Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Washington And William Bessette

Hi Brandon Washington And William Bessette, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourselves.

WILLIAM: Hi, I am William Bessette, 42, a hard-working Capricorn! I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where I lived for thirty years. I spent most of my first thirty years working in corporate America and as a long-time journalist. In my second act of life, I moved to Portland, Oregon, where I met the love of my life, worked as a food writer – literally the coolest job I’ve ever had – and banker for a big mega bank, then transitioned into business ownership and got married. Then, seven years ago I entered my third act, selling all my possessions down to a backpack and moved abroad with my husband, Brandon. Today, Brandon and I live as digital nomads traveling the world – I’ve been to fifty-one countries and counting, he’s been thirty-six – and we own multiple companies.

BRANDON: Hey, I’m Brandon Washington, 37, and a Virgo in every sense of the word! My story starts in Oregon, where I rode my bike around North Portland with friends until the streetlights came on. I thought I would be a professional sprinter, so I trained for the Olympics from a young age. When I broke my toe at the state qualifier as a senior in high school, my path changed, and I found a new love for organic foods in my new career. It wasn’t until I met Willliam, and we took our first international trip together that I thought it even possible to travel full-time and through thirty-six countries together. Eleven years ago, we became a couple, and seven years ago, we decided to leave our regular mundane life behind, get married, and become people of the world. Today, we’re living in beautiful Albania and who knows where we will end up next!

Alright, 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 both have had to overcome?

WILLIAM: It most definitely has not been an easy path. Imagine thirty years in Las Vegas; most people can barely handle three days! I grew up fast, we’ll just put it that way. I sold and did drugs in high school and dropped out. At 16, I ended up a runaway, taking advantage of the fact that my mom was a single mom working multiple jobs to take care of us. It was then, blossoming in my gay-ness and at a gay bar with my fake ID in hand, that I met a producer from Los Angeles and was promptly trafficked to Hollywood. Once there, I both did drugs and was drugged. I was sexually abused for an entire weekend by a big-name comic book movie director and a former Californian congressman for which whose last name an online news magazine is named after. By day four, I escaped back to Las Vegas and ran right back to my mom’s house, terrified that this was “the real world”. I subsequently spent many years as a drug addict and did multiple stints in rehab from the ages of 16 through 29. I almost killed myself in a horrible drunk driving accident at 27 when I drove my car into a ravine, blacked out driving after a night of hard partying. This was also right around the time I bought – and lost – a house in the Great Recession, lost a ten-year relationship, and moved from Las Vegas to Portland, Oregon with my tail between my legs and what I could fit in my tiny hatchback Hyundai Accent. This was when I entered my second act. I thank God – and my dear friend Amber – for getting me up to the Pacific Northwest because it saved my life. From 30 to now, in my third act, the past twelve years of my life have been an absolute dream come true. Sure, not everything has been perfect all the time, but I feel really, really good, quite fortunate, blessed, and highly favored.

BRANDON: Life hasn’t been a crystal stair. I have lost many family members and close friends at a young age. Also, traveling as a Black American comes with its challenges. Being called racial slurs or just not being acknowledged in restaurants at all are things that are not rare occurrences. But I am grateful to be with the human that I love making new memories. What more could you ask for? I have little to no complaints.

Wow, what incredible stories! Bravo to you both on making it to where you are today. So, let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

WILLIAM: I’ll take The Brilliam Group! In 2014, after a brief corporate stint in Portland, I quit my corporate job and started a freelance career in copywriting. That morphed into a company that does copywriting, digital marketing, and website design. Brandon and I combined our names to create The Brilliam Group. We specialize in creating beautiful brands and websites for those brands, then digital marketing campaigns for those websites and companies. I think we’re probably most proud that here we are and our company is still alive, 10 year later, supporting our lifestyle.

BRANDON: While traveling around the world together, we decided to come up with a travel blog called Floppy Hat Adventures that chronicles our travel experiences through social media platforms. We also give away free hotel/resort stays around the world monthly. I am most proud of our unique brand and story that we tell on Floppy Hat Adventures. Also, while being in Costa Rica we decided to build a luxury property called The Oasis at Puket in the Puerto Viejo de Talamanca region of the country. It’s one of the only truly 5-star luxury-level vacation rentals in the entire area and has been featured on an episode of House Hunters International.

What are your plans for the future?

WILLIAM: For me, I think the fact that we’ve moved to Europe for the next 6-to-12 months has got me jumping out of my chair. Before COVID, we were traveling constantly, bouncing all over the world. And while we love Costa Rica, and living there and owning property and businesses there has certainly been a dream this past half-decade, we are feeling the itch and are ready to travel again. I am most excited about that. I also fully plan to get back to writing that science fiction novel I’ve been working on for, oh, 25 years, haha!

BRANDON: Our immediate plan for the future is to continue traveling. Our long-term goal is to make good money from our vacation rental and possibly sell it and find the place of our dreams. The great thing is that we have these kinds of options to begin with. We are very, very fortunate!

Pricing:

• Website Design/Development: $3,500+
• Branding/Logo Design: $1,000+
• The Oasis, Costa Rica Vacation Rental: $550 USD Per Night
• Digital Marketing: Get in touch with us!
• Travel Influencer Marketing: Get in touch with us!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thebrilliamgroup.com https://www.theoasisatpuket.com https://www.floppyhatadventures.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floppyhatadventures/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floppyhatadventures
• Twitter: https://x.com/TheFloppyHat
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FloppyHatAdventures
• Other: The Brilliam Group Website Portfolio