Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gaybriel Dixon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gaybriel , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

It started back when i was working at Mattress firm. I realized that I enjoyed the money, but I became exhausted of the long hours. For instance, I was required as a manager to use personal time off for when I wanted weekends off. I mean, i became burn out. and I missed spending time with my family. Because family is the most important thing to me.

After being at Mattress Firm for 4 years, I knew I needed/ had to do something different. It wasn’t the lifestyle I wanted to live for myself and future family. So, I decided to level up to make the next more, to take up a trade, to become my own boss, an entrepreneur of….

Well…. I didn’t know. I didn’t know what I would/ what I wanted to do. I knew I was skillful and knowledgeable in the business and that I had a marketing degree. So, i stepped back and asked myself is this what I wanted to do. Was there more for me and if so, what does this looks like?

So, I reached to an old friend from high school. Whose father ran a painting company. He (my friend) had recently branch off into his own company.

I was admired. I admire his drive and his business ethics.

I can remember asking to come and work with them during the summer break when I was in high school. I thought of the father and his business as a role model of who, what a black man should look like, he was a father and a business owner. He was doing big things in my eyes.

I mean being raised by a single mother, my brothers and I often lacked. I mean, not in love because my mom loved us to the best of her abilities. She worked hard to provide for my us and I love her for that.

However, seeing my friend dad in action gave me a sense of actions, motivations, and aspirations to be the best in everything that I do as a black man, future father and entrepreneur.

So, joining my friend company seem like a great idea, it gives me the opportunity to expand my skills, learn a new trade, and possibly become a partner in the company.

Gaybriel , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

-I’m different from others in this industry because I want to teach and education my clients. When on site I give my clients the ability to learn and observe me and my team in action. We are always about helping others and giving back to the community.

-I honored to be able to provide men like myself the opportunity to learn a trade while providing financial support.

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Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

At the beginning of 2019, I received a text message from the Paint Owner whom I decided to work with after leaving Mattress Firm. The Paint owner, my friend, and my business partner (so I thought) told me I either had an ultimatum of taking a franchise tag or being shut down. Stunned! Mind rushing of thoughts. I knew shutting me down would take me away from the home advisor or any other platforms I previously used to generate business.

After receiving this message, I was so shocked that I was shaking. I had never felt like this before. Still in disbelief, I had nothing to offer, but I knew I needed guidance in responding to this person I had always seen as a friend and business partner. So I reached out to a close friend and had them read and reply to the text. Even though everything was a blur after that, I remember my friend writing on my behalf, “I’ll see you at the top.” This statement stuck with me.

I knew from there that I had to make some hard decisions. I could either continue making other people money, as I did for Mattress Firm, or become comfortable living in the uncertainty of never being seen as his business partner or his equal. Neither of these was an option for me. I had to become resilient, press forward, and do something I had always wanted to do, start my own business. I’m not going to lie. This was one of the scariest decisions I had ever made, but I was willing to risk it all because I knew that this company would become a $1 million company with my passion and determination.

Three years later, I still stand, continuing my journey to become a $1 million company and experiencing the good and the bad of being an entrepreneur while enjoying everything I have done so far and reflecting on the past. I have done so many amazing things within this timeframe that I am grateful for my decision. I am proud of the man, leader, and successful entrepreneur I am becoming. I am resilient, and things will continue to work out on my behalf.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I worked with a Mattress Firm, I had to pivot in my career. Now, don’t get me wrong, Mattress Firm was an incredible company to work for, and this is why I must give them a shout-out. I believe that Mattress Firm taught me all the essential tactics and tools to become a successful leader/entrepreneur. They were an outstanding company. However, I had reached a point where I needed more and craved more. I became burnt out from working long days, weekends, and holidays.

Meeting the sales demands was becoming stressful. It was becoming a lot to handle, especially as a manager. I mean, the pay was good but requesting vacation time to have the weekend off was a little ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the annual income and their process of training. It was always energetic!

I was also fortunate to open a store in Albany, Georgia, where I am originally from. So, you know this was very exciting for me. However, after working there for three years managing people, breaking numbers, and meeting monthly sales goals. It became redundant. I was bored! Again, I was still craving more, in my professional life, I knew I was destiny for more, but I didn’t know what this would look like here at Mattress Firm. So, I had to take some time to make a real big decision. Was I going to stay with the Mattress Firm, the corporate world or pursue something I always wanted to do since middle school? So, I took that leap of faith and said to myself, “Self, I am an entrepreneur!”

Sounds easy, right, but I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t know what this would look like for me. I mean, my most recent trade was my CDLs. Even though I was experienced, I didn’t want to run a trucking business. So I continue to ask myself what would I do, what could I do?

And it was like a lightbulb switched on. I remember my close friend’s dad had his own painting business, and I had always wanted to work with them as a teenager. I figured this was the perfect time to jump into this trade and that it would be a win-win situation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.owlpaintit.com
• Instagram: owlpaint_it
• Facebook: owl paint it inc
• Yelp: owl paint it

Image Credits
Owl Paint it