From Rock Bottom to Building Dreams: My Journey Through Failure

At 33, I was waiting tables after leaving the business I’d poured a decade into. I felt like a failure. Every time a friend walked into the restaurant, it was a hit to my ego. “What are you doing here? Didn’t you have a company?” Yeah, I did. And I left it. And it crushed me.

But here’s what I learned: failure isn’t the end. It’s just feedback.

When I left the banana flour business, I thought my entrepreneurship journey was over. I was embarrassed, ashamed, and stuck. But life has a funny way of redirecting you. My pivot into construction wasn’t part of some master plan. It was me, desperate for a fresh start, trying to figure out what was next.

I didn’t know anything about construction when I started. I googled terms in the bathroom so no one would see how clueless I was. But I showed up. I asked questions. I kept learning. Fast forward—I’ve built 10 houses and generated $20 million in sales.

Being a contractor wasn’t something I envisioned for myself, but it became the business that helped me rebuild my confidence and purpose. I learned that entrepreneurship isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about having the resilience to find them. It’s about adapting, pivoting, and refusing to let failure define you.

The lesson? Your current situation doesn’t define you. What you do next does. Don’t let failure be your final chapter. Get up, dust yourself off, and start building again. Whether it’s in construction, business, or life, the blueprint to success is always the same: learn, adapt, and never stop moving forward.