Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Khari Sekou I. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Khari, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I love what I do and that gives me a sense of fulfillment. There are ups and downs, of course, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I thought about getting a regular job and have had many offers, but I turned them down. I hold a GA real estate broker’s license, so I can easily open a brokerage or run a franchise brokerage with hundreds of agents working for me. I would have a larger salary now but I would be unfulfilled.
My companies can change the world. If I don’t manifest my visions the world will never see them.
There’s a quote by Benjamin E. Mays that I love. “Every man and woman is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive and if he or she does not do it, it will never be done.”
That quote reminds me to push forward and find a way to make it work despite the challenges. Whether I win or lose, it’s all up to me. When I reap the harvest for all of the hard work I’ve done I will make a fortune, and I will wake up every day and still love what I’m doing.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Winner Winner Vegan is a black owned (Minority Business Enterprise – NMSDC) retail foods and catering company in Atlanta. We offer delicious plant-based foods infused with herbal supplements and super-foods. We believe food is medicine. Our mission is help heal humanity with plant-based foods. I founded Winner Winner Vegan is 2002, after more than 30 years of experience in plant-based foods. I recently wrote a book, “All Plant Everything”, that shares everything I’ve learned about the plant-based lifestyle in 30 years.
Warrior Garden Combat & Fitness is a martial arts & self-defense company teaching combat, self-protection, & survival skills in person & online. I’ve trained in several martial arts since I was a kid – Tae Kwon Do, Shotokan Karate, Aikido, Ninjutsu, SWAM Fujuka Boxing, Fannul Harb, San Yam Bushi Combat Jujutsu, and many other arts. My interpretation of over 30 years of training is called Hybrid Combat Self Defense/ True Power Warrior Arts. I started studying Silat Buka Lingkaran (SBL) about four years ago. It helped me to heal and enhanced my training. I’m an SBL instructor and represent SBL Atlanta now. We offer Silat Buka Lingkaran classes, a modern adaptation of traditional Pencak Silat, the Indonesian Art of War. Silat is used to train the Southeast Asian military and is a holistic system. Training keeps me centered throughout the storms of life, physically fit, and prepared for whatever may come.
100 Trillion Entertainment is my indie record label. “100 Trillion” represents the 100 trillion cells in the human body and also symbolizes keeping it “100” and “Trill”. I’m also the first artist on the label under the name, Terry Milla. Terry Milla is “Mili-Tary” backwards. I’ve been dong music since I was a kid too. I’ve written songs on “True Blood”, “Switched at Birth”, the movie “The Gardener”, and have had many other behind-the-scenes successes. I turned down record deals because the labels wanted to change my sound or put me in a prison uniform. 100 Trillion is committed to releasing positive music and changing the negative narrative of modern hip-hop.
111 Timeless Truths is a book I released a few years ago. I recently released 222 Timeless Truths and will be doing a full series – 333, 444, & 555 will follow. Each book is filled with food for thought, powerful quotes, meditations, and affirmations. I’m also working on a daily planner & task organizer to go along with the books.
I’m grateful that I never quit. I know that what my companies offer can help heal the world. We all need health & nutrition. More than 80% of Americans have multiple chronic conditions and take several medications. The sickness is directly caused by the “S.A.D.” Standard American Diet. There is a great deal of misinformation out there about the plant-based diet. Anytime you eat any form of flesh you are eating carcinogens. The heat used to cook it releases cancer-causing compounds. The myth promoted by the meat and dairy industry is that vegans don’t get enough protein and are weak. The Roman Gladiators were mostly vegetarian. Some of the strongest athletes in the world, like Patrik Baboumian, are plant-based. There are so many lies out here, somebody has to tell the truth.
People will always need meditation, exercise, mobility, de-escalation skills, emotional awareness, self-protection skills, and warrior philosophy. Young people need guidance, discipline, focus, and strength. Those can be gained directly by martial arts training.
Hip-Hop just turned 50 years old but the musical content still reflects the mind-state of a teenager. Many of the 50+ year old rappers are still promoting the street life without mentioning the consequences. The labels sign the negativity and feed the private prison system. Terry Milla & 100 Trillion Entertainment are bringing the game back to balance.
I rocked a show a couple of years ago and a guy came up to me and my brethren, Mic Chambers, from the audience. he said “I’m glad that you exist, thank you”. It’s great to hear when people appreciate our hard work and dedication. I’m glad that we exist too.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My journey as an entrepreneur has been set with challenges. I had a severe injury 19 years ago and I’m still healing from it. Years and years of treatments, therapies, corrective exercises, supplements, and pain – physical, mental, and emotional. The doctors said I’d never do martial arts again and that I would be on medication the rest of my life. It’s a miracle that I managed to continue my warrior training and grow my companies throughout all of it. My businesses have met with adversity on every level. I paid rent at a commercial kitchen and at the martial arts gym for years without a profit. People thought I was crazy and sometimes I did too. I trusted my intuition and found a better way to do it. We will be shipping our products nationwide very soon. My plant-based products are selling out in stores and my classes are filling up. I recently did a women’s self defense seminar for a national construction company and have another seminar scheduled this summer.
One of my favorite quotes is from Og Mandino, “The Greatest Salesman In The World” – “I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure coarse through my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a Lion, and I refuse to talk, walk, or sleep with the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny. I will persist until I succeed. I will persist. I will win.”
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
I used the “Richest Man In Babylon” method to fund my business and I still practice it every time I make money. Richest Man In Babylon is an old book that teaches how to save and create income streams. You pay yourself first, save at least 10% of every dollar you make, and what you save must make you more money. If you truly practice it, you will always have money and always be investing in things to make more money.
Many people dismiss the concept because it seems like small amounts are insignificant. That’s the wrong way to look at it because small amounts become big amounts. What you’re also doing is redirecting the flow of money. Most people get paid and immediately pay bills or allocate those funds to someone else. Paying yourself first re-prioritizes the flow of the income.
I also used and still use the Infinite Banking Concept (IBC). Infinite Banking is becoming your own bank by getting loans from your whole-term, dividend-paying life insurance policies. Walt Disney, the Rockefellers, JC Penny, and countless others have used this strategy to grow wealth and eliminate the need for bank financing.
Contact Info:
- Website: winnerwinnervegan.com; https://111timelesstruths.com/
- Instagram: @winnerwinnervegan
- Facebook: facebook.com/winnerwinnervegan
- Youtube: youtube.com/winnerwinnervegan
- Other: warriorgarden.net, @warriorgardencombat, 100trill.com, @terrymilla, warriorwardrobe.com, @wrdrb_brand,
