The Journey to Freedom Podcast
Journey to Freedom serves as an exclusive extension of the Living Boldly with Purpose podcast series—a platform that inspires powerful transformation and growth. Journey freedom is a podcast hosted by Brian E. Arnold. The Journey to Freedom is an our best life blueprint exclusively designed for black men where we create a foundational freedom plan. There are five pillars: Identity, Trust, Finances, Health and Faith.
The Journey to Freedom Podcast
The Cocaine Chef: Stacy Harper's Journey from Crime to Redemption
What does the journey from drug kingpin to legitimate entrepreneur reveal about business, redemption, and the true meaning of freedom? Stacey Harper, once known as "The Cocaine Chef," takes us through his remarkable transformation from running a multi-state cocaine operation to building million-dollar legitimate enterprises.
Harper's story begins with his disciplined upbringing in a Muslim school, where he learned the "do for self" mentality that would later drive his business endeavors. After starting a successful carpet cleaning company as a teenager, circumstances pulled him into the drug trade, where he revolutionized the cocaine market with a formula that doubled profits. Operating with suits and ties instead of flashy jewelry, requiring proper documentation from employees, and maintaining professional business practices even in illegal ventures, Harper demonstrates how fundamental business principles remain consistent across contexts.
The turning point came during his federal prison sentence, when watching a family devastated by cocaine addiction on a talk show triggered a profound realization: "I contributed to my own demise of my own community." This awakening led Harper to develop a comprehensive five-year plan for legitimate success upon release. Remarkably, within just one year of freedom, he had established a thriving alarm system business, purchased a home with a swimming pool, and reunited with his children.
Harper's business acumen shines in how he recognized emerging opportunities, transitioning from alarm systems to digital security cameras just as internet technology was becoming mainstream. By prioritizing partnerships over personal profit, offering substantial commissions rather than hoarding wealth, he built a million-dollar security company serving businesses, gas stations, and even prisons in California.
Today, Harper owns behavioral health businesses in Phoenix and coaches aspiring entrepreneurs through his books and mentorship programs. His definition of freedom has evolved from material wealth to something far more profound: "When your values align with who you are and your purpose, then you're free." Visit stacyharper.com to purchase "The Cocaine Chef" and receive his guide "From the Streets to Success" as a free bonus.
I got better at business. I know the cycles. You know I started learning the business cycles and things that you have to do concerning business, Especially now. I have two businesses.
Speaker 2:Okay, welcome to another, just another amazing edition of the Journey to Freedom podcast. I'm Dr B, I'm your host, just whew. Yes, it's going to be a great day today. I'm excited to talk to Mr Stacy Harper today Because when we think about you know, and you guys know if you've been watching a lot of these episodes I usually try to talk to people.
Speaker 2:We call the green room right before and just find out what in life they're excited about, and so you can kind of judge how well a show is going to go based on that interaction right before the show. Because, you know, sometimes I'll ask a person, I'll say what are you most excited about? And their eyes go up where they're looking right and they're trying to think of something in their life that they're excited about. That tells me that we might have a long show, that they're not excited about Something happening in their life right now, that we might be going for a while. But then you have the guests who, just their eyes light up, they get big, they say I can't wait to help the community, I can't wait to be in purpose, I can't wait to. I just wrote a book. I want to tell everybody about my book, and you just know that we're probably going to run out of time and I have to say, stacy, we just have to bring him to another episode because we just had so much fun in our episode. And that's what Journey to Freedom is all about. I don't know, but you know this, stacey. It's been about a year and a half now that I started the Journey to Freedom podcast.
Speaker 2:I went to a seminar on trust leadership and how to lead with trust and how important trust is, and we don't trust ourselves, we don't trust our community, we don't trust our women, we don't even trust white folks.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's just, we on our community have this issue of trust and I go to the seminar and there's about 500 people there and there's only 30 folks of color there. Now I continue to say all the time that, you know, I told myself all the time that it isn't important that I see other people that look like me doing things in life. You know that I can say, hey, if it's close to what I'm doing, at least I know it can be done. I say, oh, I don't need that, I got this. But then I found, I realized that every time I go to a room that's full of, you know, diverse room. I'm always counting. I'm counting like how many of us are there, and then I go talk to other folks that look like us and I say so what are you doing? What brings you to this room? And so for me to say I don't care is just a lie, because I do care.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I love to see people who are doing things, and so I come back from the seminar because there's only 30 or 40 people in this room of 500.
Speaker 2:And so I come back from the seminar because there's only 30 or 40 people in this room of 500. And I start talking and praying and God says well, I'm telling God that I want to work with people of color, I want to make sure that I can make an impact and a difference. God comes back to me and tells me no, I need you to work with Black men. I say God, I don't really want to work with just Black men, because black men can be difficult sometimes.
Speaker 2:And I have this issue with fear and all this. I said, no, that's what I want you to do, and so I created like a coaching program around not being stuck and being able to move forward. And then I started this podcast and I said, ok, in 2024, I'm going to interview at least 100 successful black men so I can see and I you know, because it's one thing for me to view and have my own opinion, it's another thing to start interviewing people and see what the common themes are. So we ended up doing 105 last year.
Speaker 2:I mean, I think you're like 100 in episode 160 or something like that. You know, as we're getting through this, I may go to a thousand, something like that. As we're getting through this, I may go to a thousand, I don't know, because I am enjoying this so much, hearing the lives of people who are literally making an impact, and when I think about success and this is for you, you're watching too success to me is not the amount of money you make, it's not the fame that you have. Success is if we're able to live in our purpose and we're able to do what God put us on this planet to do in a way that pleases him and serves others.
Speaker 2:We are successful, and that's what I'm finding is the folks that I'm interviewing, and I can't wait to have this conversation with you, but I'm just realizing that there are so many people that I didn't know about. There are people who grew up in single you know, single parent homes. A lot of us did, and there's a there's a whole bunch of folks that didn't, and then there's folks that went to college, and then there's a lot of us that didn't.
Speaker 2:There's folks that have figured out how to get their marriage right, and then there's a lot of us who didn't you know, but the common theme is they're all working on helping and serving others, which is exactly what you told me you're doing, and so I've asked Stacey, like I do all of our guests, to tell their story, to tell us, you know the things that are not what he does, but who he is, and we find that out when they get to tell their story. And I told him I know you're going to be good at this because you just wrote a book about it.
Speaker 2:So, if you don't know it after you wrote a book, then we're really in trouble here. So, stacey, thank you for being on, thank you for spending time with us. I love your background and the folks that are there, and so I can't wait to have this conversation with you. So the floor is yours and we'll just chop it up right after that.
Speaker 1:All right, thank you, and thank you for starting this podcast. I like the name and everything the journey to freedom because at one point in my life I had a journey to freedom. You know, as a matter of fact, my whole life has been the journey to freedom. You know, and what freedom means to me is that when your values align with who you are and your purpose, then you're free. It's not about money. At first I thought freedom was having money, cars, the women and all of that, and I found out that's not freedom, that's a trap.
Speaker 1:Anyway, my story starts off is uh, we were nation of islam muslims. Okay, I went, I went to muslim school and you know I was trained. We march every day. It was fun, I loved it. You know we march drill and when you make a mistake you got to go to class. So we was trying to stay down there as long as possible. Yeah, yeah, and you know what? What I found out later on is that that training from that school, the do for self, the don't depend on anybody. You know, make a way for yourself. You know, I worked at Good Foods, I worked at your supermarket, your bakery. I was like I was trained that we do everything for self and you know that's my foundation.
Speaker 1:So later on in life, going to school, our family traveled a lot. My pops was a salesman. You know he still, he sold slum jewelry. You know it looked real but it wasn't. But that's what he did. And we traveled. We lived in Albuquerque, new Mexico, dayton Ohio first and Albuquerque, new Mexico. But what I found out when I lived in Dayton Ohio was very interesting. As you know, I'm from South Central, you know, and the gang banging, you know it's black on black crime. But when I went out there and it was the early seventies, it was more. They had two gangs the chain of rap Brown and the chain of George Wallace, black against white. Yeah, it was very interesting. You know, people from the East coast, I found even today are more. They know their history more than know people from the west coast. Yes, yeah, so anyway. Uh, we moved around.
Speaker 1:I went to different schools and that's another interesting point is when I went to public school it was a total shock from going from a pro school to a pro white school, right, so I go to this school and all they talk about they don't. When they mention black people it's about slavery or you know something bad, martin Luther King. You know, you know it was nothing positive and I found that I really didn't want to learn. You know, it was like a deterrent, even though math and science and all that stuff was different, but just the whole Curriculum to me it wasn't meant for people of color. Yeah yeah, it wasn't motivating. It was nothing to you know to to motivate you to learn to know who you are, and so that was a shocker to me. And so we end up moving to Albuquerque, new Mexico. My father fell in love with the Islamic community there.
Speaker 2:So you moved from Los Angeles, then LA to Albuquerque.
Speaker 1:No, I moved from Los Angeles to Ohio.
Speaker 2:Oh to Ohio, okay yeah, and then to Albuquerque. Albuquerque, no to Ohio. Oh to Ohio, okay yeah, and then to Albuquerque, new Mexico.
Speaker 1:Yeah, then to Albuquerque, new Mexico. Yeah, it was crazy.
Speaker 2:Anyway, now Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Speaker 1:I hated it there too. I would tell you, I hated Albuquerque, New Mexico. We first moved there. We was living on a farm with some people man, I mean we playing with the chickens. The next thing, you know, we eating it at night.
Speaker 2:I drive through. I'm in Denver, colorado, and that's where I grew up, several times where I do the southern route to get to. I went to college in Zouz Pacific University in Southern California, then I have lots of friends in Phoenix and then my mom is part Native American and so we were part of the Choctaw tribe in Oklahoma. But when I go through New Mexico there's so many tribes and working whether I worked at a Navajo reservation or whatever the local tribe was but just to see it's a different life. And especially I'm thinking you're saying your father fell in love with the Islamic community in.
Speaker 2:Albuquerque. I'm surprised, there even is an.
Speaker 1:Islamic community. Oh, let me tell you a story about that. So, while we're in albuquerque, so you know they sell muhammad speaks. That's how people earn money and fish. You know, that's how the community earn money. So we go to loss. My father knows everybody, you know, he knows everybody in all the mosques, everywhere. He was big in the la mosque. Anyway, we go to the la mosque and get all the old Muhammad speaks. I'm talking about old, no current issues.
Speaker 1:Oh, we bring them back to Albuquerque in the U-Haul and now we're going to sell these papers. Now, the brother, they want, the paper costs 25 cents. They want us to give them 20 cents a paper. We make a nickel, but that you know. You know that's crazy. But anyway, there are no black people to sell to. You know, it's the black people out there, but it's not that many. So we go to the mall. I'll take that, okay.
Speaker 1:In the middle of the paper is the progress section. The paper is in black and white, but the middle section is the progress section. That's featuring a hospital that the Muslim community is trying to build. It's full color, full color renditions and everything. I take that out. Now I'm a little kid with a bow tie on white shirt and a suit at the white mall and I take this out and I just start saying, saying hey, we're just trying to build this hospital, and the people were, oh yeah, they're going to get some. Yeah, they go get some change. I say, hey, every dollar saves a life and they would switch to their wallet. I'm getting a dollar, five dollars of paper. I was cleaning up, my brother got on board and the brothers got jealous. I was cleaning up, my brother got on board and the brothers got jealous. They got just wanting to charge us more. It was crazy.
Speaker 2:Anyway, for the paper cause you were making more money on the paper they wanted their cut.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we was. We was traveling all over New Mexico, going to malls all over Gallup and everywhere. Sad, I know all the little cities because we would hit them and, like I said, we sell it. We sell it to white people. Now one person I sold the whole paper to this white guy came back and he was like, do you believe this, do you believe that the white man is the devil? And I was like, yeah, yeah, but you know what, after he left, you know that stayed with me forever, that conversation that we had and I always would go back to it Like, do I really believe that? You know, because I met some good white people, you know, and you, oh, you know, over my lifespan, you know. So that always bothered me. So, anyway, we come back to la. After we leave there, um, I get a job at, uh, church's chicken. I'm like 15 or 16. I had to put my age up, you know, just to get the job Were you in LA or one of the?
Speaker 1:companies. By then we was living on 35th Street in Western. That's where I come from. That's called Harlem for gangbangers. I don't think you know that. Yeah, okay, Okay, okay, that's funny, Okay, and I worked there and you know they got it. I worked there and I ended up working all my way up to assistant manager. I'm a young kid, I ain't even 18 yet. One day we got robbed and I knew the dude. I didn't know him, but the guys they come there to buy chicken.
Speaker 2:You see them all the time and all of a sudden they throw a little ski mask on or something. Yeah, you walk the same, you look the same, you're wearing the same clothes, just by taking it off.
Speaker 1:Man, come on. So anyway, you know they robbed me, they robbed the store. We waiting on the police to come and one of the employees is like, hey, stacy, did you check the black boxes? You know it's black boxes under each register that you put the 20s in. I was like, oh yeah, he got all of that right, but I hadn't checked them. And I told the employees I I tripped them all into the back. You know they don't never want to work. You got something, something funny or something going on. They can't wait to go check it out. So I got everybody out the front, went up there man them cash drawers was packed out. The front, went up there, man them cash drawers was packed. They were cash right Even the day before.
Speaker 2:So I grabbed all that cash, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:I grabbed all that cash and the police came, the big wigs came and they were like you know, they sent me home because I was traumatized and you know, I end up going to court. They caught the guy. They was robbing Taco Bells, everything. Yeah, of course I knew it was him, but they was like you see that guy? I was like no, you know, because the code in the hood is you know, we don't do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, exactly so. Anyway, uh, I worked, I was there, uh, so they, uh, I wasn't working, they had, uh, suspended me because I guess it was too much cash came up yeah, from the job, from church's chicken, I guess too much cash came up missing and and I started working for Miller's Carpet Care. You know, you gotta use your own car, you buy your chemicals from them and everything. And I was working. It was a nice little job. I liked it Because that gave me freedom.
Speaker 1:I was out, I wasn't behind deaths or anything, and I was doing this Jewish guy's house and he was asking me questions about the job and I was like, yeah, I buy my own quit, you know, I get the equipment from them, but I buy the chemicals, use my own car. He was like you should be doing this yourself. And wow, light bulb went on in my head, you know. And right after that I started planning and opened up my own carpet cleaning business. You know, yeah, I was a young man living in the 30s. You know, I'm 7, 16, 7, so about 17 by then opened up my carpet cleaning business. Pops was in jail, he was gonna talk about, he gonna get out and help, you know, because I was doing well, because look what I did was so Miller's would advertise in the Los Angeles Times and the Herald, and all of that like two rooms for fifteen dollars, you know, steam clean. So what I did? I went to the local throwaway paper to wave, put it at. Two rooms, steam clean 1495, three rooms 2195.
Speaker 1:My home number, my mom. My mom is answering the phone. She called me because there was no cell phones. I mean, I don't think it was beepers in, you know, so I. Finally I get home, mom's like the phone is ringing off the hook. I already had appointments. I had to get a schedule book. I ended up hiring my brother, my homie, who went to school with me. Because you know you go out for the $14.95, but you upsell, you know, because you need free treatment. Scotchgard, you know the sofa clean. You know I was doing really well.
Speaker 1:I moved us out of that house into another house on 35th really mom yeah, I was saying she was scheduled for you all day long yeah, scheduled for me all day long, yeah, so we was doing well with the carpet cleaning and the family working now at the same time. You know, when I opened I think think it was around when I first started it was like October, so it was the Christmas season. You know, I wasn't seasoned on business, I didn't know the cycles yet. I thought it was going to be like that forever. Then the slow period came. You know, it took me a couple of years to find out. You know the, the periods where you make money and when it's slow in that type of business. Every business has it, you know. But I was young and didn't know, so went through some financial stuff. And you know, you know I'm in the neighborhood.
Speaker 1:One of the neighborhood guys always come over and he would take a skating, take us to the mall, buy clothes. He was really a cool guy, you know. And and I'm a loner like I don't really like to, especially in la if you ride with four or five black people in the car you all y'all might go to jail, somebody might get killed. So I always by myself, I don't want to ride with everybody. He had a nice Cadillac coupe, you know. He come over. Everybody want to jump in the car. I was like, no, I'm cool. So one day he came over. He's like hey, stace, come ride with me, cause you know I, you know I smoke weed. I, like you know I keep my personal. You know. He was like come on Cause he wanted to smoke, so we take a ride. And he making these runs, making this money, and I'm watching it, you know, and and it and it sparked me, you know, and I end up getting involved in the game. Now, one thing I want everybody to know is that when I started, there was no cocaine epidemic. If you heard of a cocaine party, you wish you was there back then, because it was at the playboy mansion, it was at Eddie Murphy's house, it was at somebody affluent who was giving this party and you would hear tales of they was using and stuff and people was like man, I wish I was there. That's the error, that it was Okay.
Speaker 1:So when I started, I was delivering because my man was delivering. So you know I, you know I was delivering. I had to van like my van. My work van Was like a conversion van I worked in today and at night I take the equipment out. I had a couch TV, you know it was all hooked up. My man was like freaky, you know. So he would switch cars with me. I make deliveries in his Cadillac, he in the van with some chick and I'm making runs and over time I'm bringing him you know he kicking it with the chicks and I'm bringing him making deliveries to him. No, yeah, man. So that's what happened. He started using and you know I'm serious, just like in scarface I took over, you know, his business because he got smoked out. A good brother now real good heart, took over his. His's became mine and his customers, is that wow?
Speaker 2:you're not only an entrepreneur who makes money by day and carpet clean, but now you're making illegal money later.
Speaker 1:But you're really good at yes, and I was living a double life like that because I was using that money to make my business really look good and blow it up, and it was really. It started to be profitable because I got better at business. I know the cycles, you know I started learning the business cycles and things that you have to do concerning business, especially now I have two businesses at night I'm running, you know, cause it was delivery. It wasn't like what it turned out to be on the corner, you know, a house to go to. No, in the beginning it was pure Somebody paid you, you call them, you go make a delivery. And back then I was really into uh, uh, technology. Okay, if the technology was out there, I wanted it. I had a phone called a mark 900. It was a briefcase phone, it was analog. Then the gl 2020s came out. I had them in my car names?
Speaker 2:you remember the names? This is crazy. I love it. I love it well, you know, I'm from that era, that big gray one with the, with the black antenna that stuck out. And that was my first, oh that was a brick phone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I had one of them too.
Speaker 2:You don't have to follow as they got progressively better you know, yeah, yeah, like you're probably about 10 years older than me, no, five years older than me. So we're here. Oh my gosh. Oh, I remember the pay phones, yes. I don't remember the model numbers, but way before the internet. There was no internet until 2000.
Speaker 1:Oh, no internet. Like I said, it was pages.
Speaker 2:People was using pay phones, yes, that's why Then they were dangerous look like now there are no pay phones, no more times in there hoping you put those penny lopers shoes and you have to put the dimes in them so you have money for the phone to call your mom if you need to.
Speaker 1:Oh my, god, right, right. You always had you Right, right. You're right about that, you're right. That's crazy, so anyway, so I was doing that, and then I watched the rock houses come, but I never went in that direction. But what I did?
Speaker 2:I started getting out of it.
Speaker 1:Oh, I was always trying to get out. I was because I was taking the money building my business Right. I even bought a Janetet king service. You know, uh, uh, uh janet king service because I was trying to, but that was a scam. Janet king was a total scam, really. Yeah, because okay.
Speaker 1:So this is how it works when you go and buy janet king franchise, you tell them how much monthly you want to make, and I think I told them about something like 2 000 that was a lot back then to be making $2,000 a month in anything. And I told them $2,000 a month and they get you the contract. You pay, and I think it was like maybe $20,000 for that and I think you pay half and then monthly. So they give me the nice contract. I had contracts all by LAX office buildings, hired some Hispanic people and uh was working it. And then complaints start coming in from Danny King saying that you know we wasn't performing. I went out myself with them at night cleaning, making sure everything was and and they still was complaining. I said, oh, this is a scam, so I'm losing contracts. What they do is they complain, but they give the contract to another person who spent money oh god, so okay they keep one set of contracts and they constantly get new people.
Speaker 1:They just looping it around. Yeah, so that was a scam, so anyway. Um, so now I'm I'm not. I wasn't able to buy a key, because keys back then was like 20, 30, 000 right, but I had enough connections that I was getting it ounces at key prices, right. So I'm serving people, I'm serving other dealers because I'm getting it like that. Anyway, I'm not getting any customers Right.
Speaker 1:All I got is my little, which I had gave oh, I had delegated that to somebody else the small packages and I was just doing like ounces to guys. That were several, and one guy in the jungle in particular was like man, I'm getting it for like $200 less than what I was serving him and he said he was getting it more and it was already cooked. I said you ain't getting 28 grams because you cook it, you lose, you know, a gram or two or whatever. He's like no man, sometimes it's 30, 35. I'm like what? So I put my ear to the street and found out that is something out there called bro. It's blowing up, cutting the uncuttable. It's a secret formula and I was like I've got to have it. So I put my calling.
Speaker 1:All the women I know because they do data connection. I got mad respect for women. I give them so much props in my book because they were the catalyst to my growth. Anyway, I I one of the girlfriends that I had. She had a new boyfriend, but we were still cool. He had just got out of prison. He was like a jerry store jacker and he had put some work in for the colombians. So she said, yeah, I think he know it. I was like hook me up, I need to meet this dude. So he comes to my office. Now my office is in the ray clark building. You know who ray clark is? Yeah, so I'm in the ray clark building. That's where my office was in the crenshaw shopping center. Okay, and here come this guy in the big chevy blazer with the top off, music blasting, no shirt on which, you know, chains on with the ponytail. He had that silky hair yeah and he pull up.
Speaker 1:And this dude was cool man. He tell me he know the formula, but he's never tried it, he just watched it. But I'm willing to take a chance because I'm not, you know, I'm failing, you know the business. So I was like man, let's do it. So it's procaine. We had to go to the, the jewelry store in inglewood and buy these little bitty things of it and you cook that. So we, we met, we cooked that, let it dry episode right now yeah, so, so anyway, we did it.
Speaker 1:Okay, it didn't come out 100. I took I had, like, uh, nine ounces that I had took over there that was my sack at that Took them nine ounces and made them 18.
Speaker 2:So you doubled it.
Speaker 1:Yes, went to my man in the jungle and gave him super good prices and it was on Right Now. Just think of this. I'm making one key two. I got that capacity. I shook up the whole market in la me and this guy, but the east side was already doing it, but the east side was the east side, west side, you know how that is. It's like a total two different worlds.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're not crossing the boundaries no, right, right.
Speaker 1:so I started cooking for dealers, yeah.
Speaker 2:Like I said, I was just a small guy. This is how I blew up.
Speaker 1:That's why I called the book the Cocaine Chef the Story of the Mix Master, because this is what blew me up was the mix, the formula, the recipe. So now I'm cooking for dealers, big guys, I won't mention nobody's name, but they would bring me 10 to make 20. I would charge them $2,500 a piece. They can't see the show. I'll get to you when I'm finished. You bring me the 10. In a few days, I'll bring you 20. I'll bring you, bring me to 10 in a few days, I'll bring you 20.
Speaker 1:And I was man. I had safe grandma house, safe at my house of Two or three safe spots. You know, I ran it like a business and, like I told you, I'm suit and tie every day, even though I might have been driving the Benz or whatever. You didn't know what I was doing, me and my whole crew, cuz we from the Muslim school we wear suit and ties every day. You understand, that's how we carry Short haircuts, no jewelry, no jerry curl. We didn't do nothing. We were opposite of the stereotype.
Speaker 1:If you worked for me, you couldn't have any. You got to have driver's license, insurance, all of the things. Back then people was driving. They didn't even have none of that stuff when they was driving, you know. But I work within the law. I knew I was breaking the law, so I'm going to do everything I can within the law to stay clean. Gotcha Right. So anyway, after a while I blew up. I was doing really good man. All of a sudden up. I was doing really good man. All of a sudden, just like it started, it ended. The mix was over. I was stuck with like 20, 30 keys of it because the Jamaicans came in. They started serving that real and people didn't want and other people started finding out about the recipe and they messed the game up. They take one and make four or five.
Speaker 2:So they're thinking your stuff is really bad. Yes, wow, ok.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So but the thing about it was I had so much capital from doing that that I just switched my game from hard to soft. So I just bought 10 keys and sell those after that. But what happened to? I'm rolling, doing good, I'm always trying to get out, like I said every time, but something, always some catastrophe, happens that wheel me back in. And then when I finally had enough money to really quit, I was hooked. I was hooked on, wasn't an addict, I was addicted to the power, everything that it brought with it. You know, because I go to club man, I'm the man, you know what I mean. I go anywhere, I go. I was the man, you know. It was a great feeling and you kind of that, and that's why I understand athletes how they don't want to leave. It's the same thing. It's that glamour and that whole thing. I was stuck. So, anyway, I ran and I did.
Speaker 1:I opened up an interior design. I met this girl. Oh my God, she just blew me, you know, turned my life around. She had a 190. She just blew me, you know. Turn my life around. Right, she had a one 90. She was going to school for interior decorating and she was a wood, a baller Cause. When I met her at the car wash she was like I'm going to Hawaii with my boyfriend. I was like you know, I cleaned carpet. I got a carpet cleaner, gave her my car. She said oh, you can clean with carpets, you know, and uh yeah, yeah, I'm going to hawaii with my boyfriend anyway, when she could.
Speaker 1:I never talked to her. Though it's six or seven months later I'm at the beverly center with my boy and we bump into her and we make a date to go to the movies that night and, man, we was together for like a year after that. It was crazy. I had just bought a house in woodland hills and, uh, she helped me decorate it. You know, she gave me a lot of a lot of games, she. She showed me so much about interior design that I became an interior decorator. I opened up a store called art design and blinds. It's still there on parthenia and receiving right now the sign, the signs and neon lights that I put up. It's still there on Parthenia and receiving right now the sign, the signs and neon lights that I put up. They are still there. Yeah, I opened up that store. It was doing well.
Speaker 1:Anyway, a white guy in a Testarossa rolled up one day. He was like man, I want you to do my condo. I was like, okay, so I decorated his condo. I mean, I made gray and white faded. His walls were gray, faded into different shades of gray, and you couldn't tell how it was done or where the mix point was. I had my uncle do it. He was a great painter.
Speaker 1:I did his condo, I made it Miami Vice. He paid cash. He paid cash too. Like I said, nobody that I deal with in business know what I do. So it got dry. You know, I couldn't find any work Right. So I called him, told him he was like, yeah, I got somebody and man, they was giving me keys for $12,000. So the first time I think I bought 10 or 15, about 10 or 15, I was like, oh my God, sold them. I was like now I'm about to retire, because this love, I'm getting right, so I think I would order 20 or 30, grabbed all my money, grabbed other people's money, grabbed all my money, grabbed other people's money, went to buy this big loan.
Speaker 1:I think it was like three hundred thousand or something and they ran off with the money, man, and then give you this. Yeah, this is some other people's monies, is it there? No product. So after that I'm looking for the guy you know the guy that hooked me up with him. I went in and I broke in his house looking for my money. You know what I mean, me and my brother. So me and my brother rolling around and we see the Testarossa roll up into the Marriott in Woodland Hills. It's Sunday, they go on the brunch. These white guys work for gold. I, woodland Hills, it's Sunday, they're going to brunch, these white guys work for gold. I mean, go to gold's gym. They gold gym buff guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the guy I messed with was a short guy, but his buddy, at this day that he was with, was a taller guy. So they pull up in the valet at the Marriott, me and my brother pull in, jump out we both got play guns and, uh, we go up and I'm talking to him. I'm saying, hey, man, your boy ran off with my stuff. You know, I'm talking to him. He acting nonchalant and I told him I broke in his house. I said, man, I broke in your house, you know. And he started pointing at me like you broke in my effing house. You know, pointing at me. My brother, just draw down. You know, come on, let's go.
Speaker 1:I had to. You know, put the other guy and make the other guy stop. We take him, put him in the van and take off. We jump on the freeway, somebody following me. So I go in the last lane and they jump in the last thing. Then I just jump off the freeway. I head down Topanga Canyon toward PCH because I'm going to take this guy to the east side where the danger is. Some guys that were dangerous, that I had their money, that my brother had got money from, and we're about to take them and we about to take them, I'm about to take him over there To say hey, this is the one who took your money.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you know, when stuff like that happened, they think you did it. You know, everybody, y'all, you beat me man, you know. So I'm about to take him over there, but in route, you know, I'm all in his wallet. You know I'm talking to him and I was like I can't take him over there, so we're going to have a murder case. My whole goal was to be in the game without having any bodies. You know what I mean. So I was like no, I can't take him. So we took him back to the Valley and dropped him off. It just dropped him off. It just dropped him off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so now I'm, I'm, I'm in, you know, recovery mode. I got to explain to these people. You know I lost the most and I I'm like man, I don't even know how I'm going to come back from this. You know cause I got I mean, I got deals, man. You know I got house, two, three businesses, you know all kinds of stuff going. But luckily, you know, I had a bank account. Uh, two or three business bank accounts, what about 10,000 spread out? And back then that's a lot, but it't enough, yeah, for what I was doing, you know. So, um, one guy who had gave me like 80 000 who was a friend of mine. He was like man. He came over and just checked me, like man, what you doing, what you doing moping around, you know, just, you know, got on my case, man. You're like I'm out of here. Man, forget that. That was, that's gibbles and bits. It's like I'm going to oklahoma city and he, I was like man, so he motivated me. So I I got back, you know, got my my um, my confidence back and started, you know, trying to make some moves and I was down to like a half a chicken, a half a key, that's all I had to my name, right, and these businesses that I'm shutting down now because I know I'm not gonna be able to keep them running, so I'm shutting them down now.
Speaker 1:I had a boy that was part of our crew who was going to texas I'm serving, you know, in. You know like, uh, on consignment, he going to texas, come back. I'm not making no real profit, like what he's making, but I'm like man, get me out there. I'm the man, take me out there. You're going to still get yours, but I'm going to blow us up out there. He's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, but he ain't never doing it.
Speaker 1:So one day, like I used to have three, four, five cars, but since that happened I'm selling, I'm liquid, and, and I was down to just a, a convertible corvette. So I asked my boy I was like, hey, man, I'm going to put the vet in the shop, let me use your car while you in texas. And he didn't say nothing and I was like, okay, and this guy, I let him use any of my car, his car in the shop, he could drive anything I got. So that hurt me. So when you left for texas, I jumped on the phone.
Speaker 1:I asked my mom. I said, hey, mom, because I know our family from texas, my pops, you know family from texas remember us visiting. I said, do we got some people in texas? She said yeah, your cousin, your cousin barbara's son, is living out there. So give me his number, call him now.
Speaker 1:I don't talk on the phone and I'm talking to him and he's like, hey, man, come on out here, do? Dallas is like the bomb and this, and that I got a place for you, your room for you. Man, come on out here. Dallas is like the bomb and this, and that I got a place for you, a room for you. You know, come on out. I said, ok, but we talk about what I'm really going for. Yeah, you know, you know I've been in business, but I don't think he really know. So I'm like, yes, I'm like that I never flew with no work or nothing. So at this time I put it in a bag, put some women clothes in there, put the coffee, the orange peels. You know all of that. Make reservations. John Doe is flying. Go to the airport. I'm paying cash. I think the ticket was $4.50. They said, oh, cash, oh, I need your driver's license, because back then it wasn't no 9-11, nothing. You could fly. They don't have to show you driver's license or nothing.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, so, but because I was paying cash. Now she want my driver's license. Right, I should have bought the ticket at a ticket agency somewhere you know in different names. Then I said oh, no, I'm going to Dallas to get my attache in case my driver's license is in there. She's like oh, no problem, we just got an x-ray your bag. I go oh, no problem, go ahead. My heart is about to jump out my chest. When I leave, she on the walkie talkie calling security. I'm like oh, I'm out of here, right. Then I I was like man, that's all I got, that's everything. I said no, I'm going to take a chance.
Speaker 1:Went upstairs, had me a drink at the gate, make it there. My cousin finally come. He super late, call Like where is he? It's like two or three in the morning, the airport is empty. I've been there 45 minutes an hour. He lost. He don't even know where the airport is. Anyway, he show up. He show up.
Speaker 1:I seen big black guy with a big beard with a pipe. I go God, please don't let this be my cousin. It was, it was. I'm the oldest square guy, oh my God. So we get in the car, we drive it and I got to tell him what I got in the trunk. I said, man, I got a half a chicken in the trunk. Man, he go what I go? Yeah, I got to have a bird in the trunk. He said, ok, we're going to South Dallas. I said, ok, cool, we can just stop. Yeah, we get to South Dallas.
Speaker 1:Like I said, it's one, two in the morning. It's dudes hanging out. It's dudes hanging out. They got tank tops on. It. Looked like gangbanger central raggedy house. He go in, he in there a long time, he come out. Now I gave him a piece of Peruvian flake. This stuff looked like diamonds. You know, I just broke it off to half a chicken, gave it to him. Look like diamonds, it's so pure. He come out, he go oh no, they don't want that. I go what man, this Peruvian flake, blah, blah, blah, going on. He said, no, they want it hard. Oh, okay, I can do that. So the next day he hooked me up with this other guy and I said man, how much you paying for the zones? And he, he said I'm paying 1600. I said, man, I'm gonna give him to you for 14. He said bring me one every hour every hour every hour.
Speaker 1:Now he was in a spot dog, it was a apartment building, like vacant apartment building. They, in a unit, got the power running to that one unit from the electrical pole. When you go in there, man, it's just a table. Cheers they chopping up rocks of cocaine on the table. It was crazy. And yeah, every hour man, he bought everything. I had all of them and I was back. Just like that. Is that crazy. So that was Texas.
Speaker 2:You moved to Dallas. You stay in Dallas.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I got an apartment, brought a whole crew out there, blew up, but I still have my house. I'm still from LA.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:LA was my central location but I opened up shop in texas. Man was there for some years but I had met a guy. I met a guy out there right that I was dealing with and he had called me one day and was like man, can you give it to me for this price? I was like no man, that's like la, I ain't making no money. And he was like, well, I'm going to new york. I said okay. I said man, if you go to man, call me when you get back. I just wanted to see if he'd go be successful. You know, and you got to have some cojones to do that when he did go and came back and he had scored and everything. But he had some drama on the way. But anyway, that gave me a I. I, I trust I, I like dude.
Speaker 1:About a couple a year or so later he calls me. He's in Alaska. He said, man, it's cracking out here. I was like what Alaska? And he said, man, they got the baddest weed you ever smoked. Now this dude don't even smoke weed. I'm from California, humboldt County. You understand we got the best stuff. And this dude telling me that he got you know. So.
Speaker 2:I tell you, I'm on my way.
Speaker 1:I go out there.
Speaker 2:You're like transcontinental.
Speaker 1:Y'all man, I'm a chance taker, I'm a risk taker Dog. Eventually we were cutting up $100,000 on one key. That's how much we was. I was making $100,000 a month out there Back then. Now you got to remember, $100,000 a month in the 80s is like $500,000. You know what I mean. It's much more In today's money.
Speaker 1:I was cleaning up man, then I was planning on man and then I was planning on getting out. Now that I was cleaning up I went to some friends of mine was in Hawaii, so it's a connection. Alaska is called the triangle, alaska, seattle, hawaii. I had some homies in Seattle so I went to Seattle, opened up shop. I tried Alaska, I mean Hawaii, but them dudes over there is crazy. And then the island people. I ain't going to say all because I haven't met all, but the people I met over there, the natives from over there, that was in the game. They have small minds, just like that island, that perimeter, that's just how big they thinking is.
Speaker 1:It was crazy. They tried to rob me out there. They tried to jab me. Man, I mean they. They had ordered some stuff, went over there and it's like this is it mossberg knife? You know, I'm like the fat guy went from this jolly fat guy to an evil spirit. You know it was crazy, but anyway I get away.
Speaker 1:I had to end up calling the police because they take my car, everything. When the police come, I get in the car. They drive their own cars in hawaii because there's no parking. Yeah, I'm in the car. The radio is on. I hear the story a tourist gets carjacked. It was crazy. That was a whole situation. I end up getting out of that. I left there but that was crazy and so now I'm planning on getting out the game. I'm setting up people in Alaska to where I could just leave it and just get paid.
Speaker 1:Setting up people in Seattle, same thing and the feds are following me. I'm with my cousin and my brother and we drive and they smoking weed. I said man, we're being followed. They look around. They don't see no police cars or nothing. Because they was in undercover cars and they started laughing at me like you, you paranoid. It was three cars following me.
Speaker 1:I get to the 605 in the 60 and I act like I'm gonna get on the 605. A couple of. One car went ahead of me, went uh north, another car went south and I bounced back in the lane, lost all of them. So now they were like, yeah, you, you was tripping, get off the freeway. And I said I'm just going to get off the freeway and take the streets, take a Valley, and I'm rolling down. But before I get home, all three of them cars are back. And they was they. They realized that I wasn't joking.
Speaker 1:So and uh, I went to Alaska. They came and got me, me and another female that I was with, arrested me. Uh, 10 days later, okay, I'm about to get bail because I was gonna pay this girl to have her mother out in Alaska. You just have a got to have a third party. So I pay this girl, have her mom come to court. And uh, they saying stuff now, in la, I did get caught with a gun a few times, but back then it was a misdemeanor.
Speaker 1:You get caught with a gun, you pay a 50 fine, you go home. It was crazy. So, anyway, they telling them about all of this stuff and she's like, no, no problem. So it looked like I'm going to get bail, go leave, the judge going to make his decision the next day. You know, so when they waking me up at five in the morning in Alaska.
Speaker 1:They don't have a federal facility Like MDC, like in LA and other places. You stay at the county jail. So I'm in county jail. They come get me at five in the morning to go to court, like they do the rest of the county people. So I'm like what the heck is going on? I'm federal, I'm going to federal court. The marshals come get me.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, I get to jail. It's early in the morning. I get to jail, it's early in the morning. We all chain together, we go out to sit in the jury box. The media is all in the courtroom. I don't know what they there for. They finally call my name and I hear cameras shooting. But I don't look and I say not guilty to some trumped up charges. And I say not guilty to some trumped up charges. Now it's early in the morning. So after that we go back and we're in the holding tank all day to four or five o'clock when they're going to take us back to jail. So they take us back to jail.
Speaker 1:When I get back to jail, two or three sergeants is waiting at the bus. I get off the bus and the sergeant go hey, it's the media here want to talk to you. Do you want to talk to you? Do you want to talk to? I was like no, I don't want to talk to nobody. They're like that's smart. So they take me back to my, to my dorm. It's just me and the sergeant.
Speaker 1:When I get in the dorm, everybody. When I open the door and I walk in, everybody stops and looks at me. There's about 50 guys in each door. They stopped and I'm like what's that? Because I'm on the news. You're on TV. Yeah, I'm on TV, not my picture. They never had my picture when I'm on the news.
Speaker 1:They're talking about Stacey Harper. They're talking about the Medellin cartel. They're talking about the Muslim Crips. That I was a Muslim, the leader of the Muslim Crips. I was making $30 million a month. I was going all these places. If I went somewhere, they said I went there to say I might've went to see somebody that was on a map saying that I was dealing in all these places. That was the connection to the gangs and the Medellin cartel. All lines they showing tables full of money, tables full of cocaine, gang bangers getting arrested on the streets of la. All look like this just happened. They got no money. They got some product, but not no tables fulls of cocaine, but that was so I wouldn't get bail, gotcha. They released that that was over with. I'm a threat to society, to the whole country.
Speaker 2:Now let me tell you something about Life is everything. Oh my God.
Speaker 1:Everything. So let me tell you, man, I was reformed just going through the process, because it was the first time I went through a real, the real process. I was really reformed then, man, to be honest with you. But I'm going to tell you, huh, how long were you?
Speaker 2:did you? Were you end up being in there?
Speaker 1:So I was sentenced to 195 months. That's like 16 plus years. Yeah, it's crazy how you got to do the math when they give you the kind of sentences right, so I, but I only did nine because I, when I, once I got in, I'm fighting, I'm in the law library, you know, I found out that my lawyer didn't really know what he was talking about. He just didn't know that one conspiracy is one conspiracy, not that I'm going to get charged in Texas, hawaii, seattle and get a sentence there, like that's what he told me. I don't think he knew. Anyway, so I get to 16, I ended up fighting it. But while I was in prison, my first year in prison end up fighting it. But while I was in prison, my first year in prison, I learned from some OGs. You know, man, program leaders, let the streets go. You know, stay busy.
Speaker 1:I'm educating my mind because I came to a decision, because when I was in Cook Inlet in Alaska I'm sitting there watching the Sally Jesse Raphael show and man, I got an epiphany. I'm watching it. Jesse Raphael show and man, I got an epiphany. I'm watching it. It's this family on there and the husband and they talking about the wife, how she was strung out on cocaine, on rocks and man, I'm watching it and it hit me that I was a part of that. I contributed to it, even though, like I was on a higher level. I mean, I made all kinds of excuses. You know somebody's going to do it I don't really deal with the customer but no, at that point I came to the realization that I was a part of that. I contributed to my own demise of my own community.
Speaker 1:And then, after that, I made a conscious decision that I was going to give back. I was going to dedicate my life to giving back. First, I was going to educate my mind. I was going to become educated. I was going to read because I was like, I mean, I'm gonna learn a new word every day, I'm gonna learn some new stuff every day. And I did you know, and I did. I did you know, like I said, when I was in sheridan my first year, uh, a guy came hey, stace, hey, man, when you go home. And I told him it was like 2016 or something. He was like man, that's a buck rogers day. He said, man, you're walking around here like you're going home next week. That's how I was programmed and I was getting ready now you were.
Speaker 2:You were outside even though you were in. You were exactly oh man, that's awesome. Yeah was programmed and I was getting ready, you were you were outside, even though you were in. You were living. Oh man, yeah, and I was in that law library man.
Speaker 1:I was fighting man and uh and I end up, so why so I they? I got transferred to Phoenix and Phoenix I met this African guy, man, this brother was. You know, we was playing ping pong. I was good at ping pong and them Africans in Asia they could play that ping pong, so I learned a lot from him and he was good at the law work so he helped me.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:He helped me get my paperwork together and file my brief. I filed for ineffective assistance to counsel. There was a case out about the gun that was at the location where I got, so I got an extra five for the gun plus the conspiracy. But what happened was there was a case where a brother because this is what happened with the court they arrest you, they gaffled all your property, they confiscate all your property and your property goes to court and gets convicted and confiscated by the government. Now if that happens before you get convicted and sentenced, that's double jeopardy Because you can't be charged for the same crime a second time.
Speaker 1:Exactly can't be, yeah, charged for the same crime the second time exactly. And if you charge it this, it was happening and people were winning in the um, the state level order, not the appellate level, but the lower level courts. They were winning that even though the prosecution, of course, was appealing and it ended up going to supreme court. But anyway, I got that in there because they did me like that, took all my stuff prior, since I got all this mouth. Oh, my time, it was right. I was like, oh, happy, so I got the gun, which is some case law that I'm. I can win the double jeopardist case law. I can win the ineffective assistance of counsel is a stretch. If you win that, you look.
Speaker 1:Yeah but I got those three things in and it they look good. I I get a letter from the prosecutor saying that if I don't withdraw my appeal, like how I got busted, is the guy I was buying from told on me Gotcha, okay, nobody, nobody I sold to nobody. In my own Nobody got arrested or anything. Beside me and my brother Okay, nobody, we sell to or anything. But I'm this big person, I'm this person that they put on the news but only y'all only got me and my brother.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Cause I ain't talking. Cause when they took me in there they was like, hey, you just sent 400,000 to your mother and sister. You know they going to jail. You know, if you don't help, help us, because we know you ain't been dealing with ramos for two years. Yeah, I was like, well, mom and them going to jail because I don't know what you're talking about. Oh, that prosecutor went crazy. Man, he's like you're, you're never getting out.
Speaker 1:We got you hand to hand 250 grams of crack cocaine. When I walked out I was like man, I ain't sold no crack cocaine in so long and I, you know what I mean. But what they had was the guy I was buying from had called me one day, two years prior to this happening, and wanted me to cook something for him. I wasn't doing no cooking, no more or anything, and I went over there and cooked up 250 grams that he had a sale for. That was the feds, because the feds he. 250 grams that he had a sale for, that was the beds, because the feds. He wasn't that big of a guy got to make the sentence long for him give me 250 grams, that's. And back then that was times 100, that's 25 keys, gotcha. That my sentence. My crime was cooking that 250 grams gotcha. They gave me 16 years for that. Never been in trouble before wow is that crazy so
Speaker 2:you spend the night in that you get out and how are you helping. I mean, what are you doing now? I mean how is it? How has it?
Speaker 1:all passed since so I go back, I get some time reduction, I start planning, I make a five year plan when I get out. You know, I want to have a house, a business, nice car, you know, and I want to be doing things that meet my values. That's my real freedom. So, man, all of it happened in one year. In one year I was back in Woodland Hills with a swimming pool, nice vehicle, got my kids to live with me in a legitimate business.
Speaker 2:What was that business?
Speaker 1:It was alarm systems.
Speaker 1:Okay, I was selling ATT alarms. And so I get home and this is a crazy story in and of itself Because I'm in the house. I get home to the halfway house. My buddies, who I had dear time with, was running an ADT distribution where they sell the paper. They sell the alarms and company install it and everything. But they sell in the paper. They're going out getting these contracts from the customers. So I get with them. They know my business ac paper. They going out getting these contracts from the customers, so I get with them. They know my business acumen. They bring me in and like come on, stay as soon as I get home. You know, bring me in, but they in trouble. They in trouble because they've been lazy, they out partying and whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the rent I get with the rent guys. First I say how much money y'all got? They tell me I give it to rent people, the employees, everybody make a deal. When it came time to give me that money, he had bought a laptop or something. So I was like, oh man, I'm in. And now I'm in the halfway. I can't leave unless I have a job.
Speaker 1:I call my brother. My brother got platinum vault entertainment. You know he rent houses in malibu, whatever give parties. Back then that was cracking. So I go to his office on Wilshire. I'm trying to find this one guy who knows the whole alarm thing, because they didn't hook me up with the paper guy. I know where to take the paper to get the money, but I ain't never sold, no, nothing. I ain't sold nothing. But I know the whole business. And I know the guy who know how to sell A young guy. I'm trying to catch him. We making appointments. I can't never catch him.
Speaker 1:So one Friday it's decision time. I'm running out of money. My brother gave me a Suburban that I got to pay for, you know. Plus I'm paying the halfway house and I'm running out of money. I ran out of money, I didn't ran out of money. So I tell my cousin after juma prayer I said, man, I need to borrow some money. I said after today I'm going to meet this guy. Today it was friday, I'm going to meet this guy. This is it. If he ain't there, I gotta find something else to do. The alarms ain't gonna be working for me because they loan me the money. I'm headed to the guy's house on my way to the halfway house because I got to be there for you know. So I'm going there.
Speaker 1:Now, while I'm in the driving in the neighborhood to go to the guy's spot, is some Hispanic people knocking on doors. I said what y'all do? Oh, we selling alarms. Well, how much y'all get on the law? They was like oh, we get a hundred dollars. I said I give you $250. Yeah, I see what I'm saying. Yeah, I was like that's all y'all getting. I give you $250. You know they what? Give me your number. We ain't changed nothing. Go to the guy's house. Of course he ain't there. Get to the halfway house, like you ain't even supposed to have a cell phone, but I answer the phone. He said hey man, you talking to my people, you talking to my guys. I was like hey man, I'm sorry. No, no, no. What did you tell them?
Speaker 1:Now, granted, I'm in the halfway house, I go to my office. So the guy he's like where can we meet? I want to talk to you, let's make a deal. So I was like wilshire. But this guy's from south bay, he don't want to go way to wilshire. So the only thing I knew that people did was meet at starbucks. I ain't even had a starbucks coffee yet. So I had a guy meet me at starbucks, so he meet me at starbucks and he got a crew of five people plus himself.
Speaker 1:If you want to open up an office in Miami, I will open up your office in Miami. Whatever you want, I will make it happen for you, because I'm not greedy, I'm on a piece of you know. He know how the game works, how much we got paid off the paper, you know, and I'm offering him like half way more than anybody else was giving me. You know I'm gonna make you a partner because, like, we sell the paper, we get 1200, the alarm system costs 99, the labor is 125, the rest is profit. Yeah, so I'm. I offered him half. He agreed, bro, the next day we go out door knocking. I go with them because I'm trying to learn. Now they said I sell my first one. That's $1,200 for me, I mean, or $1,000 after everything is paid, because I sold one. They sold alarms, bro. It was like I was back in the game. I was making $5,000, $10,000 a week. I was cleaning up about the house of woodland hills. You know it all came to fruition earlier than I thought.
Speaker 2:That's why planning you had a five-year plan, so you're playing the planning is key, man, and you start making steps.
Speaker 1:so you make a five-year plan and then you decide what you got to get accomplished every year, to get to that plan, every month, every week, down to the daily, and you can make it happen.
Speaker 2:Well, now, because we were on time. But what, what? So the alarms doing that? Were there any other businesses after that, did you?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, so I know I transition. So look like I told you. You, I remember I told you I was into technology so I watched. Now, what's crazy is, the internet didn't take off till I got home.
Speaker 2:I got home like 2004 so yeah, so you're right at the beginning of the I was at the beginning.
Speaker 1:So, uh, the cam digital cameras was just starting. I watched him just put it out there because I'm buying my equipment for the alarms at the security distribution places and I start seeing these cameras. I don't know nothing about them, man. I buy everything, trained myself on it. They told me what it could do. I buy everything, trained myself on it. They told me what it could do. They said you could see it online. I went and got a Palm Pilot. That first little phone that was, you know, was at home. Let me see. Let me see. And it was. And then you're out the picture. But, bro, I was one of the first people.
Speaker 1:Now there was other camera companies that did cameras. They were big, they only sold to airports and you had to have a zillion dollars to get cameras. I'm one of the first. I'm not the first, but I'm one of the first people not just black, but first people to sell to anybody. You got 3000, you can get this. I don't don't care where you. I started out serving smoke shops. I was selling to all the smoke shops, then gas stations, then my first big job was the ford dealership on sentinella. Okay, for ten thousand to put them cameras there. Yeah, and from there it was all. I was just out of control. I built that company, platinum vault it was once platinum vault entertainment became platinum vault Inc. Platinum vault security. I built it up to a million dollar a year company. I was doing prisons. I was in the prison putting cameras in california oh my gosh yeah, man.
Speaker 1:So then I moved. I moved out here to phoenix. Okay, I had you know, because I made a lot of money out there. You know I sold my house. Came out here, man bought a house, swimming pool, some, and bought a behavioral health business. Now I got two.
Speaker 2:Wow, and still going. I'm still going. It's just who you are.
Speaker 1:It's just who I am, man. If I touch it, it turn to gold.
Speaker 2:Man, it's so cool to just see, because what I'm gleaning from it is, if you get and you learn and you pay attention, you can do anything Even though you learned it in an illegal business. It translates Business is business.
Speaker 1:Supply and demand, making customers happy, it's all business.
Speaker 2:What I'd love to do. If you're willing, maybe in a few weeks or a month or so we'll come back and just kind of talk about. Maybe we can just have a show about some of the business practices that you put together, like the things like from beginning to end, like okay, this is how you set up sales, this is how you set up, you know, by employees, the things that you talked about. I'm not being greedy, right, so many people who make a ton of money aren't the ones trying to get all the money back to themselves. Like I don't need 90% commission, I need partners, I need people that I could trust, I need people and maybe we can just go through, like you know, let's say, the top 10 things that a businessman should do if they want to scale their business.
Speaker 2:You know absolutely I think I'd love to do that because it because you, obviously you know it, you've done it, and you've done it in more than just one industry. Right, you did, you've done it, whether it's carpet cleaning, or whether it's security or cameras, whatever it is, you figured out the formula for doing it. Maybe we can talk about what that would be absolutely so.
Speaker 1:I wrote two other books, okay, one from the streets to success, and the other one is how to start and launch a business there it is when you said that.
Speaker 1:I was like you, right on time, because a lot of people have the idea. See, cuz, what I want to do? I want to be a coach, a business coach. You know, I want to take your idea. You just got an idea and I'm gonna make it reality all the way to launching. To see some people they got that idea but they don't have the fortitude or the you know, the stick-to-itiveness that's what I like to call it to go all the way to the end. Me, if I start something, I finish it. You understand, and you got to know when to walk away. See, a lot of people don't know when to walk away and like, if you get in business, always have a way out. You know whether it's sale or you know how you go liquid. You got to always keep that in the back of your mind. Don't become a slave to your business oh my god, it's so good so good.
Speaker 2:So how do they get their website? You have right now that they can go with the book, just amazon. How does somebody go get with?
Speaker 1:yeah, the book the cocaine chef is on amazon and it's on my website, stacy dash Harpercom. And, like I said, I'm going to be giving, doing coaching. I got the streets to success and I'm giving away stuff, like if you get the book from my website, I give you the streets to success for free. I'm always offering something.
Speaker 2:I love it, I love it, love it, love it. Well, thank you so much for being on. We're going to come back, we're going to do a special show just for you guys. We're going to start, you know, whatever, whatever the game of you trying to go do something illegal, but he's doing it all legal now, uh, and he understands how to do it, and so I thank you for being on the show. Thank you for your willingness to to take your time, be vulnerable, because I know you know that story is. You know some, some people don't want to tell that story. Some people say, no, I'll just tell you about the good stuff, but then leave out all the stuff that got you to where you're at, and I just appreciate your willingness to do that.
Speaker 2:Uh go and get his books. Uh go to his website that's stacyhoppercom. Uh, not, not stacy hyphen hoppercom.
Speaker 2:Right, and so yeah go there, check out the books. I'm sure you will will love them. If you are looking for other shows, as we do, we have content that is helping people out, so hit, subscribe, hit notification, hit all the YouTube stuff that folks do so that you make sure you're getting the latest episode of the things that we're doing on this show, and so we will look forward to talking to you. I believe you're God's greatest gift. He loves you, if you allow him to, and we will talk to you on the next one. You guys have an amazing day, thank you. Thank you, stacey. We'll talk to you guys soon.