A man from Miami Gardens, Florida, who overcame poverty with grit and determination is using his story to help others facing similar challenges.
At an early age, Alfred Nickson knew exactly the kind of life he wanted, according to WSVN.
“He always had his mind set to do better and greater in life, and that was from day one,” his mom, Kimberly Walton, said.
For much of his childhood, he remembers getting up around 4:00 a.m. to make sure his family had time to get ready for their day.
“I’m the oldest of seven kids. Myself, my brothers, my sisters, my grandmother, my grandad, my mom, her husband at the time, a few cousins, auntie, uncle,” he recalled.
At the time, everyone was cramped in a two-bedroom apartment. But Nickson was determined to rise above the situation and move his loved ones out of poverty.
He talked incessantly about becoming a millionaire, according to Walton.
When he was 19-years-old, the opportunity landed right in front of him and he started his first business with $500.
“Those first three years, it was just a lot of work, but we didn’t make no money,” he explained, adding, “I made $1,500 in my first three years.”
After that, he went into the financial industry and realized there was a lack of financial knowledge among his neighbors regarding things such as life insurance, wills, trusts, and taxes, so he made it his mission to educate those around him using his business.
By the time he turned 25, he made his first million.
“All of those troubles of two-bedroom apartments, 14 people, all of the struggles and sacrifices my mom made, I ended up getting her a home down in the Kendall area — a six-bedroom, five-bathroom home, and I told her you can sit down, you don’t have to work anymore,” Nickson stated.
Now, he has a message for kids who believe there is no way to escape poverty.
“We have so many opportunities right now. Maybe you get an allowance or maybe you’re getting revenue, and instead of buying video games and playing video games all day, you can leverage some of that money to put into crypto, that’s growing, to put into stocks,” he concluded.