My Summer of Success- Driven by Failures

For me, coming to Miami was not much of a choice. I was told about a week before my summer was suppose to start that my plans had fallen through. This is the last thing anyone wants to hear. However I decided that Miami was going to be my home for the next 3 months and I was going to dedicate 100% of my effort into making my future company, Prototopics LLC get up and running.

I didn't quite keep count, but after borrowing about 250 hours of Wifi from a Starbucks that I walked 3.2 miles to and from each day, I realized the sacrifice that it takes when you run a start-up. If you aren't dedicated from the start, and willing to work to create the change you wish to see in the world, then you may want to wait and find something else. There are around 10 life changing lessons I have gone though this summer that will help me forever more. Here they are:

1. Learn at every opportunity you have. I came to Miami with 6 book on topics that range from Business Ethics, to Entrepreneurship, to Network Marketing, with the goal of reading them all. I am currently on track to finish them all by next Wednesday and I have learned things I never knew would help in my life, but do you know what a tax lien is? Go look it up and it will blow you away that you don't already own a few of these! Keep reading and learning and you will see the benefits I promise.
2. Always have a backup plan. When I got here I had one target school in mind that I was  nearly certain would say yes to working with me. After meeting with our connection, we were told that within two weeks we'd have a answer, which we were assured was almost guaranteed to be a yes. However, that line of communication fell flat and we had to work around the obstacle. That didn't lead us toward quitting, it simply told us that we needed to make the company better, making them realize the need. From that one school interaction, we have taken our company from a one product horizontal organization to a multi-product vertical company with much stronger content. It all came from the most evidence we've gotten to date, which was no feedback at all. This showed us that we needed to work harder to help them realize they need us, and that is exactly what we did. We pushed to make even more connections and now we no longer rely on one company or university to drive out success.
3. Networking is a necessity. While at Starbucks, my sister and I came up with our own rules on how to network and they have paid off in more ways then we can imagine. It started with two entrepreneurs who were wearing shirts that simply said "RUN" with a plane icon. I asked them what it meant and as they explained, I realized that these are the type of people we needed to talk to, and from then on the rule was that any two people with similar shirts were people we needed to talk to. They tended to be entrepreneurs and had that hard work ethic you want to be around. The second major rule was actually found on accident, but very beneficial. We saw a British women getting yelled at by a man after nicely asking to share a table with him. He cursed her out and upon the settlement of their "discussion", we simply invited her and her husband to come sit with us. After talking for a while we had found out that they were traveling writers, who immersed themselves in the culture or story they wrote about and then conveyed the stories from an insider point of view. The husband had been nominated for a Pulitzer prize in history and was one of the most humble men I have ever met. That rule here was if you have an extra seat, offer to let someone sit there in exchange for 15 minutes of their time and their story. We've meet many of very interesting and cool people that way. 
4. Never stop looking for opportunities. Even though my first workshop didn't go as planned, I didn't give up. I worked as hard as I could to secure us a place at CIC Miami's Venture Café. This was a huge deal for us because it was the first workshop we hosted that was open to anyone, and the hard work paid off! We had 25 people showed and ran through an effective brainstorming workshop. This wouldn't have been possibly had I stopped looking for opportunities when I got our first, second or tenth no. Sometimes people just don't see the value in what your doing, but that is okay, because they are simply one person in more that the seven billion in the world. You can see picture on our website here. For goodness sakes, there is  guy that sells potatoes with messages on them. you can do whatever you are willing to work for.
5. Learn how to create fluid success. I got my first glimpse of this in my company when I realized that my old marketing techniques, used in Philadelphia, were not going to work here in Miami. Its a very different culture here in Miami and you have to be willing to adjust. My strategy from the north didn't work here in Miami, because I am not only in competition with other companies, but people here have many more options for things to do. The balance between work and life is much different here and before I could create my own success, I needed to understand the culture. That took roughly a month and a half, which left about 3 weeks for great work to happen. Its grind time and Prototopics is creating a name for itself here in Miami. Its only the beginning, but something huge is about to come from it.
6. Friends can help more then you know. This summer was made possible by the friends I had that helped me.  My friends have provided me with numerous contacts and connections down here in Miami, which has lead to some great working opportunities. The newest of which is a really cool project that is working to change the course of Miami- Dade education all together. This is only the beginning to a nation-wide education reboot. If you want more information on this, or know anyone looking to make a difference in today's education system, let me know! My belief is that innovation is strongest when working with groups, so lets create those groups. Beside the cool projects we are working on, I have been able to catch up with or meet more than 75 friends over the summer that have each provided advice that has helped me in my personal or professional life. I'm blessed to know the people I do and after the summer I had, won't take those relationships for granted.
7. Frugal is fun. There were times where I had to become super crafty in making meals that cost less than $2.00. Dollar tree has grown very near and dear to my heart and I feel as though I've cheated the system every time I walk out with food, books or anything else that would have cost nearly $100 at Walmart or Target, and it rang up an easy $18.25. I had a lot of fun seeing how much I could save and really validated my point when I was able to buy food for a week with $26, the cost of a single meal for one at a medium priced restaurant. From here on out I plan to be much more aware of sending habits, and costs, which I believe will ultimately lead me to working my way into having a value well above my expectations. Being frugal in my mind doesn't mean being cheap, just a bit smarter then the average bear.
8. Life as a Millionaire. I learned the true meaning of being a millionaire. Even though I haven't reached millionaire status yet, I was taught principles that will help me when I am one. Money millionaires that have and keep their money, have it and keep it because of two simple facts: They worked hard for it and They spend it wisely. This summer was filled with times when I didn't want to keep working, but what kept me going was the realization that I am creating something that will impact thousands upon thousands, hopefully millions of people. My hard work now, 1400 miles away from the closest thing I know as home, will pay off down the line when a student can walk into school, knowing they like coding or whatever they may be passionate about, and be greeted with the resources they need to research and learn about those topics as much as they want. After all, many of the top companies from today, started with people that built a passion around something life changing they came across at a young age. Why not make it easier for them? Being a millionaire for me isn't exactly about having million dollars, but about impacting a million people, and I am determined to make it happen. If you want to help me, reach out and lets make it happen together!
9. Start small, but dream big. When I started Prototopics, it was just my sister and I working with the goal of providing "The Innovation the Education Deserves." I can't quite say that we are out of the small stage, but I can tell you that we sure are dreaming big! We have been talking to some of the largest schools in the country with positive feedback, as well as ones that are nationally ranked. We have built what our dream would look like and everyday wake up to work toward it. It sounds great to start a company on Thursday and have millions in sales by the following Tuesday, but it takes years of running a company before you can have those kind of sales. Look at Jeff Bezos, Amazon's CEO and Founder. He started selling books out of his house at age 22, and as of today (7/27) is expected to close the day the richest man in the world. He actively worked toward his dream everyday and I bet if you asked him, he is still living in his dream.
10. Don't quit, you got this. I set out the summer with a specific goal in mind. It was pretty ambitious, but I knew that unless I set crazy goals I would be shooting for a mediocre outcome. I may not have reached my goal yet, but I am two months closer. I believe I am a winner, because I didn't quit. I could have stopped when only one person showed up to my first workshop, but I didn't. I went from that workshop, right into another intense work session to improve what I was doing. Today we are about 15 iterations past that first workshop, which would have never been possible if I quit. It takes an emotional toll on you to work so hard on something, and have it feel as though it didn't pay off, but when the first person does, it is all worth it and it is motivation enough to keep going. That has happened to me and I can tell you, I am having a blast.

Between the $2.00 dinners, late night brainstorming sessions and ups and downs of the summer, I have realized that it takes a lot of courage and passion to live this lifestyle. Holding true to my favorite saying, " Fail fast, and fail often" I did exactly that and it has paid off. I leave Miami next Tuesday to go teach 250 educators from across the world in 21st century education techniques in California. As I prepare to leave and head back to Philadelphia, I believe that I leave a much more educated, motivated and passionate person. There is no financial value you can put on that, and this is only the beginning! If you are in a position in which you are learning, struggling or need help, let me know. Mentors have helped me get to where I am today, and I would be happy to help you. Thanks for reading!

Isaac Prentice- Prototopics CEO- [email protected]