They Said He Wouldn't Graduate, Now He's Building A Business!

“I realized if I died tomorrow I wouldn’t be leaving anything worthwhile behind. I didn’t have any dreams or goals.”

This young man’s name is Koala, and he’s telling us about his new business. He tips his fedora low and waves his arms excitedly as he shares. The word “workaholic” is spread across the middle of his shirt.

“I was in special education as a kid. People honestly didn’t think I would graduate high school because I had some learning disabilities, but my school counselor really believed in me. She gave me a gift when I graduated, and I can’t tell you how good that felt.

The gift was a yearbook. At our school, a lot of people couldn’t afford one. It was a big deal to get one. Such a great gift, ya know? My friends were jealous. She told me she was proud of me, and I realized I could be toward others what my school counselor was toward me.

Fastforward to now, and Koala is building a business. He’s passionate. He’s savvy. He’s confident in his own ability to make money and be a blessing to his community. He explains:

“So basically I gather recyclables from any business or company that’s willing to hand them over to me. I let them know what the money is going to: charitable work in the community. Koala donates the profit from this work toward helping people without housing. He follows up and makes sure the money is going to the right places, then he lets the businesses know what they trash is accomplishing.

Once the recyclables are collected, we take them to the recycling center. Currently we have four businesses involved. On top of the good they’re doing, the businesses get a tax deductible receipt that gives them a small write-off, so it’s really a win-win.”

Koala has four businesses now giving him their recyclables, and he’s anticipating growth.

With his latest round of profit from the recycling work, Koala chose to give scholarships to several struggling students who had managed to graduate. He remembers how hard it was for him and how important that school counselor was, and as a young man fresh into the business world, he’s already eager to give back.

Follow him and learn more about his business here.