Today we’d like to introduce you to KACEY Cotton.
Hi KACEY, 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?
It all started back in 2008. After a series of bad decisions, I landed myself in the state penitentiary. I wasn’t released until 2011. When I came home, I had an 8-year-old son waiting for me and a newborn I hadn’t even met yet. I’d missed his birth behind bars.
Finding work was a constant struggle. Not slipping back into the streets was even harder. But God is good, and I never questioned His plan. My parole officer was on me hard, showing up at my house weekly, demanding I find a job. I was trying, but every door seemed closed. The only offers I got were commission-only sales jobs with no guaranteed income — not an option when you’ve got a woman and two children depending on you.
Then one day, my parole officer told me about another parolee who was a supervisor at a warehouse. He set up an interview for me, and I got the job — $10 an hour. It might not sound like much, but after working in prison for $3 a day as a garbage man, this was an upgrade. One is always better than zero.
I worked 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day and 7 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The biggest check I ever brought home there was $575, and that included a Sunday shift. When I asked for a raise and was denied, I put in my notice. That was 2012 to 2015.
But God had already lined something up. The company that shared our building had been watching me work. Before I even left, they offered me $13 an hour. When I went to sign the paperwork, they made it $15 and promoted me to supervisor of the entire department.
The company grossed $500,000 a month. I came in on a mission. Up until then, $10 an hour was the most I’d ever earned. I pushed production so hard that other departments had to keep up. Within months, the company jumped from $500k to $800k, then $1 million a month.
The owner told me I had “a way of seeing things.” Another manager said, “If we had six of you, we could get rid of the rest of the building.” I got raises and praise, but I still felt capped. The next raise would be only 25 cents. When they wouldn’t even hire my son — while hiring everyone else’s kids — that was my breaking point. I realized I was making them millions and getting crumbs.
So I hustled. I found another job at Publix Warehouse, 4:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., but I didn’t quit my day job either. From 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every day I worked the first job, then went straight to the second. I promised myself these would be my last two jobs working for somebody else.
It took a toll. I caught the flu when it was killing people and almost died. Then COVID, and almost died again. One morning after an 11-day workweek without a break, I had to pull over on my commute because I knew I might crash. Other workers had already died in accidents leaving Publix. I was running on hope and willpower alone.
I tried to invest: an elder care facility, a Chick-fil-A franchise, Mailboxes Etc., vending machines. All fell through. Frustrated, I pivoted to e-commerce. I built a brand called “Self Invested Eighties Baby” and was getting samples delivered, ready to launch. But then a coworker mentioned he was buying a truck. I’d been thinking about my CDL for years. He said, “You don’t even need it.” I looked into it.
I bought a box truck. I tried to juggle the truck and e-commerce but didn’t realize how much time trucking would take. So I went all in. Self Invested Eighties Baby became my e-commerce company, and SIEB Transportation became my trucking company.
Now, I’m no longer an employee. I’m a business owner. My first year, I grossed over $100,000 — the most money I’d ever made. And now, I want more.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road was far from smooth. I was so eager to get started that I quit my job right away, not realizing my truck needed major repairs. It spent the first three months in the shop, and with COVID making it hard to get parts, everything took longer and cost more. My savings were disappearing fast. On top of that, my authority was brand new, so many brokers wouldn’t work with me — and the ones who did paid me far less than I deserved. It was anything but an easy start.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Well, the e-commerce venture didn’t work out, so I focused on driving my truck full-time. Over time, I began helping newer drivers get started and training them, and to this day, I’ve helped many people like myself become small business owners. But what I’m most proud of actually happens outside of my truck — I’m a motivational speaker and podcast host at @knowkaptv on YouTube. Every day, I give advice and encouragement to people, and that’s my real passion.
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but there’s not much in life I haven’t experienced. If I can share how I handled certain challenges, at least it gives others something to compare and contrast with their own journeys. What sets me apart is simple: I don’t quit. I keep going until I figure it out — and that persistence is the quality that defines me most.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t quit! Set your mind on your goal and go after it with everything you’ve got. Nothing worth having comes easy. Life is hard, and some days it will feel almost impossible to keep going—but remember, going backwards is even harder. Choose your hard.
You’re already closer to your dreams than you are to your starting point. Protect your money, build your relationships, and always remember you are your brand. Network with everyone, but be intentional—not everyone is part of your network. Focus on the right people and nurture those connections, because your network is your net worth.
Pricing:
- Negotiate
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Siebtransportation.com
- Instagram: Selfinvested81
- Youtube: @iammanisfestation
