Today we’d like to introduce you to James Leonidias Tolbert III.
James, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always wanted to be my own boss & own a company. The recent passing of the great Nipsey Hussle definitely motivated me to stop talking about it, get off the sideline & into the game. It reaffirmed that tomorrow is never promised & furthered inspired me to follow the framework Nipsey laid down for so many in being an intelligent & savvy businessman, going above & beyond for the ones you care for, demanding & valuing ownership of your craft. I got to where I am today by betting on myself & making that leap off the cliff of uncertainty. Being disciplined enough at my young age to prioritize going out to the club, partying, etc savings up money to legally form my company as an LLC, purchase the licenses needed for my industry, & creating an in-depth business plan to map out the present & future.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Before starting my journey I was 100% aware there is no smooth yellow brick road on the path to success, there is only pain, discomfort, & uncertainty as I quickly found out. However, these feelings you must embrace as this is where your growth comes from.
Major obstacles along the way for me have been initial challenges new companies face, financial, & mental. As a new company, it’s a given you will initially struggle with things such as establishing & growing a strong customer base & trying to obtain sponsors or partnerships as most people & companies do not want to risk trying something new & unproven. They much rather stay comfortable to household names & brands. Financial challenges come from all directions when your starting & operating your own business. Whether it’s from the start-up money I put in to form my LLC, expense loans I took from the bank or family, or things I needed but initially overlooked like different types of insurance & licenses that are mandatory to stay compliant with the city & state was extremely overwhelming but I stayed the course & knew it would only be temporary until I got over the hump.
Last but certainly not least my biggest struggle was mental. Almost everything we can & can not do is based on our mental fortitude so it’s only right your success or failure go hand & hand with your mental state. Staying positive & thinking happy thoughts all the time sounds like a good solution but as we all know it’s something easier said than done. Social media was a struggle for me at first, hours being spent glued to my phone not doing anything constructive, wasting time, watching people live their best life, partying, clubbing, on vacation definitely had a negative effect on my mental until I stopped worrying what everyone else was doing & focused on myself. Dealing with personal issues was a huge challenge as well.
During the process of creating & launching my business my grandfather passed away due to medical complications, one of my close childhood friends committed suicide, followed by another family tragedy that is still too fresh to speak about. These are losses I’m still dealing with & managing today but at times I felt neck-deep in sadness & couldn’t function. Like the old saying goes, when it rains it pours, it felt like everything happening at once but after all the rain, after all the tears there was clarity. Clarity about what mattered to me, who I mattered to, & what mark I wanted to leave when my time comes. I had a sense of just overall leveling up as a person gaining more perspective & appreciation for my life.
Please tell us about Ocean Cloud Life Group. What should we know?
More than just a company, we are your business partner. Ocean Cloud Life Group is an international conglomerate specializing in fields such as investment strategies, film, sports management, real estate, media production, community enrichment & more while providing upper echelon service personalized to our client’s needs.
Real estate investments, film, sports management, & charity work will always be what we are known for but look at Ocean Cloud Life Group like a Swiss army knife, whatever your need maybe we have a solution.
I’m most proud of our charity department for its dedication to community enrichment. Giving back & helping those in need is a weapon we will use to combat the disenfranchisement of the less fortunate & systematic uneven wealth distribution here in the U.S. that usually affects people of color & African American communities. I’m especially proud we are working with members of Destiny Church & hosting our 1st Annual Dallas-Fort Worth Christmas Fill-a-Fridge Raffle that’s raising money for 1,000 low-income & single-parent households.
Being able to specialize in multiple markets without compromising quality of service is what separates us apart from other companies.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
As Nipsey would say it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Trusting your process staying true to the daily grind, yourself, & your craft & not trying to take shortcuts or expecting anything great to be built overnight.
FUTURE PLANS
As a new company our future is focused on establishing customer growth while continuing to put our current clients first offering hands-on & personalized solution for whatever the job calls for. And I can’t let the cat out of the bag yet on specifics but we have some huge & I mean huge huge real estate investments that will manifest in the next 5-10 years that can establish generational wealth for all investors as well as myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: OceanCloudLifeGroup.com
- Phone: 972-505-1859
- Email: Info@oceancloudlifegroup.com
- Instagram: @oceancloudlg
- Twitter: @oceancloudlg
Image Credit:
Delmar Bailey
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