ABOUT

Thank you for taking the time to come to this section. This is my story. My name is Michael Macedo & I am an entrepreneur.

I was raised in northeast Houston, Texas by my parents who both immigrated to the United States illegally. Growing up, we didn't have much but, my parents did the best they could to raise my two brothers and I.

I started working at a young age to help ease some of the stress off my parents. I had jobs as a grocery store bagger, cashier, and customer service rep. But, I knew early on that these type of jobs weren't for me. I felt confined in those roles & I didn't enjoy any of them. I realized that I needed the freedom to be able to support myself while doing something I liked. And, entrepreneurship provided me that.

I was 13 years old when I worked on my first car. At 16, someone paid me to work on their car for the first time. I was amazed that I could make money by doing something I thought was fun. So, I continued to develop my automotive skills & took on whatever jobs I could get. By 19, I became confident in my abilities & the quality of work I produced. That's when I got serious & decided to focus on my automotive collision repair business.

I dropped out of college & worked at the shop 7 days a week, usually 14 hour days. My time was spent juggling through multiple responsibilities, from repairing vehicles to managing the operations of the shop & growing the business. There was plenty of times when I struggled. I made mistakes along the way. But, I learned from them & kept going.

For 2 and a half years, I worked solely on the shop. Business was doing good but, I saw a plateau coming in the future. I realized that the growth of the shop would limited by my knowledge level. So, I decided to go back to school to further my education.

I returned to the University of Houston with the purposed of getting a business degree. I went to school full time, while still working 50+ hours a week at the shop. It was a challenge but, somehow I managed do both. I ended up graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in Marketing, minoring in Management, and with a certification of Entrepreneurship.

In 2011, I developed some health issues. After numerous exams & countless doctor visits, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, a connective tissue disease, Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Basically, instead of protecting me, my immune system spends its time attacking itself. This causes me to be fatigued, have pain in my joints & not be able to sleep well. Nowadays, I don't remember what it feels like to be pain free or what a good night's rest is anymore.

Because of my health, I've had to adapt my life. Doing automotive repair is no longer a viable option because that work is physically harder for me to do. I'll still take on an automotive job every once in a while though. Now, I spend a lot of time doing multimedia work. I've taught myself photography, videography, graphic & web design. I also manage two music artist who are preparing to release new albums. Both of their music will be released under a new brand that I will launch soon.

Creating & helping others is what motivates me. I believe that comes from the fact that I grew up poor. When you have nothing, you find ways to make things happen & you learn what really matters in life. My goal is to start a non-profit organization that helps underprivileged teens & young adults by teaching them how they can be successful, no matter their situation. I plan to provide mentorship, along with opportunities, to help them establish & advance their lives. In the mean time, I live everyday of my life doing whatever it takes to make my dreams a reality.

- Michael Macedo

HIGHLIGHTS

  • 14+ years of Entrepreneurship experience in various different industries
  • Graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Business Administration - Majored in Marketing, Minored in Management, with a Certificate of Corporate Entrepreneurship
  • Skilled in Marketing, Management, Business Development, Photography, Video Production, Web Design, Graphic Design, Audio Production