Today we’d like to introduce you to Deji Wesey.
Deji, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles in the same neighborhood as the University of Southern California. My Dad (an engineer) migrated to the United States from Lagos, Nigeria in the late 70s and my Mom (a teacher) is from LA by way of Fort Worth, TX. Growing up near the University was a big influence on me. Being in that environment cultivated a thirst for knowledge and progress. I was involved in every type of community outreach at the University you could think of such as sports camps, medical camps…you name it. Also, the University neighborhood houses the LA Memorial Coliseum which hosted the Olympics when I was just a little baby boy. My Dad’s worldly perspective combined with being around the cultural buzz of the Olympics as a child undoubtedly gave me a curiosity for the world. I went on to be an athlete myself. I played basketball at Crenshaw High School in South Central, Los Angeles, CA where we won back to back city and state championships. Basketball was and is a big part of my life but in regards to business, I had one of the most important experiences of my life as a high school student.
I was a ‘student-owner’ of a salad dressing company called Food From The Hood when I was 16 years old. Food From The Hood was an incredible opportunity for a teenager to run a business from product development to distribution. We were a vibrant group of individuals who came together to make quality salad dressing out of South Central LA, a place where the world probably did not think anything good came from. While I was a student owner, I delivered a speech to the Haas School of Business, spearheaded national distribution of our products, created a new flavor and met the Prince of Wales himself…a couple of times. Fast forward, I graduated from Chapman University with a degree in English Literature, published my first book entitled ‘My Africa, My Africa’, lived in Nigeria for a year, became a Distinguished Toastmaster and made millions for a large corporation who didn’t appreciate it. Go figure! Now I’m at USC Marshall School of Business earning an MBA in Entrepreneurship and I am the Founder of GoHard, LLC. With GoHard I aim to provide our customers with fine-tuned fuel for their ambition.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, this has not been an easy road. I’ve had to earn every bit of success I’m having right now. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve been through a lot of moments where I worked hard for something just to fall short of the goal but those experiences helped me find meaning in the words, ‘The obstacle is the encouragement.’ Some people think that hard work begets success but hard work does not guarantee you anything. Endurance & perseverance are what help you find success. Endurance & perseverance are what helped me find my way from sleeping in my car to living in one of the hottest new buildings in downtown. Those ideals helped me go from not being able to pay my electricity bill to having the city lights as the backdrop in my living room.
At one time in my life, I was going on being unemployed or underemployed for three years with my degree from Chapman. I was ‘Standing in the County Line’ with a degree from one of the best private schools in CA. Dealing with that and a serious case of ‘Nigerian Parent Guilt’ was not easy but I transcended those moments by staying strong mentally. I left the country and went to live in Nigeria where I barely knew my family. It was the best thing that could have happened because I got to know the person I needed to know best. Myself. Armed with Napoleon Hill’s ‘The Law of Success’ and an immense lack of distractions I went to work on me. The lessons I learned about myself and the work I was willing to put in propelled me to fulfill some of my biggest dreams.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the GoHard, LLC story. Tell us more about the business.
I am an MBA candidate at Marshall School of Business (in the Entrepreneurship program) and I am the founder of GoHard, LLC. GoHard is focused on providing our customers with fine-tuned fuel for their ambition. Our first product is GoHard Success Fuel, which gives you an immaculate boost because I’m tired is never an excuse. GH Success Fuel has 20g of Natural Cane Sugar, 200mg of caffeine and no added color. What all that means is GH will give you the boost you need to make it through the day without a crash and it tastes great without all the sugar other drinks have! I’m currently developing other functional beverages for our product line that will disrupt the industry as we prepare for our first retail launch. As the Chief Everything Officer at GoHard, I am responsible for everything from daily operations to design but the most important things I do are expand awareness of my brand, drive growth and motivate my team. My personal motivation is to continue my Father’s legacy and create a legacy for my family. As an immigrant’s son, I’m very conscious of building a family reputation in America and I’m absolutely focused on that. GoHard!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I’m glad you asked that question! I believe people subscribe to mainstream defined ideals of success but need to define success for themselves. I define success as being able to make the lives of others around me better. Of course, I want my company to do $300 Million but it’s not the size of your wallet it’s the impact you make with it. Success for me is being able to inspire others with my actions. If I can encourage someone to better themselves, that is success for me. When I am able to fund my philanthropic ambitions of educating inner city youth here in America and back in Nigeria, that will be success for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gohardenergy.com
- Email: [email protected]
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