JUAN JOSE

This is my story

I remember sharing this small bed on the floor with my little brother. We were children to two poor immigrants and didn't know much English before starting school. I remember wanting my brother to be better prepared than I was so I would teach him what I would learn in school. I was so proud at the fact that he was the only 1st grader who knew how to multiply, because I had taught him. This sparked a passion in me to be a mentor to other people.

What's funny about this picture is that it's the only time I've worn a cap and gown. I hated school so much that I decided to skip my high school graduation, and I had a similar distaste for college which I decided to drop out of.

When I was 13 I remember taking my birthday money and using it to buy gas for my parent's lawn mower. As an introvert, I would go door to door asking to cut grass for money. I didn't know it at the time, but I always had a stubborn and rebellious heart that was perfect for entrepreneurship.

In 2012 I met the only person who was brave enough to dream as big as I did. She was a nursing student at the time and I was a starving artist. I still don't know what she saw in me because she was, and still is, way out of my league. 

That same year I found a new creative outlet in photography. Up until this point, I was convinced I would be a musician, producing and playing music all around the country. 

Rebekah and I got married in 2015 :). We were both settled on the dream of being full-time photographers in a big city one day. Would it be easy? Nothing in life worth having is. Little did we know that in 2018, we would reach a milestone that would allow Rebekah to quit her job as a nurse to join me in growing our business together. 

2020, in the middle of a pandemic, we were able to work our way to the top 3% of earners in the US, doing what we love. I also gained an Emmy Award for a short series I shot with some big names. I feel very privileged to have experienced both sides of the financial spectrum. It's shown me what's important in life, and what's not. To respect a janitor the same as a CEO, and to remember that we all have our mountains to climb, no matter where we start.

If there's one thing I hope people get from my story is that we are each capable of overcoming the obstacles before us and the failures behind us.

This is my story. I'd love to hear yours.