Strategic Business Growth: Sherrod Baltimore’s Entrepreneurial Journey

Only thing I think about with sports, like, man learning now, you want to win a great cup, you want to ring a Super bowl, great cup. To go on the panel and talk. They were telling me, like football to be over. And I'm learning, like your money, football money, you get paid with the six increments, six months. So six months on, six months off, which is good and bad. You want to invest it in some spot, you don't want to just sit on it because you sit on. You just want to spend it when you need it.

Good day and welcome to the Wealthy Entrepreneur Podcast. I am your host, Bob Gauvreau. It is a pleasure to have you here today. I want to remind you that this is the place where we dissect the elements to contribute to entrepreneurial success from mindset and leadership to profits and revenue. And I got to tell you, today's episode is going to be a little bit of fun. I have a professional athlete and I'm going to introduce him here in a second. Professional athlete turned entrepreneur, but he's kind of still got one foot in each of those buckets right now. But I got to tell you, this individual, his name is Sherrod Baltimore and he's been a defensive back on the Red Blacks for quite a few years and looking for his next opportunity right now and in the Canadian Football League. And he's just such a pleasure, I have the great honor to call him a friend, to call him a client, a student. And he's just, you know, he brings so much positivity and energy and entertainment truthfully in every conversation. So I feel very lucky that I get to share his journey with you today. We're going to call this episode Discipline, Drive and Entrepreneurship with Sherrod Baltimore. He's the founder of Clean Dream Services, a fast growing residential and commercial cleaning business in the Ottawa area. They also do cleaning on construction sites as well. So for for anybody in that region who's going to be looking for that type of service, you couldn't ask for a better founder or human to be leading this group of people. I just can't say enough good things about him. He's been known as a standout defensive back with CFL's Ottawa Red Blacks. Sherrod turned the unexpected downturn of the pandemic into an opportunity to create a new chapter for himself as an entrepreneur. Clean Dream Services was born from his vision to raise the standard of professional cleaning for homes and workplaces. Sharad's story is a powerful example of channeling the discipline and focus of professional sports into building a business from the ground up. He's going to share his journey of going through and being a recognized elite athlete, going through the system and getting an opportunity maybe later than what he had hoped. But I'll let you listen to his story. Once again, one of the nicest guys that you would ever meet. Funny as hell, too. And I'm gonna get him to come in and share a little bit about his journey, some of the challenges he's faced in his entrepreneurship, but also talk a little bit about the journey he had to get into, the entrepreneurship to begin with. So, without further ado, I'm so excited to welcome my friend, Sherrod Baltimore onto the podcast today. All right, Sherrod Baltimore in the house. My buddy. I've had opportunity to connect with you, I'm going to say, last couple years, and you just bring my friend, like, the best vibe and energy, maybe more than anyone I've ever met. It's. It's always a true pleasure to connect with you. And I'm so excited to have you here and share a little bit about your journey because you've had a few different paths that you've. You've gone down between, you know, athletics and starting a business. I would love for you to take us through, give us the Sherrod Baltimore story of how you got to where you are today.

I appreciate you, man. I'm proud of you. I'll definitely. First off, I feel like God crossed this path, you know, gotten to help me on my journey the last two years. Learning from you a lot has been. Been a blessing for me. It definitely helped me, you know, especially, you know, becoming and feeling like I'm a rookie all over again in this business world. But I'm gonna get to that later, you know what I'm saying? I'm proud of you. I definitely appreciate you. Definitely been more. It started off just an accountant, but now my brother, like family. That's good. I don't even call you my accountant.

Same.

Right?

Like, it's. Like I said, it is such a pleasure to always talk with you. You just bring this level of energy and positivity and enthusiasm for everything that you do. That. And thank you for those kind words. I appreciate it. It's been. It's been an honor to work alongside you and help support you through this journey. But let's hear. Let's hear your story. I would love for everyone to hear it.

All right, cool, man. So I'm from Prince Deltas County, Maryland, close to the, like, Washington, D.C. area. Grew up and. Yeah, in that area, went to Friendly High School. It's a very competitive. I've been playing sports all my life, football and basketball where I'm from. In my early DME area, sports is very competitive. To make it out from either going to the NBA or NFL. It's a lot of athletes, you know, that once wanted to make it. Coming up, coming out of my, you know, generation. So I played since six years old, Oxen Hill Boys and Girls Club all the way up to high school. I got six siblings. I'm the oldest, my mom, single mom. I grew up with, yeah, like a mom. And I got two uncles who was very supportive of me growing up. Big brothers, like my big brother figures, like role models, people that did the right thing all the time. But in high school, I went to my ninth grade year. I mean, my eighth grade year in middle school, I played pop mortar school ball. It's like travel football. So you play the best in your area that you get to go to Florida and compete for like three games and see who, you know, the best in the world. Very competitive. And along that time, one of my teammates is a brother to mine to this day. Navon, he was the running back. My guy was very close with him, like, cool. And I'm just. I'm playing on the same team on the weekends. You know, you go to school on the weekend, and on the weekends you're like, hey, mom, can I stay at Avon? How's it the game? We want to play the game, man. You know what I'm saying? The coach used to come get me anyway, so it was, like, easier for me. So, yeah, I used to stay with him through the games. And we built that, like, brother relationship, you know, throughout the season and throughout my high school career. I ended up living with him. You know, his parents allowed me, you know, it's a blessing to disguise. And I love him to this day. They allow me to come, you know, live with them for high school. Obviously, my situation growing up was a little, like, open poverty stuff. You know, you bouncing around from house to house, going around. So it's a little unstable at a certain time. And, you know, I was blessed that, you know, Big Ron, Ronald, Harvey and Michelle, Ms. Michelle, they seen a good side of me, you know, in the future. Like, hey, man, this kid got a future, good head on his shoulder. He come live with us and we take care of the rest from this. It was really good for me. I moved out. Like, I lived with them when I was like, 13, starting at 13. So that's kind of like my first time really stepping out and trying to go, you know, figure it out, figure life out. My mom was moving around, trying to figure her life out, whatever the case may be. But yeah, man, had a good high school career. Played basketball, football, was all Met basketball, all state, all county, football and basketball, all that stuff like that good stuff. Played quarterback in high school, my whole high school career in point guard. And then my senior year, I had to make a decision to stop playing basketball that summer, and I had to just make a decision to play football. One of my coaches, football coaches, obviously, in high school, same with college. Everywhere you go, coaches is very, like, come and go, you know, it's a tricky situation. It's not a stable job, you know what I'm saying? You never know. You'll be here today, lose then be on tomorrow. So I had a few high school coaches, a couple, I think. And the last one was Coach Kwei Way, my most memorable coach. And from football high school, he come to Meemaw's 11th grade year, going in the summer. He like, yo, you want to play? You want to, like, you want to go to college? I'm like, yeah, like, you just got here. Like. Like, I be cooking in basketball, bro. Like, I'm like that, you know, I'm probably gonna play basketball, probably go to the play football. I'm trying to go to NBA or NFL. He like, hey, man, you need to play football. He African, too, so he got an accent. And, yo, I need you. I need you to play football. I'm like. I'm like, yeah, man, I might. He like, yeah, man, you gonna play corner, you know what I'm saying? He like, you want to play football? I'm like, yeah, I'm going to just play quarterback. I'm going to go to college, the quarterback probably go to the league. He like, what? He like, I want you to go home, and I want you to look at all the quarterbacks in the NFL at their height and they weight, and I want you to go to the NBA and look at all the point guys. So I'm like, all right, whatever. Kind of just went on the back of my head, you know, this is a new coach, kind of. I'm really cool with him. I got his respect. But this is your first time meeting someone. Where I come from, you know, it's kind of like you gotta gain your respect. You feel me half of the time. Sometimes it's like, I'm gonna give you the trust off Rip, and then you gotta do something to you Know, screw it up. But sometimes it's like, bro, I don't even know you like that. Like, but now he telling me, like, yo, I played for Nick Saban. That's the. That was the head coach for Alabama. But then when he was at Michigan State, that's when I played for him. He was just teaching me hella stuff. And you know, I should have. I could have been in the league. But I'm gonna get you, right? You gonna play corner. Do it. So I'm like, that's what kind of like stuck with me. Like, all right, I'm trying to go to the league. Like, I know Nick Saban, he blowing up at Alabama right now. So he kind of got to know something. Like, he got some credentials. So let me go home and look at this roster. So I get home, bro, I pull up the roster. I'm in high school too. This is my 11th grade year. I like, bro, what? Tom, Brad, six four, all the quarterback, six four, six, three. I'm like, what the hell, bro? Point guard, Steph Curry, six' four, everybody 62, 63, bro. Brother, I'm five ten, brother. I met this. I called my uncle. I always call my uncle, man. That's the first time. Like, bro, he like, no, you can do it, Tyro. I tell her like, 5, 10 and this and that. So I go to my coach the next day and I'm like, you know, I'm like, man, everybody six feet. Like, what the he like. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Like, you can, you can do it. You athletic enough to play quarterback or athletics enough to play basketball, but it's just going to be that much harder, you know what I'm saying? At corner, you 5, 10. So it's like, really, It's a hop. You got a high percentage chance of making it pro. We had this conversation as a 11th grade junior, you know what I'm saying? In high school. So I'm like, he like, yo, listen, in order for you to get good at corner, you already got the skill set, you know what I'm saying? You play point guard, it's similar to, you know, the agility. You just got to get faster, you got to get stronger. You haven't been lifting weights your whole high school career, brother. Like, you're slow. You're one.

I didn't have to. I was the quarterback.

Huh?

I didn't have to. I was the quarterback.

I was thinking I was fast. I ain't been slow. I started realizing I was slow till my junior year. Look, I started running 40s. I'm running four eights. I'm like, who, who 40 is that? Who ran that? You know what I'm saying? But yeah, he. So he convinced me, like, yo, like I said, basketball is competitive where I'm from. And I play. I really love basketball. I played basketball more than football, you know what I'm saying? It was a really hard decision. Like, I played point guard, was very, like, impactful to my high school teams and my AAU team. Travel league, like, basketball. I've been paying Travel League since 6, 7 years old. Like, I play football, but we. We just play football, but we love basketball, you know what I'm saying? So I had to tell my coach in the summer. Like, man, I'm not playing AAU basketball this summer. I remember he was hurt. Coach Ty, he still tell me to this day, you a better basketball player than football player. Hate talking about this because it's like this. I will never forget the conversation they was in Florida. He like, bro, I will fly you down here, like right now. You know what I'm saying? Like, Syracuse called to me, like, trying to see where you at. They've been watching, you know what I'm saying? This your time now. And I'm like, man, I'm out here in the summer in the weight room doing DB drills and football. I'm like, man, Coach, I made a decision, like, I just got to stick with it. And I seen the future, you know, I bet on myself. I was listening to my coach, you know what I'm saying? Coach Quay way. And it made more sense, you know, I was talking to my uncle. I called him like, bro, it's probably. Probably Dahmer, a little more high percentage that go from football to basketball. So anyways, I stayed that summer. I played cornerback. I lifted weights, got my 40 down from like a four eight to like a four five. I went to do some camps and stuff. I was traveling and my office picked up from all the Division 1 AA schools. I played corner, had a hell of a year. Then I ended up going. I all met all state for corner in one season, you know what I'm saying? And I got better at it, mastered it. Coach Kwei Wei, man, he taught me so much about the. The cornerback position, technique and binding yourself. And you don't have to be fast. You gotta be learning technique, you know, skills and stuff like that. End up going to Maine, University of Maine, committed, you know what I'm saying? I went. That basketball season was my best season too. I played for my high School, not my au. Cause you got football season and then you got basketball after. Feel me? So I was going to play basketball, but it was just going to be because I love the game, you know what I'm saying? My last time I was cooking too. I feel like I was just playing my best basketball. Cause I was stronger, faster.

And no pressure either, right? And no pressure, right?

100%. So then I ended up going to University of Maine. Everyone asked me like, why the hell are you going to Maine? You know what I'm saying? I will never forget that. That was a good time. You know, I come from. My area is just majority black people. Is all black people, black people community. You know what I'm saying? So I remember coaches would be coming in and out of high school to come meet. You know, when they come recruit you, they come see Old Dominion came with their coaching staff. Maine Coach Vash was always there. He showed up from the beginning to the end, which was another reason why that one of my decisions was to go to Maine, but Towson was there. It was a lot of like Division 1 AA schools. I had about like 10 offers, something like that. 15 offers. Anyways, I remember my decision making. It was time to go visit Maine. And I was in class and they was like, yo, Maine, you know, here to see you. And I leave class and I come back in class and you know, my classmates around me, I will never forget. One of my classmates was like, what school is that? I was like, man, University of Maine. She'd be like, you can't go to Maine. That's about Alaska. You know what I'm saying? So when I got out of school, when I got out of class, I went to Coach Quayway. I'm like, bro, I'm not going to Maine, bro. It's about Alaska. Like, it's cold as hell out there. And they get like, docked 24 hours. You know, he after me. He like, who told you this? I just. Yo, we used to laugh all the time. It was my favorite coach, one of my favorite coaches. We got so many stories about him. But another time, but he like, nah, man. Main. They come in here, consistency. They come in here consistently. They recruit you. They say you number one on their draft. Like when they, you know, they want to really get you in as a recruiter. The number one recruitment on board. So you gonna go take a visit. I went to the visit, stayed up there for two days. On my way back, I already committed on my. On the plane ride. I said, I don't even need no more. Visits, it's over with. I'm going to Maine. You know what I'm saying? Went to Maine, stayed red shirt in my first year. Met a lot of good people there. I learned a lot of, like, how I am now. Coach Kaz, the head coach today, was a good leader, Great leader, man. A lot of my attributes now in life kind of shaped me and motivated me, you know, will help me along the journey. Maine teaches you how to be, like, blessed and happy and thankful for sun. The sun shining, you know what I'm saying? There's not too much to do out there. It's a small town, but it's a football town out of Cleveland. Maine is the, you know, big attraction, the hockey and the football team. So. And it was a different from where I'm from. I grew up with all black people. Now I'm going to the other side. It's all white people in. I'm the only, you know, only the football team. One of these black people, you know, in the. In the. In the state. So it was great for me because I got to learn, like, you know, you hear so much things growing up where you from and see so many things, but it's like, now I'm going to live it. I told you. I went over my visit. I'm out there like, yo, they love me here. It's all love, you know what I'm saying? Like, yo, they looking at me like I ain't never seen nobody. They like, you look like Lil Wayne or something. Like, at first I took it as, you know, I took it to like, defense, like, what it mean? And you're like, well, you know. But then I just realized, like, they never really seeing this stuff in person, but, like on tv, you know what I'm saying? It's all white people here.

Even. Even the football team was.

Football team. Half and half. All the skill position. The majority of the football team was black.

I was gonna say. Were you gonna say all the skilled people were black players?

That's. Anyway, that's just football, right?

Yeah, yeah. That's just the reality of it. You feel me?

I did.

I get it. I get it.

Yeah. So that was in college. Stayed there for five years. I raised her my freshman year. So we get an extra year, you know what I'm saying?

So thanks for explaining that. I was gonna say, oof, School was tough then.

Hey, Sherrod, like, you stayed back in college, bro.

Yeah. You took an extra year, did you? Yeah, yeah.

So anyways, I ended up playing five years and I reassured it. Learned so much, but watch out. Well, my dog, right? Woo, man. Go, go. Anyways, I want to go. I played five years and then we. I. I ain't gonna say I had. I went all American to all star, right? I'm just still learning corner a little bit, you know what I'm saying? So I got it, I signed, I got a scholarship, full ride, obviously. And it was the best time I ever got. Free food, free meals, stuff like that. And then I.

Life was good. You're a hero. Hero in the small town, like.

Like trying to make it. I know. I want to go pro, though, you know what I'm saying? What made me go to main two is where they had two safeties, Jaron McMillan and Trevor Carter. And it was like high rank, like, about to get drafted. Jaron was the highest draft pick in Maine ever. And like, it was like, big. It was a big deal, you know what I'm saying? So Trevor would cost him. He was supposed to be a draft pick, you know. He ended up signing as a free agent, I think, with the bed, the Lions or the Bears. And that's what kind of got me, like, all right, I'm just trying to go to the league, you know what I'm saying? I'm trying to get my family out. That's one of my dreams, is to make it as a pro, you know what I'm saying? Just a life goal, you know what I'm saying? So I went there five years, I did my thing. I feel like I had a good career. I just didn't go all American, all conference and all that stuff. But you never seen me on film getting beat deep, you know what I'm saying? You never seen me on film. I show up. You just got to watch the film. It just didn't have an accolade behind it. And from what my coach, high school coach, used to tell me, quick way, still stick with me to this day. And sports you got, you know, you make the pros from high school kind of. You got the accolades, you know, all conference, all state, even in high school and college, you know, so I had it in high school, just in college, if I feel like if I had that run, you know, it's gonna. You can still make it pro. It's just gonna be a little harder, you know what I'm saying? So college after college, I, you know, I did my pro day. That's when you train for all the college scouts. I mean, all the NFL scouts to come and the college scouts. And I went to California to train and that's when I learned a lot of stuff as far as, like, my diet. You know, I was 180, 185, 190 in college. When I got to training, they're like, bro, you gotta chop some weight. You're supposed to be 175. You're fluffy. You have no abs. That's probably why you're so goddamn slow. Like, what the hell? You know what I'm saying? So they told me so much stuff, man, about, now I don't eat pork. I learned all that stuff in 2016. You know what I'm saying? 2015, no dairy, no. No carbs. Had to cut out my diet. And I was just training and running, and I trained and my pro day. After my pro day, I ran my 40. I did my agility. I was. I ran a 45 and a 4 6. So it ended up being like, they took your best times and they combined into B1. So I ended up the combined time was like a 4, 6. And I remember calling my houseroom coach. He was just telling me, like, bro, I had an agent at the time, too. And he was just saying, like, you already know time of day. You run a 4 4, you're gonna get in. You don't, it's gonna be that much harder. That's just that simple at corner. You know what I'm saying? So anyways, I had an agent. I remember after my pro day, I was calling my agent. I gave him my times. He like, yeah, man, so you got the NFL. You got the cfl, man, we're gonna see if the NFL. The draft coming up. We're gonna see if anybody draft you or sign you. And then we're gonna watch the NFL and see if. I mean, the cfl, see if anybody in the CFL draft you. You know what I'm saying? This is me. I ain't know. I don't know nothing. So, boom. NFL draft go by. Nobody sign me. Nobody calling. I'm watching the CFL draft. I'm seeing all these names. I'm like. Like, nobody called me. Whatever the case, I started calling my agent back. He ain't answering, like. And you know, that's when she get real. You ever call her. You ever had a girlfriend back in the day, an ex girl? You called her, and she does not mess with you no more. So. But she don't fit. I'm like, yeah, you're gonna answer my call. This crazy text. Nothing I'm saying. So anyways, I had a backup plan. Plan. A point would be I don't feel like I can said I ain't run fast enough. So I already kind of knew. The scout said, you look good in your drills and stuff. It was like three or four scouts there, The Patriots. That was my dude, Mikey D. And it was a guy from the Redskins, Terry, you know. You know, I still keep in contact with them to this day because they the ones who show me love. Like, bro, honestly, you know what I'm saying? So we tell game, you win 406. Like when I say to go to the CFA or some film and then come back. So I was like, NFL or nothing. So my plan B was I was gonna coach at Maine and then train while I'm coaching, you know what I'm saying? So I'd be ready when they called me because I'm still a free agent technically, you know what I'm saying? But if not, I'm just gonna do the pro day again. So training, coaching. While I'm coaching. The head coach now coach Harris Semiak. I mean, he's now the head coach at University of UMass. He's like, yeah, nah, man, you know, nothing but love for you. I appreciate him too. You know, Maine, like a family. It's like a brotherhood. So they always looking out for people. Like, nah, come on, come on, Slap. Come learn you're gonna be a coach or Fire Coast. And I was just learning this stuff. But my job was to put the film in during the day, you know what I'm saying? I put the film in. And while I'm putting the film in, all the NFL scouts and the CFL scouts will come. Recruits of kids, you know, they watch the film. So Redskins, Colts, all 32 teams will come and see Patrick RA, who plays for the Ravens now All Pro fullback. So they come in and ask me, like, I'll be putting a film in. And this is how me learning, too. I'm like, oh. So I bunch. I'm putting in a film, a formation, and they run certain routes at certain positions. They lining up. I'm like, damn, I ain't never know football was like this. So every time he line up right here, he running this route. That's crazy. I used to be thinking, they out here running mad, you know what I mean? He just going to take me up top every time, you know what I'm saying? So I'm kind of learning, too. But I'd be putting a film in, and they'd be asking me, like, what you think about Patrick Card? I'd be like, burnie, good. Y' all need to sign him. But I'll also be like, yo, y' all need corners.

You also need to sign me.

Y' all need corners. Yo, I ain't supposed to be here right now. I ain't supposed to be here. Get me out of here, bruh. I'm coaching with dude. You know, they all be like, yeah, we always need corners, man. This my car. Send me your highlight tape and I'll check it out with you. You know, I sent it to him. I sent it to him, and, you know, some of my head back from some. I wouldn't. Three people hit me back, and it was the coats, it was the Redskins, and it was. The one person hit me up and was certain it was the Ottawa Red Blacks. It was jm. I'll never forget his. When he came into Maine, he came in, got a little accent. He like, hey, man, you ever heard of Canada? I'm like, yeah. He like, he like, you ever heard of Haiti? I'm like, a little bit. I don't really know too much. They got Zoes in Miami. But where I'm from, I don't really know too much. Like, we American, bro. This is African American. Like, he like, hey, man, we was the first country to say, enough is enough. Haiti, man. South Pase. We speak French. And he was like, you know anything about Canada? I'm like, drake, no, but we don't. I don't know too much about himself. No, but the hell I don't know too much about Canada. He like, hey, man, you know, we got a beautiful cfl. Been longer. Longer. The CFL has been around longer than the NFL. It's a great league. You know, you come up here, get a few years, go back and forth to the NFL, but you need to be playing. No, but he was like, man, send me a highlight tape. ML I see. I take a look at it. We was talking for, like, an hour about not football, just life. Like Canada, Haiti. Like, what? He said, yeah, Canada, man. They speak French, man. 2.5 say. I'm like, what? Like, nah, bro, I don't know what you talking about. But anyways, I sent him my highlight tape when I got home. Not even before I got home. Like, I got home that night, he texted me, text me back, like, hey, man, what happened to you? You can play. I hit him with the same thing. I ain't supposed to be here.

I'm supposed to be in the NFL right now.

Sammy, he like, you know, he teaching me about the cfl. It's like, bro, it's the same thing as the NFL, but just in Canada, it's like two major leagues. So it's two high power leagues. It's the NFL and cfl. Period, point blank, you feel me? So I'm like, yeah, man, bring me in for a workout. I'll show y'. All. So anyways, I'm talking to him throughout the 16 season while I'm coaching. We texting every once a week. He like, hey man, we doing good this 2016. He's like, hey man, we're doing good this year. I'm like, man, how was going? Like, what's up with Canada? How y' all doing? Halfway through the season, man, we first place now. It's like November. He like, hey, man, we going to the playoffs? I'm like, man, bet. He like, yeah, man, listen, we got a workout coming up in May, like April. He like, in April. Just get ready for it. I'mma wave your feet. Just come, you know, come work out for us and then we'll see. From there we have all our scouts come down and come show us what you're going to do. I hit him up the next week. He like, hey man, we in a great cup the next week. Hey, man, we just won the great cup. I'm like, what? What, bro?

First off, what is the gray Cup?

So the gray cup is the Super Bowl.

No, no, no, I know, I know what it is. But you at the time were like, I don't know. What is the gray cup? Is that the, Is that the Super Bowl?

I'm doing my homework, low key. So now I'm talking to him more. So now I'm looking more. I'm getting more to the cfl. Like, what is this like, bro, it's only eight teams. Like, I'm seeing them like it's no one out there now. I'm watching the game, the great cup game. I'm like, yo, this looks sweet. And I'm looking at the rosters and it's dudes, that's 510, 170, 165. I'm like, oh, this is perfect. This is the leaf. You know what I'm saying? I just need to get on. I'm trying to get to the NFL anyway. So he's like, bro, we want a great cup. Oh, it's crazy. So fast forward. I end up going to the workout in April. I've trained the whole year while I'm working out, mind you, I'm coaching and just going off like, man, believe like somebody gonna sound me. I'm just training every day, working out. I'm with the track coach after Practice, I'll be coaching them boys till 2, 3 o', clock, and then I work out at 4 o' clock and then I go in the meetings with the coaches. Now I'm just, you know, in meeting rooms with the coaches. So I'm getting best of both worlds. I'm training, but I'm still learning how to be a coach. And then I went to the workout in April, killed it, locked everybody up. They signed me, like the next week they signed me. They sent me a contract that week, the end of the week, God is good. Signed with Vermont audible Ray Blacks, right the year after they won the Great cup of 2017. So 2017, I signed with the camp, did my thing, made the team. I was on practice squad at first, played the last 12 games. I was rookie of the Year. Next year, went through some adversity in my career. We got a new defensive coordinator, you know what I'm saying? He didn't like how tall I was, how big I was, whatever the case may be, you know. So I was on practice squad to start off the year. I was on practice squad for like 12 games. I only played like six games that season. Five games that season. So I played the last five games and I had five interceptions, including one in the great Cup. We went back to the Great cup at 18. That was my next year. Crazy. First year, rookie of the year, second year, five picks, five games won in the Great cup, you know what I'm saying? You know, up and down throughout the career. Last year I signed late, got released a little bit in 2024. Still a free agent now. Yeah, so. But we had a Covid year. We had Covid. Covid in Canada. No one was working. This was 2021. Was it 2020? 2020, 2020. No, they shut everything down over here. I remember soon as I got to the pros, the first thing my uncle kept asking me, my uncle tr. He was like, we got to figure out what you want to do after. Like, what you want to do after football, what you want to do after sports. He just kept asking me this every day, you know what I'm saying? That's 2017, 2018, 2019. He like, you probably going to be on TV broadcasting. Mind you, I went to college for.

You'd be great at broadcasting, for sure.

You think so?

I do, yeah. I always enjoy it. Listen, I. I'm. Normally, I wouldn't let somebody talk for half an hour, but I could listen to you all day. So, you know, there, there's your. That's your compliment of Your commentating. I could. Yeah, I could listen to you all day.

No, I appreciate it. Only thing, the only thing I think about with sports, I just be like, man, like learning now. You want to win like a great cup. You want to ring a Super Bowl, Great cup. To go on the panel and talk so you can. I don't want to be up there. You get to talking, and then you talking to Mil Steagall, who got rings, and this dude got rings. They like, man, who you talking to? You know, I ain't Charles Bocce, but on the other hand, it's like coaches and people up in there who never even played. So it's like, I know more than that. But yeah, like, Covid happened and he just kept asking me what I want to do. I. After football. And I'm like, man, I don't know, I could probably be a coach or. You know what I'm saying? I could probably. Probably coach or be on the broadcasting. But I'm like, man, I gotta want a breakup, whatever. So Covid happened. We in Canada. We locked down. They closed the borders. I can't even go home. I'm like, what the hold up, bro? So anyways, I got a job. This is my first job ever. I never worked a day in my life. So. He's funny. And then I had a job, and it was electrician company, Amtech. James McKellar, one of my good friends to this day, good, mental, all these OGs that I got. He hired me. I came into the interview, he asked me to ever have a job? I'm like, nah. But I work hard, I show up every day, I learn how to do whatever, you know what I'm saying? You just bring that mentality. That's all you know from football. You just work hard. I don't know. I show up with a good attitude of effort. I got this from Maine. This is what I've been taught in Maine. This is how we build our team. And I show up and work in the. It was the best thing that ever happened for me, you know what I'm saying? It sucked because we wasn't making the confessional money, the CFL getting the CFO checks. But it was good for me as far as learning in the amtech I was running. My job was to be the driver. I just delivered the materials, you know what I'm saying? And I Show up at 6 in the morning and go in the warehouse, deliver, like conduit, PVC pipe, whatever, throw it all in the truck, and I drive it downtown to, you know, the electricians. And I get there in the morning and I'd be like, hey, man, it's six in the morning. It's Monday. I'm like, I get there and they be like. They see me, they be like, who the hell ordered all this pipe? I didn't order this. I ordered BX wire. Like, who the hell ordered this? I'm like, brother, good morning, my brother. It's six in the morning. It's Monday morning. How was your weekend? Give me a hug, brother. You all right? You know, saying, I'm driving back and I'm thinking in my head, like, bro, I don't know if these people love their job, bro. You know what I'm saying? I don't know. Like, football, we love this. Like, some say you had your mad. You're not. But it's like, brother, what's up, brother, Good morning. How you doing? Good to see you. You know what I'm saying? But yeah, so that's when I was learning, like, all right, man, I got to do something with this football. They were telling me, like, football to be over. And I'm learning, like, your money, football money, you get paid within six increments, six months. So six months on, six months off, which is good and bad. So, you know, when I came in, I think it was like 65,000, 70,000, whatever, you know, 13% of that. Have the tax, all that, and take all the mat. Do automatic, take all that out. So when I'm running, it's like, all right, even for my classes now, but that's later. You get money, you know, you want to invest it in something smart. You don't want to just sit on it. Because you sit on it, you just going to spend it, you know, when you need it. So my uncle, like, I'm like, man, I'm going be. I can start a business, you know. I asked the owner from the Red Blacks at the time, Jeff Hunt, I asked him, I'm like, how did you become a millionaire? You know what I'm saying? And he was like. He had a carpet cleaning company, and he was like, I was doing some little residentials, and I hit, you know what I'm saying? I got that Macy's contract. It take one contract, set you off, you know, just to get you on, you know. He said he got that Macy's, and then he staked, stacked up, did his thing, made some investments, and then he was to become part owner of the Red Blacks, you know what I'm saying? So in my head, I'm like, all Right. I ain't gonna steal your whole idea. I ain't gonna dig. Right? You know what I'm saying? I ain't gonna do the copy cleaner, but I could do some cleaning. He was just telling me, like, the pros, the cons. Like, you don't gotta put nobody in school through school. You don't gotta, like, buy expensive equipment. It's cheap labor. You can start it off yourself. You know what I'm saying? He was just like, you wanna be a billionaire, turn millionaire, own a sports team. And I need to start laughing about that. This is some little pointers. So anyways, I started the business, I registered it. The girl, it was a lady chick doing my hair. I'm like, you got a business? She like, yeah. If, like, it's official. She like, yeah, I gotta. You know, she like, you can just register how you start a business. Like, you can just register on CIA just so proprietorship registered to you. I'm like, how much it costs? She's like, it's free. I'm like, it's free. So I could be an owner of a company and it's free. She like, yeah, sign me up right now. We was. She was doing my hair. I was doing it on the computer, on her, on my phone. I didn't even have a computer at the time. I did it on my phone. Clean Dream Services. And it took me some time to come up with the name and I registered it. And then they continued the season of 20, 21. So I'm like, oh, so I got a business, but now I'm playing football. So it's like in the back burner. 20 was 21 season go by. We ain't have a good season. You know what I'm saying? It wasn't that good. So the last three games, I'm like, man, I got a business, bro. Let me try something real quick. Like, let me start looking how to get leads. Like, what is this? Like, how do I get business? Like, I had to Google everything how to get cleaning something, and bark.com came up, got on there, learned how to got down, you know, get some leads. I got three residential houses in three days. $100, a five bedroom for $100. I don't know what I'm doing. I just know I got 300. This is easy. I'm gonna be an owner.

I gotta be a millionaire next week. Yeah.

Oh, my God. All I need is five of these. That's 500 a week. You know me. So anyways, I did it one or two days. I'm like, I can't do this. This is crazy. I'm in there eight hours after practice. I go to practice, come home, I'm finished at 12. I'm like, nah, my back, my legs sore. I'm like, 100 for this now. That's not something, right? I'm saying. So anyways, you know, we'll talk about that later in the careers. And, you know, football came by, so I never really, you know, kind of like, you know, picked up as the business went by. I'm pretty sure you want to talk about the business, though. I'm really tired of me talking and stuff. So that's how I kind of came on, man. That's a little story, you know, moving forward.