retail outlet for All Things Dope.
I truly believe that I was placed in this city for a reason and I’m not leaving or claiming I’m solely from NY when we succeed.
It’s NY – FL. Queens – Tampa. Always.
This is because I feel like Tampa gave me a sense of purpose that staying in New York may have never provided.
Moving here was truly life changing.
If I had stayed in New York my life’s trajectory would have been very different.
I had aspirations to go to law school or climb up the corporate ladder. But I never felt passionate about those aspirations.
I only had them because they were the “SMART” goals to have. The goals that would most likely lead me to success.
The entrepreneurship class changed all that though. It was like it validated something I had known deep inside all along.
I don’t want to work for somebody else for the next 30-40 years of my life.
And my mission, my purpose, my main goal is to build a company that lives forever.
I don’t know how I’m going to do it. And I’ve made countless mistakes in the past three years since I registered my company.
But my resolve has never been stronger.
My drive has never been stronger.
And my goals only keep growing.
I found my purpose and I’m shaping my destiny.
I implore you to do the same.
And remember…Be cool, Stay fresh, Live REAL.
Daniel Steez 