Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Christopher.
Steven, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was raised by my Caribbean parents, who always showed me the value of education and self-motivation. Dedication has always been an overarching theme in our family, even through the internal struggles that all families face. I was always shown by example how to stand tall in the face of adversity. And yet ironically, I’d end up becoming my own biggest adversary by the time I reached 18.
Even though music and fashion were huge interests and were working for me, I was getting in so much trouble that it almost tailspun into the worst-case scenario for a young brown urban man. In my late 20’s, I decided one day that I was done risking my life and disrespecting my legacy. I was ready to stop fighting my Self and be an open vessel for love and positivity. Of course, as a test of my determination and a penalty for my actions, I would end up hitting rock bottom. I experienced homelessness for the better part of one solid year, before finally packing it up and leaving New York. Sleeping in the car through an icy NY winter puts things in perspective incredibly quickly.
Living with my parents in Orlando, I went to Full Sail University & set up an effective home studio where I dove deep into my music again. I’d spend two years in Orlando decompressing from all of the actual trauma that I hadn’t even realized I’d absorbed over the years. My spirit felt rejuvenated, and I was able to focus on legacy building. So, Atlanta was next on the menu.
Appropriately enough, ATL didn’t start off easy at all. There were huge challenges literally by month 1. But when you know that God has you covered, you can recognize when the angels line up to protect you. And just like that, as I stayed humble & faithful, I became a magnet for opportunity. Seeds that I’d planted years before were coming to fruition, left and right.
Within the next three months, my then business partner and I launched a talent mgmt & booking company called Suga Doll Agency. We gained so much ground within a year that I launched a brother agency for male talent called Sculptures Agency. During this first year in Atlanta, my then neighbor (and now one of my closest friends) would show me some of his photography, and I was always intrigued by the art. He’s a visionary himself, so we always connected on multiple levels. Here’s how it played out. I buy a DSLR, he teaches me photography & editing, and I start shooting our agency clients in-house. Within this time frame, I also became a Dad for the first time in 2010, to a beautiful baby boy. He has fortified my purpose many many times over at this point, and he’s one of my biggest heroes actually. I’m so thankful for him.
About six months into shooting, I started getting calls to book gigs which I immediately turned into a business. I grabbed a suitable domain name, built a site, and launched SCDesigns360 (now StevenChristopherBrand.com). Already knowledgeable in Photoshop, I started doing graphic design work, printing, & photography/videography services. While doing that and running the agency, I met a mentor that’s one of the most financially savvy guys I’ve ever met. Our conversation started off regarding media work, and eventually sparked him to say, “Well let me tell you what I really do. You can do this easily.” In regards to investment and deal brokering, I was being led in yet another direction. I knew there was a bigger play at the table, so I put the agency life on hold and switched gears into fielding investments and connecting intellectual property owners to motivated investors. But while this is happening, I’m also directing and producing independent content with both private and public clients. In 2014, as I was launching a virtual consulting company called Lucrative Consulting, I also came aboard to co-produce a new lifestyle show called “Ride With Me” that had secured a mainstream network slot on WWOR-TV’s channel 9 – a FOX affiliate station. We ran for 3 challenging but successful seasons, as I simultaneously forged new relationships with investor groups and new clients through Lucrative Consulting.
I haven’t mentioned it yet, but up until 2015, I’d always struggled with the effects of a weakened immune system, as many of us do privately. Getting sick 2 to 3 times a year was just simply a way of life for me. I was so used to it, that I knew the routine. I’d been to the ER for breathing treatments more times than I can count – actually had quite a few close calls. Between the perils of my youth and the respiratory stuff, I’d definitely been reminded frequently about the true value of life.
So, in late September 2015, after 37 years of omnivorous behavior, I decided to try seven days free of animal flesh, not even the “organic” stuff. This felt new and slightly challenging, but I was sick & tired of feeling sick & tired. On the 8th day, it was right around early evening time when I realized that I hadn’t touched (or even thought about) my asthma pump since the previous day – Day 7. After Day 8, this continued for days on end, and I just couldn’t believe it. It took me over another year to fully kick dairy and eggs; food addiction is real. But in the midst of this journey to eat healthier, I became a personal chef to myself mostly, and the family. I’d always cooked periodically and knew HOW to cook, being Caribbean. But it was never a regular thing, per se.
All of a sudden, I’m using my visual art skills to plate my food and then shoot it. The positive responses and encouragement from my social media family helped me envision 360° LOVE FOODS. I started curating resources to fortify the branding strategy and figuring out how we would approach the food piece specifically. But for the most part, it was all just lifestyle initially. I’d just post palatable pics of my real-life kitchen creations, building the vision.
While this is all happening, my brother (and old neighbor) is building his 3rd or 4th influential company. And this one just happened to be a super clean organic hemp brand. I watched my boy put in the legwork and create a farm partnership, which would make his, the first cannabis company to make it to the mainstream market in his state. He’d actually fought for legislation and everything; he ended up being the first big fish in his market. 11 years ago when we met, we’d talk about making huge moves like this. This whole ride, we’ve helped and supported each other. So, it was then time for me to capitalize on what I’d learned about the beauty of the Cannabis plant.
Over the few years I spent watching bro build his hemp company, I experienced two almost debilitating knee injuries and a crazy bout of migraines. The “almost” is because of the CBD oil that bro would send me. It actually reversed my injuries so tenaciously that I just knew this was an incredible blessing that others weren’t truly aware of. I took the time to learn the science of our relationship, as humans, to the cannabis plant itself. I then expanded 360° LOVE FOODS into a sustainable wellness marketplace brand named 360° LOVE. We offer holistic goods and services, in addition to giving the love back monetarily by paying accrued bonuses for sales referrals. When you help more people to help themselves, you are also due more blessings. So, we just keep the love going.
I have beautifully spirited clients that I’m so proud of. The love honestly is a lifestyle; I’m super thankful for the vibes.
P.S. I go into a lot more detail about my story in my debut book, entitled “360° LOVE – Volume 1: Greatful”.
There’s a lot more info on the book coming soon. Keep up with me on Instagram at @SC360!
Great, 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’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been smooth but it’s been steady if that makes sense. Steady in the right direction is the way I would put it. One day at school in 10th grade, I watched a friend literally bleed to death as he held his throat wound, at about 10:30 in the morning. One of his best friends was fighting. He attempted to break it up and was stabbed during the melee. Stuff like that doesn’t just go away. Over 10 years after that incident, and surviving many more crazy situations (and still being alive to recount all of the Saving Grace in my life), I knew I had to hang the jersey up.
The next thing I knew, I was being tested. I left the streets in the rearview mirror, began walking the straight & narrow path, and ended up losing everything materially. Being homeless was hard. Fighting my purpose and true Self for years was hard. But becoming a Dad has been hardest. I’d never realized what a responsibility I’d been to my parents until becoming one myself. I struggled with the reality of creating a child and ending up broken up with his Mom. But we learned how to develop the friendship that we should have started with, and how to co-parent efficiently.
It can also be a struggle maintaining our boundaries with negative people. They’ll boldly intrude upon your consciousness if you allow them to. There’s power in keeping the integrity of your vision intact while considering constructive criticism.
In running the agencies, there were the struggles of sharing partnership while having different business practices (not bad practices, just different). It wasn’t a detriment to our stories though. Our amicable decision to split allowed me to focus even more. I built Sculptures Agency into a unisex creative agency that continued to grow as much as I nurtured it.
With almost all efforts in the collaborative art spaces, there’ll be some degree of creative differences. Producing “Ride With Me” was no different. We put the show on-air each week for 3 seasons, working tirelessly to have every episode closed-captioned and submitted to the station on time. Learning how to work in between limited budgets and time constraints becomes second nature when you’re in the moment. Season 2 ~ Episode 1, I was able to arrange an LL Cool J interview after our intended guest canceled at the last minute right before we started shooting. We could’ve just let frustration lead the charge and gave up, scrapping a whole production day. But knowing how to stay cool in the midst of adversity got us a much bigger fish than the one that left us hanging.
There have been so many examples of having to hurdle over real adversity. The real test of fortitude lies in what you decide to do about it. Choices.
Please tell us about 360° LOVE.
360°LOVE™ is a wellness brand of holistic goods and services inspired by our deep passion for revitalizing personal wellness.
We employ organic Estheticians, Holistic Nutritionists, Personal Chefs, Fitness Trainers, Wealth Building Consultants, and provide natural wellness products that actually work.
We also offer a wide variety of useful kitchen & home goods, and even an apparel/accessories department to add more pieces to your wardrobe!
We’re focused on increasing your quality of life both at home and when you’re out and about.
Our list of goals is simple.
· we help increase your vitality, daily.
· we guide you in living an overall more healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
· we provide the means to actually attain financial freedom via our wealth building services and built-in *residual earnings program.
I’m most proud that my own decision to sustain personal wellness empowers me to help others revitalize. I love seeing people able to reclaim their mobility and livelihood. We coach clients on how to simplify their approach to wellness by maximizing the essentials and minimizing wastefulness. Knowing how to properly identify each of those things is key. Since wellness breeds success, being ready for success is another major key. It’s a personal decision that some of us make, and unfortunately, some may not.
I work with clients that are ready to level up and put the work in. You’d be surprised at the version of yourself that’s waiting for you right on the other side of your personal commitment. It’s you. It’s the version of you that you keep seeing in your head. We turn our dreams into our realities by committing to ourselves. I can’t afford to worry about other people’s issues committing to me, if I won’t commit to my self. Self-love is simply the most functional way that we can operate, and stay able to produce more good energy in the world.
What sets us apart? We’re the only company exemplifying the circle of self-love (in name and in deed) specifically at its core while influencing sustainable wellness with a host of goods & services. Sustainable success requires more than just mastering any singular facet of life. There’s a myriad of things that sustain wellness, none of which have ever been unattainable. We’re on par to make a global impact on wellness and sustainability.
This company is built on one simple principle; 360° of love, because we believe that love makes the world go around.
360lovers.com
Instagram | facebook | Twitter: @360loveshop and @360lovefoods
Steven Christopher Brand™
I write, design, curate & produce a variety of creative platforms.
The scope of my creative brand is helping clients to conceptualize their brand definition, then to bring it to fruition in a palatable way.
I have a team of in-house musicians, composers, producers, cinematographers, photographers, hair/makeup teams, etc. – and motivated investor pools for prospective funding ventures.
I’m always exploring new growth opportunities; you can join me on my journey at StevenChristopherBrand.com!
Instagram: @sc360 @sc360visuals @artliferadio
Facebook: @stevenchristopherbrand
Twitter: @stevnchristophr
Lucrative Consulting™
I formed a powerhouse team of consultants to service our clients in satisfying their business and lifestyle necessities. Our scope goes from public relations and image consulting all the way to real estate mentorship and spatial planning/interior design. We’re online at LucrativeConsulting.com!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
We had a fun crew of neighborhood kids. There were neighborhood missions, and we had secret hideouts and home bases around the neighborhood. At one of the hidden gem locations, there were a few bike ramps built out of mud. You have to ride through the woods a bit to get there. There was a duck pond back there and everything. It was super secluded, just a big lone wooded area – where it would just be the kids and the wildlife. It felt mystical because the trees were so tall and shrouded around the areas where the ramps were; the sunlight would just barely filter through. So, it was like being in a beautiful canopy style environment. It really felt great just being in nature like that, having fun.
Pricing:
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Contact Info:
- Website: 360lovers.com
- Phone: 404-483-4536
- Email: mail@360lovers.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/sc360
- Facebook: facebook.com/stevenchristopherbrand
- Twitter: twitter.com/stevnchristophr
- Other: stevenchristopherbrand.com
Image Credit:
Steven Christopher
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