Owning Your Destiny: Khristian Michael's Story

Stand on a busy street corner for just a few minutes and listen to all the ideas being discussed by the people who are passing by. Chances are, only ten of those people will actually think twice about their idea and out of those ten, two will be really serious and have the courage to go for it. Of those two, one of them will stick with it and stop at nothing to see his/her idea become a reality AND a success. That individual understands that this is their destiny and is determined to walk within that destiny.  Khristian Michael, Founder and President of Forever K. Michael Eyewear is one of those people. He envisioned his destiny as a child and understood that it would take a lot of hard work and dedication to see his dream come alive. Yet, come alive it has--Forever K. Michael Eyewear is currently circulating in high end malls all over the country, and can be seen on artists such as Sean Paul of the Young Bloods and iconic professional athletes such as Shaquille O’Neal.

Michael will be the first to tell you that the success he is experiencing now didn’t just happen, he had to put a lot of hard work into it. He has seen many doors closed in his face, and his products being pushed to the back burner of potential distributor’s priority list. Yet, none of this stopped Michael’s dream of getting his eyewear into the public’s sights. He’d gone through too much to stop and he believed the saying, 'when one door closes another one opens. '

“I have been in love with fashion since I was a kid,” Michael explained. “One thing that stood out about my family is that we were always fashionable, so it became an ingrained desire for me to be on point with my look. To get in the business, I was an intern at different record labels. One of my mentors at that time was the National Director of promotions for Arista and Warner Brothers. That mentor relationship lasted for about 10 years and during that time I did a lot of promotions with him that dealt with celebrities. But I always had a true eye for fashion and I decided that one day that I wanted to put a product behind my image.”

That product with his image behind it became eyewear. Michael has always been a huge fan of shades and explained that if a person had on a nice pair of shades then their entire outfit will look nice. “When I was younger, I may not have had the best clothes on,” said Michael. “but a pair of shades always made my outfit. My shoes weren’t the best, my pants weren’t the best but if I threw on a pair of fly shades, I was going to be the coolest cat in school. So I thought that eyewear would be good fit for my image and my life experience.”

 After deciding on the product to promote his image, the work began. Michael had to learn how to design and manufacture eyewear. Once he mastered the ins and outs of manufactured, he learned how to find and sell to distributors, and ultimately how to market the Forever K. Michael brand.  He found a supportive partner in NYS Collection, a leading retailer in the eyewear industry, who was willing to listen to and support his vision for Forever K Michael.  He utilized the contacts he had made during his years in the music industry and reached out to some of the celebrities that he met over the years, asked them to help out and it took off from there. The Forever K Michael brand can be found on celebrities such as Tynisha Keli, Donnie Klang, Mr. Cheeks, Nappy Roots, and Sean Paul of the Young Bloods.

Earlier this month (February 2011), Forever K Michael signed an agreement with Superman.  Okay, not Clark Kent, but our favorite Superman, Shaquille O’Neal, to create the Forever K. Michael presents Dunk Man Eyewear line. This new line is set to launch summer of 2011. 

None of this would have been possible if Michael would have given up on his dreams, his destiny.  He considers himself to be a 'Smart Guy' because of the company that he surrounds himself with--Michael credits his decision to move forward and realize his dreams to mentors and his inner circle.  “It would have to be listening to mentors.” Said Michael when asked about getting Forever K. Michael off the ground. “Even the bible says A man who takes good counsel can’t lose. So if you take good counsel, listen to trusted opinions, and then incorporate all of that to make good decisions of your own. Even the President has advisors and takes counsel. Taking counsel has been one of the best decisions of my career.”

“I think being a 'smart guy' is really about the people that are around you, the people you surround yourself with.” said Michael. “I am a firm believer in if you have good people around you who make good decisions, (in business and in general) that adds to your character, to who you are.”  Michael's advise to young people is simple.  “I think that when you walk in your destiny that you are going to succeed.” said Michael. “Only you know if what you are doing is something that you really believe in and love. Don’t fool yourself. You have to know in your heart if you truly want to do this (whatever it is) and be successful at it. So when you walk in your destiny, you work hard at it, and you truly try, then I can assure you that you will succeed at it."

A Stylish Smart Guy,

K. Michael

Khristian Michael is from and currently resides in NYC. You can see more Forever K. Michael on line at www.foreverkmichael.com . You can like him on facebook at foreverkmichaeldesign and follow him on twitter at foreverkmichael.

  

    

Making My Dad Proud: former Steeler Chidi Iwuoma's Road to Success

My father never wanted me to play football or any sports for that matter.  He thought that pro athletes got into a lot of trouble and he and my mother had great plans for my brothers and I that were centered around education and achieving the American dream. Little did he know when I was little, that football would help create the opportunities for me to acquire the academic success he dreamed of for me and give me a chance to positively impact others...

My parents were immigrants from Nigeria, they came to America dreaming of better opportunities for my three brothers and I.  Education was a high priority in my household and seen as the cornerstone for success.  What my parents saw of athletics in the media, set up a belief that sports led to negativity and got in the way of the success they planned for us.  So in addition to the focus on academics, my parents established a steadfast rule for the four of us: no sports.  

 When I was young I lost mother to inner city violence.  My parents were trying to live the  America dream, they worked hard and become business owners. On that tragic day, my mother was working in one of the family stores and was murdered during a robbery attempt. When my mom was killed during that robbery, my dad took it very hard.  In retrospect I can't image what a challenge it was for my dad to deal with grieving and raising four boys at the same time. We grew up in a rough environment, a lot of temptation for the way of life promoted by gangs in the community and easy access to a lot of negativity.  My father stuck to his plan; education was good, sports were bad.  His plan to keep us out of the streets was anchored by a strong focusing on education. 

Despite my dad's views on athletics, I knew there were positive aspects. I would watch the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the Lakers, and I saw good things.  My brothers and I loved to play sports out in the neighborhood with our friends and our dad was okay with these casual, home based games. But even when I began to get noticed in school for my athletic abilities, but my dad wouldn’t let me play organized sports. When I was in elementary school, my brothers took me and signed me up for Pop Warner football.  I was so excited and loved the tryouts and proudly took my pads home after making the team.  My dad took one look at the pads and said no way, take them back. So I focused on school and community and build a reputation as a stand up guy.  I was involved in student government and lots of school based activities, but continued to dream of playing organized team sports. 

My freshman year  of high school I tried out for football and my coach was really impressed with me.  I came up with plan where I went to study hall and got school work done during the day and then went to practice after school for part of the practice and still got home before 4pm.  I got a recruiting letter from Cal Berkeley and was on the varsity squad by the end of my freshman season.  I kept my participation a secret from dad my entire freshman year and halfway through my sophmore year.  The local newspaper did a story about me and put my picture in the paper after a particularly good game which someone showed my dad, causing all hell to break loose. 

The letter from Cal Berkeley turned out to be my saving grace, I showed it to my dad and pointed out the opportunity to get a free education through my abilities on the football field.  Dad finally said if I kept my grades up I could play.  Recruiting letters kept coming in.  I knew I had to keep my grades up in order to play and that was my focus all through high school. I knew I wanted to graduate, get a college degree and make my dad proud.  My senior year I got a bunch of scholarship offers, I was so excited that people were going to pay for me to go to school because I could run with the football.  I could combine my love of the game with my love of education, I couldn't ask for anything more.  I graduated from Pasadena High school and entered the University of California at Berkeley, my dad's favorite school, on a football scholarship.   

My brothers, who were all older than me, didn't get to play sports because of my dad’s beliefs about professional athletes.  But they never begrudged me my experience and my success.  They came to all of my games and made sure I had everything I needed.  They would use their money from their part time jobs to buy me cleats and they would get me wherever I needed to go.  They couldn’t do it but I could and they became my biggest fans.  Their dedication and support of me made me feel important and made a huge impact in the man I've become.

I wanted to graduate from Cal with a degree, that was my main drive from the moment I stepped onto campus. I was good in high school, but coming to one of the top programs in the nation at one of the best schools in the nation, was a whole new game. I had to fall back on my cornerstone, education. I kept trying and studying and working hard academically.  I worked with my academic advisor regularly and studied hard to be a good player and teammate.  It wasn’t until my junior year at Cal that the NFL made it onto my radar as a possible reality.  I got my degree in five years and during that time I decided that I wanted to help student athletes as a career.  My academic advisors my first year was really important and helpful to me and I wanted to become that support for other student athletes wheither or not I went pro. 

I played in the NFL for seven years.  I knew that I was physically able to be there but being mature and being a good person who was goal oriented and wanted to handle business was an important component to staying there.  I was nominated team captain four years in a row.  Besides the obvious money and accolades, that honor by my peers was special to me.  To be voted team captain and not be the superstar comes down to being accountable, guys acknowledge that I would take care of business and lead by example and carry through on goals for the team.  The experience of playing pro football was exciting and fun but it is a business. You are expected to take care of yourself and handle your business of your own accord.  You have to figure out what is expected of you and how you get it done.  My childhood, the goals and expectations my parents and brothers put in place,  were my stepping stones to success.

I am participating in the 'Smart Guy' movement because I want to help young people realize that your last name is important and that you are representing generations of your last name in the way you carry and present yourself. No matter how old you are you are never too young to be a good person.  Becoming a 'smart guy' when you are young is setting yourself up to be successful for the majority of your life.

I've had a pretty good run and it all started with being serious about academics. I played in the NFL for seven years, including five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the opportunity to be a part of the 2005 Super Bowl championship team!  After I retired from the NFL, I returned to Cal and got a master's degree in education.  I currently work as the Assistant Director of Student Athlete Development for Cal Berkeley's football program. My responsibilities are to nurture student development and support them in dealing with classroom, academics, housing-- anything that student athletes need outside of x’s and o’s.  It is what I've wanted to do since my freshman year of Cal,  help guide young, bright minds on what could possibly be their future endeavors.  I’ve been there and done that and that gives me credibility.  I work with all the athletes on a backup plan.  What kind of impression have you left on people that they  would want to do business with you after you graduate?  After you retire?  What kind of person are you?

 I've had the opportunity to show my father that education can lead to success in whatever venue you apply it to, even sports.  I've had the opportunity to carry myself both on and off the field as someone that other's can be proud of and emulate.  And now I have the opportunity to guide young student athletes about making good choices and putting their education to good use, about being 'smart guys'...

Another Smart Guy,

Chidi