Today we’d like to introduce you to Prajwal Ramamurthy.
Prajwal, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am originally from India, born and raised in Bangalore, Karnataka which is the southern part of India. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up and my parents worked really hard to put food on the table. Dad was in real estate and also focused on his non-profit school for poor kids in his village. My mom was the first to finish college in her family. She became a software engineer and that gave her the opportunity to relocate to America. Growing up as an Indian, I was told to either become a doctor or an engineer and follow in my parents’ footsteps.
My first few years in America were some of my toughest. I got bullied, faced racism, got in fights and had communication barriers. My mom did not have a lot of money, but if you ever asked for something, she would never say no. She would do anything to make sure my sister and I were happy, but I knew better. I hesitated before asking for two dollars for a slice of pizza. For years, we couldn’t afford a car and walked to the grocery store in the heat, dealing with the groceries slipping out of Walmart’s flimsy plastic bags on our way home in the scorching heat of Texas.
I went to high school at Plano West, one of the wealthiest schools in our suburb, Plano. I watched all my friends arrive on campus in their expensive cars, gifted by their parents, while my mom struggled to take care of all of us. It was a wake up call, watching her work every single day paycheck to paycheck.
At the time, I was probably only 13 or 14 years old, but I knew that I did not want to be doing what my mom was doing. Don’t get me wrong, my mom was the first one in the family to finish college and go overseas. I am beyond blessed that she was able to bring us here and give us the best education. Nonetheless, I did not want to see my family go through that struggle. So, it was around then I decided I needed to start making money. At 14, I began working, installing sprinklers, mowing lawns, digging up holes in apartment complexes. At 15, I worked in a restaurant during the day and helped a valet company with valet parking at night. I wore my dad’s clothes and grew facial hair, so nobody would realize how young I really was.
At 16, I was still working multiple jobs and I knew that the only way to stand out of the crowd was to invest. I had read a book called, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. In the book, he always talked about being a business owner and an investor rather than an employee. Soon after, I started investing in phones. I would fix, repair, unlock and jailbreak the phones; it was like clockwork. I would buy a phone for $100, sell it for $300 or more overseas on eBay.
One of my mentors told me something that stuck with me to this day: “It’s not your fault that you’re born poor or in the middle class. You can’t change that. But it is 100% your fault if you die poor.” We all have the same 24 hours in the day and some make it happen and some don’t. So, instead of making excuses, go after what you want in this world. Get uncomfortable now so you can get comfortable later.
During this time, I was still in college. I was pursuing my double major in business management and information systems at UT Arlington. I was in college because it was what was expected of me. My mom would say, “You can do whatever you want. Just make sure you finish college because it will make you lots of money.” But I did not believe her. I told her I would finish college, but deep down, I did not believe college would teach me how to make money. Now I was making enough money to live a happy life, drive a car I never thought I would have at that age and live a flexible lifestyle of traveling, waking up and sleeping on my own time, with no one to account to. I finished my business management degree but dropped out in the middle of my double major and never finished my information systems degree.
I realized quickly that I had a big ego, but a small bank account. And my mentor would tell me: “Either you grow or your ego grows; you pick which one.” So, I put in the work. I knew that I cannot have a million dollar mindset with a minimum wage work ethic. What I mean by that is instead of getting comfortable working 40 hours in my 9-5 building someone else’s dreams, I worked 80 hour weeks for myself to build my own. The minute I realized the importance of work ethic, everything else changed.
I started a new business that involved trading Forex and was introduced to network marketing. It was probably one of the best things that happened to me because it connected me with some of the most amazing people that I call friends and business partners to this day. Network marketing rebuilt my mindset and changed my ethics because you start caring about people more than money, changed my outlook on life and my bank account because I realized there are smarter ways to make money in this world other than working paycheck to paycheck.
We built a team of over 400 people back then in months. We worked day in and day out, hosted meetings both in person and online. We were able to take the average people with no knowledge of trading and teach them what it was and how it could better their lives financially.
Business definitely had its ups and downs. Most people didn’t believe in me, including my family, but I knew that I believed in myself, so I kept pushing through. This happened when I was 20 years old. I was driving a BMW M6, owned three to four motorcycles, traveled the world and experienced a taste of the time freedom and financial freedom I had always aspired for.
I thought I had made it and I was living the dream until it all came crashing down. When I turned 21, I had to leave the country because I wasn’t dependent on my mom. If you remember, we came here as immigrants and remained immigrants. My dreams were always so vast that every time I shared them with people, they laughed and didn’t take me seriously. I was told to go get a real job instead of investing and network marketing. My family put me down saying that I can’t even graduate college and I did not have it in me. The closest people in my world did not believe in me. The only people that had faith in me were my mom and dad. They not only believed in me but they never gave up on me. This is my why, if your why is strong enough, you will make anything happen.
My mentor told me, “Dream so big that when you share it to people, they will laugh at you. You are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with. So, hang around the people who you can learn from and grow.” So, I knew it was time to change my inner circle and my mindset. I knew I had to do something that I had never done, so I could get somewhere I had never been. I took this as fuel and I said, “I’m going to go back to America. I’m going to finish college and prove to the world that I can continue investing, trading, building, networking.
I came back to America as a student, completed a four-year degree in 20 months at Full Sail University in Orlando and graduated in honors with a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, specifically in Mobile Application Development. Another reason I chose mobile development was because I still had the entrepreneurial mindset and I knew it only took one mobile app to go viral.
I started freelancing while I was still in college, helping many people with their apps. Even during college, I was not the smartest kid in the room and I didn’t make the highest grades in class. I did not receive a single director’s award. I was not the valedictorian. In fact, I was probably the kid that annoyed everyone in class because I was always asking for help. But I always knew my end goal and I knew why I was doing it, and that’s what mattered most: Having a goal and a dream that you are chasing every day.
Jobs put food on the table, but “JOB” to me stands for just over broke and “POOR” stands for passing over opportunities repeatedly. Again I am not down on jobs but I’m just up on opportunities. As I worked, I made sure that I didn’t pass any opportunities, I knew if I wanted to have time freedom and financial freedom, I had to continue what I had originally started in 2016 which is being on the other side of the cashflow quadrant. Please read the book “Cashflow Quadrant” by Robert Kiosaki so you can truly understand what that means.
So, I started over again, building many businesses from scratch. I decided to affiliate myself with the same company to educate people about the financial industry such as the Forex market and the cryptocurrency market. If anyone is interested to learn how to make money on their phones then let us know so we can get you connected.
To all the people out there: If you’re falling or struggling right now, it’s OK. Just make sure you don’t stay there. Get up and go after what you want no matter what it takes, no matter what happens.
Fast forward a few years at 24, I built a brand new home: 3400 sq. ft, five Bedrooms, four Bathrooms and a home theater room all by myself. This when the term “SELF MADE” really has a meaning. You guys know exactly where I started: If I can do it, anyone can. I don’t know what wakes you up. I don’t know what your why is. Only you know that. I wanted a place where my mom could retire to and live free, where I could be there and take care of her. My parents are my why and I am blessed and thankful for them, for believing in me and for making me the man I am today. Thankful for my mom who was not only my why but my motivation and inspiration. I always tell people that I was raised by the Queen. Thank you, mom, I love you. -Call me a mama’s boy I guess haha.
Today I continue to help hundreds of people in my business trade the financial markets. I also work full-time as a software engineer building mobile applications for both iOS and android devices. I have my own company and a team and we take up on any iOS or android projects. If you have an idea, we help make it a reality.
I just turned 25 in March, and just bought a new BMW i8 an over $100k car last week. Remember at one point the house, the cars, the lifestyle was all just a dream but with work ethic and consistency the dreams get smashed.
Once again remember, never chase the money, chase the passion and the money follows. I am just getting started, life is a movie that our future kids will watch one day. My goals are bigger than they have ever been. It’s time to leave a legacy behind for my kids and family.
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?
As I shared before, nothing was ever smooth: dropping out of college, bringing my family down, moving out of the house, leaving the country, losing all my businesses and starting over again, broken relationships, a four-year degree in two years and these are just a few to share. But obstacles are a part of everyone’s life, you either let them stop you or you break that barrier and keep pushing through.
PJtheEntrepreneur / TheLionsDen LLC– what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At TheLionsDen LLC, I am able to take on people with little to no trading expertise and educate them and work with them until they are a step closer towards financial freedom. My company helps users create multiple streams of income both through Trading the marketings and network marketing by building their own organization.
On the other side we also help clients turn their visions and dreams into a reality, by helping them create iOS and android applications.
What sets us apart from other companies is the fact that we can help anybody from any age spectrum, an 18-year-old or a 60-year-old and there is no cap. What sets us apart is that people who join us not only learn about financial freedom but also grow mindset.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up, my father would always buy me clothes and shoes twice my size. Because of our financial situation, he said these will last you for the next few years. This way, we don’t have to shop next year. The pleasure of getting those new clothes and shoes on your birthday was just priceless. Infact, I remember this one pair of booths he got me, the ones where the zipper on the side goes all the way up. I was so fond of it I never wore it but again it was too big so even if I wanted to I couldnt have. Dad would say “Just stuff some paper inside and it will fit you”. Memories like these humbles me everyday.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://im.academy/TradewithPJ
- Phone: 4698784100
- Email: prajwalramamurthy@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/pjtheentrepreneur?r=nametag
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prajwalr
TheLionsDen LLC
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