Today we’d like to introduce you to Michaels Mix.
Hi Michael, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story started within the united kingdom as I am originally British and grew up in a small town called Derby. My schooling life I hated as conforming to what others telling me to do or society has never sat well with me AT ALL as I have always been a very creative and expressive individual, in school growing up same gender loving and dancing I was bullied unbeknown to me it was creating a true CEO. From there, I went on to college pursuing dance which was fun as I’d fount my 1st passion and thought this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. From there went on to get a degree at the Liverpool Institute of performing Arts (LIPA).
At university, I refined my dance vocabulary for three years to not graduate with the BA Honors degree because I didn’t see the point in writing about dance because the system demanded me to do so! Before graduation, I packed up all my things and moved to London. In London, I was working as a professional dancer doing various commercials, live shows, music videos and also teaching dance for the duration of five years but through my career, I was very vocal and a non-conformist once again and in doing so the industry was no longer booking me! When being out of work and also being released from a studio I was teaching at for a long time, I went into working in a gym that I absolutely hated and ended getting fired from in a matter of months, but before doing so I had booked a flight to LA for my 26th birthday.
So in the year of 2018, I flew to California in hopes of making it within the dance industry! In doing so I did not know a single soul. I had some money, and the night before my flight, the person I was visiting ghosted, so no place to stay. I just knew I was getting on a flight! When getting to LA, I luckily had made a friend whilst in the UK and managed to stay with him sometime before moving on out as circumstances were not going to plan, all whilst trying to pursue this dance career, I could not work either as I had no SSN in place, so I was moving on Faith and God alone as I just knew my purpose was within the united states! Trying to work, I ended up broke and almost homeless and in doing so, I ended up sofa surfing and moving places 20 times plus from the year of 2018 – 2020. In not making it within the industry, I became uninspired and came to the reality that I came to LA to run away from home not for dance as I was looking for a way out, by this point, I had longed overstayed my welcome and had no way of making money apart from doing massages which got real dark and uncomfortable very quick, so after making up $700 dollars from doing so, I decided I wanted to become a motivational speaker so I booked a ticket to Atlanta and travelled for three days straight on a greyhound. Once again, I did not know a single soul, just the person I had met two weeks prior to the move-in, and I randomly asked if he had a spare room. My auntie said it’s a great state, so I thought I have nothing to lose at this point, so why not, I just felt like this was purpose in being in the states.
In getting to Atlanta once arriving in 2020 January was when the global pandemic hit, at this point, I was still doing massages to get by but that shortly came to a stop for obvious reasons, I had to move out of the place I was in once again as I was living with someone elderly and I wanted to still be outdoors with my non-conformist ways and leaning on the faith of God I didn’t clam covid for my life so I could not stay in doors for my own personal sanity. In doing so I moved in with a friend unintentionally but we was quarantining in some senses at that time as everything was shut down. It was during that time I had no money at all and once again needed to find a way so my friend at the time suggested selling drinks in the park, keeping in mind I had never sold a drink in my life or made one, so I went out to piedmont park and started selling and week by week in watching him on how he sold I picked up the skill set to the point of doing it on my own for us to eventually go our separate ways!
In doing so, I leveled up from a cooler to a table within piedmont park making 1000 dollars weekly during the summer, to then go into vending when it got cold, generating money for me to survive on! When summer came back, I went back into the park making great money again but to then get arrested for selling goods. At this time, I was living with my partner and after it happened, I picked myself and up my anti in vending in becoming a well-known personality and some incredible drinks. Now it’s taken me so far to the point of gracing me with my own place in Dunwoody under my own name after a short season at an extended stay and the business is growing daily.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
NO not at all! Not having a social security number. Adapting to a new culture. Being arrested. Being physically attacked. Fighting my own personal daemons in pushing on.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I now specialize in making my own brand of alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages from scratch, which I had never created until covid of last year. I am also a very strong dancer and can show out for real, I also specialize in motivational speaking also. I’ll say I’m now known within the vending industry for loving the Lord for sure, always dancing and giving out positive energy love and light and a smile for sure, as well as the drinks that I sell. I am most proud of the mental strength I’ve kept in coming this far as many would not do so underneath such circumstances, also super proud of myself for starting the business in the first place within a very difficult time and in doing so now allowing me to have my own place.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’m not a believer in luck; I believe everything that has happened in my journey has happened for a reason to teach me something about myself or life itself, as your best teacher is life. I do believe in walking in faith, though because in walking in such it has kept me alive until this very day in knowing that there is a higher power guiding all of my footsteps and everything that happens has a season and a reason.
Pricing:
- Drinks range $12 – $50
- MM promotions packages $30 – $500
- Hosting $400 per event
Contact Info:
- Email: micahelsmix7@gmail.com
- Instagram: Michaels_mix
- Facebook: Michael Jordan Richards
