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- The Curse In The Concrete Jungle
I Do This For My Culture
WELCOME FRIENDS
Welcome to How Nev Sees It!
In each issue, you can look forward to three engaging sections that offer a glimpse into my world:
Short Story - Dive into the first part of a 4-part reimagining of a classic story or movie, set against the vibrant backdrop of NYC. Get ready for a fresh take that blends nostalgia with modern flair!
My Founder’s Journey - Join me as I document my entrepreneurial adventure, sharing the highs, lows, and everything in between. I’ll open up about my biggest pitfalls, with the hope that my experiences can help you navigate your own path.
Reflections - Think of this as my public journal, where I candidly reflect on the week gone by. It’s a space for me to process thoughts, insights, and lessons learned.
SHORT STORY
The Curse In The Concrete Jungle
Source: Blakeharris02 on Deviantart
In the heart of New York City, amidst the hustle and bustle of Times Square, a historic yet quaint brownstone building stood, largely unnoticed by the millions of tourists who walked past it every day. This building housed a high-end boutique owned by a woman named Aurora, whose life was about to take a drastic turn. Aurora, with her golden hair and bright blue eyes, was the epitome of elegance and charm, captivating everyone who walked into her boutique with her style and grace.
Aurora’s boutique, “Belle’s Haven,” had been a family business for generations. It was her great-grandmother who had first opened it, and each successive generation had added their own touch to its character. Aurora’s parents had tragically passed away when she was a teenager, leaving her to be raised by her eccentric Aunt Malinda. Malinda was a woman of mystery, deeply involved in the occult, and she had always warned Aurora about the dangers that lurked in the shadows of the city.
One late evening, as the city lights began to twinkle, Aurora was closing up the shop. The bell above the door jingled, and in walked a woman cloaked in black, her face obscured by a wide-brimmed hat. Aurora greeted her warmly, but there was an undeniable chill in the air. The woman introduced herself as Selene, an old acquaintance of Malinda’s. She claimed to have urgent business with Aurora, and despite the strange aura surrounding her, Aurora invited her in.
Selene revealed that she was a powerful sorceress, once a friend but now an enemy of Malinda. She had been searching for Aurora for years, waiting for the right moment to exact her revenge on Malinda by cursing her beloved niece. Selene pulled out a small, ornate spindle and placed it on the counter. As Aurora reached out to touch it, Selene’s eyes glinted with malice.
“Before the sun sets on your twenty-first birthday,” Selene intoned, “you will prick your finger on this spindle and fall into a deep sleep, from which you will never awaken. Only true love’s kiss can break the curse, but in this city, true love is as rare as a quiet street.”
Aurora recoiled in horror as Selene disappeared into the night, leaving the cursed spindle behind. Frantic, Aurora called her Aunt Malinda, who arrived at the boutique in a matter of minutes. Malinda, with her wild hair and mismatched clothing, looked every bit the part of a witch. She examined the spindle and confirmed Selene’s curse.
“She’s always been jealous of our family,” Malinda explained. “We have to hide you until your birthday passes, Aurora. But first, we need to protect you from the spindle.”
With Malinda’s guidance, Aurora placed the spindle in a locked box and hid it in the boutique’s attic. Malinda cast a protective spell over the boutique, hoping it would be enough to keep Selene at bay. However, as the days turned into weeks, Aurora felt a growing sense of dread. The city, once her sanctuary, now seemed filled with unseen dangers.
Despite Malinda’s attempts to keep Aurora safe, Selene’s influence began to seep into every corner of Aurora’s life. Customers at the boutique started to dwindle, and strange occurrences became more frequent. Mirrors cracked, lights flickered, and eerie whispers echoed through the halls at night.
Aurora tried to maintain a sense of normalcy, but the weight of the curse hung heavily over her. She found solace in her friends, especially Jack, a young artist who lived in the apartment above the boutique. Jack was kind-hearted and had a knack for making Aurora laugh, even in the darkest of times. Their friendship blossomed, and Aurora found herself drawn to his unwavering optimism.
As her twenty-first birthday approached, the tension in the boutique grew palpable. Malinda intensified her protective spells, and Aurora spent most of her days locked away in the attic, surrounded by the relics of her family’s past. But no matter how hard they tried, the curse loomed ever closer.
The night before her birthday, Aurora lay in bed, unable to sleep. She heard a faint, melodic humming and followed the sound to the attic. There, she found the locked box open and the spindle glowing with an ethereal light. Mesmerized, Aurora reached out and, despite her better judgment, pricked her finger.
Instantly, she felt a sharp pain and a wave of dizziness. She stumbled back, her vision blurring, and collapsed to the floor. The last thing she heard was Malinda’s anguished scream as darkness enveloped her.
Part 2 coming next week…
Santana
MY FOUNDER’S JOURNEY
Shared Lessons & Sage Advice
Maf1a Update - Mario Garcia, Maf1a’s protagonist pictured above, has become a hero of mine. I mean, this guy became a self-made billionaire before the age of 40. Raised by immigrant parents, he has a complex yet interesting heritage. Creating this character has made me want to be a better Nev Santana. As an entrepreneur in my own right, I’d like to be a successful story that others can look to for hope. This book feels more challenging than Last Breath, and if you know me well, I welcome the challenge with an open mind. Sorry it’s taking so long, but I believe it’s for good reason.
Nurtured - I thought I had Nurtured all figured out. Just set up shop, call/email people that I think would need our service(s), then bam - a multimillion-dollar company lol. I’m certainly making light of the situation, but I did believe I had a model that would get me instant clients and earn me a substantial income. Boy was I dead wrong. There were a few factors I didn’t spend enough time thinking about out:
These things take time - I cold-called people to start my sales career. Difficult stuff, but very effective back in 2014. That was 10 years ago. I mean, I used to earn commission checks north of $10k, so why wouldn’t the cold approach work with Nurtured? I started cold-emailing startups that I thought would want to work with us. Although this is something I believe will pay dividends over the long haul, I didn’t take that into consideration in the beginning. I thought that I could just leave my job and start Nurtured. I recently realized that this is a side-gig and it’ll take time to build this the way that I’d like.
Frugality - I got used to working at larger organizations that had money to spend. Bootstrapping Nurtured is the way I went (I’ll disclose how much I started with another time). Because I bootstrapped, I didn’t have a large investment from a VC or Private Equity firm to start with. I didn’t spend like I bootstrapped company though. I invested money in ads and a tech stack I couldn’t sustain without getting an immediate return. As mentioned earlier, these things take time. So, I’m learning some serious lessons in frugality as a business owner. I feel lucky though, because I know that these lessons will pay dividends in my personal life too.
“Service-Market-Fit” - You often hear about PMF (product-market-fit), which means finding the right target market for the product you offer - and tweaking your product according to what that target market wants. I don’t know if people speak about SMF (service-market-fit) that often. This is where you find the right target market for the services you offer, and make sure you tweak the pricing and offerings according to what’s desired by that target market. I thought I knew the exact services my target market wanted, but I’m still figuring it all out.
The Santana Company - I was visiting my sister and mother down in Atlanta when I first told my mother about The Santana Company. We were walking in the park and I told her about all of the components of this company that I’m slowly building. Like mothers do, she gave me sage advice. “You need help. You can’t do that alone.” As stubborn sons do, I ignored the advice. Thinking that I could do it all alone. I was walking by myself in the same park and I thought to myself: “Momma is right.” Building something special takes a lot of time and effort, and it certainly takes an army of people to do so. I believe there are great things on the horizon coming for The Santana Company.
To get to the point where I have these challenges is a blessing. It’s taken me a while to get here and I want to be appreciative of the opportunities I get every day. Learning how to be a better businessman is something I’ve always dreamed of. And now? I get to learn these lessons every day.
Cheers!
REFLECTIONS
Another 30-Day Challenge?
I cut my hair, loc journey done
I’ve been spending the past week in Atlanta with family. It’s been good to get out of the concrete jungle for a little and see some greenery. If you know me well, you know I looooove long walks. So getting to walk some miles in the nearby park has been meditative and has allowed me to find a certain level of equanimity.
Here are a few reflections from the past week:
Reluctant Leadership - This term has always been an interesting one for me. I believe I’m a natural-born leader, but the truth is that I don’t always want to lead. Most times I want to neither lead nor follow and just be still. I’ve learned that this has often gravitated people towards me and they often look to me for answers and guidance. Last week I talked about not running away from God and letting him lead me. I guess if he is leading me, then it’s only right that I do my best to lead others. Stepping into your purpose isn’t an easy task, but I believe God will guide me. For anyone grappling with their own “Jonah Complex”, I pray you find your way out of the belly and into your purpose.
Beer Belly Be Gone - Back in September, I did a 30-day challenge. There was a level of control I felt during those 30 days that helped me inch closer to and accomplish the goals I listed for myself. I’ve decided to do a similar challenge for December. The main goals of this challenge are to 1. not drink any alcohol 2. flatten my stomach by working out at least 4 days a week and 3. not eat out/cook at home. I’ve noticed the power of writing things down (I’ve been writing and journaling for years now), and I’ve seen another level of accountability when writing my goals and challenges in this newsletter. I have a question for you: Should I document and post before and after pics/videos to add another layer of accountability?
❤️ 7.11 ❤️ - Esto es para ti. Ya sabes quien eres. Una vez me dijiste ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ y te acuerdo. Pero, quiero decir que yo creo que la belleza en ti no es solo en cara o cuerpo. La belleza tienes es una belleza fuerte que vive en tu alma. Tengo suerte de conocerte. Espero que tengas una linda semana. 😄
Remember, this is the last month of the year. If you set out to do some audacious goals in 2024, I encourage you to do what you can to accomplish them. If it looks like you won’t get to the goal you set out to within the year, then adjust and set an attainable goal that gets you closer
See you all next week!
