Turning 32 on January 20, 2020 on MLK day has significant meaning for Ernest Fields. Born near Los Angeles, called the “City of Dreams”, lives in Memphis where Dr. Martin Luther King is known for his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech was killed is using the hidden messages to help others ‘grind” towards their “dreams”.
“In order to be a millionaire, you have to grind like one”. Although he had pennies on a dollar, this has been the philosophy of Ernest and has guided him to where he is today. As a young boy, Ernest loved music and basketball. He had mad skills on the court but had to learn the plays from memory because of his hearing impairment in both ears. Hearing only 30% of what the average person hears. His impairment did not stop him from being inducted into the Arlington Middle School Hall of Fame and went on to win 2 championships at Austin Peay and won player of the game in the NCAA tournament.
In 2011, as a young black man, Ernest took inventory of his life. Dead broke, living at home with mom and watching on TV that some of his college basketball teammates went on to sign with NBA teams. All the while, thinking, “how did I end up here”? To make ends meet, Ernest took pictures and shot videos at $25 and $50 a pop just to be able to fill his tank of the Ford Expedition he was driving. One particular day, Ernest was looking for loose change on the floor to cash in at Kroger. A full tank cost $97.00. While searching for coins, Tyler Perry was on TV sharing his story of how he was homeless at 26 years old and now one of the richest black men of today. Ernest thought “that was a squiggly line and he didn’t understand that play on the board”. Ernest's basketball coach taught him that if you can’t understand the squiggly lines that represent the plays, then you have to break it down and rebuild it to where you can understand it. And that is what Ernest did, he followed Tyler on Twitter, watched his documentaries and YouTube videos. As he broke Tyler’s life down from the day he was born, he saw that they had some similarities. He said Tyler was homeless not because he was broke and struggling but believed in something that was so great that wasn’t familiar to the people around him. Finally, something Ernest could relate to that inspired him. Tyler became Ernest’s first GPS. To become like that, you have to grind like that. Watching others who have ‘made it”, Ernest became fascinated with the idea of looking at the big picture, breaking it down, and rebuilding it.
A broke recording artist Ernest turned down a record deal in 2010 because the record label didn’t want to sign others that were working along with him. Jay- Z, another play in the game that he had to break down and rebuild was also a recording artist who got his start from the hood Marcy Projects and went on to co-own an NBA team, start a fashion company, and more. Ernest grew up in Chapel Hill that reminded him of the same struggles as Jay-Z. Now Ernest is following GPS number 2.
Trying to make it happen, Ernest took pictures at night, edited them the next morning, at a show to record the same afternoon, then on to perform later that night. Although he was broke, people saw him trying to make it happen and was asking how he was doing all that. His only answer was, “I’m on my millionaire grind”. Still broke but believing, Ernest started using that as a hashtag. He noticed others are using #millionairegrind as a hashtag at the end of their posts and stories. The first thing Ernest thought was that people were using the hashtag he started but wasn’t garnering any results from that, so he decided that people were going to pay him $20 for this hashtag by putting it on a T-shirt.
Ernest saved up enough money to purchase 50 t-shirts and they sold out immediately. He purchased another batch and continued to sell out. Someone told Ernest that he reminded him of Daymond John. Even though he wore FUBU when he was younger, he didn’t have a clue to who Daymond was at the time. Ernest continued to sell the t-shirts and more people kept telling him that he reminded them of Daymond John. Curious about John, Ernest found out that Daymond started out in his mother’s garage just as he did. The 3rd GPS had emerged.
Taking it all into perspective, Ernest had several GPS’ that he could follow and whichever route he chose, he knew he would arrive at the destination of success. Ernest took notice of the difference between himself versus the people around him. He was an individual that wasn’t following his immediate circle but people who were already successful.
Ernest remembered watching an interview and hearing these words, “if you ever want to start a business, listen to what people are complaining about”. Basically, equates to problem-solving. Before he could solve anyone else’s problem, Ernest had a problem he needed solving. His t-shirts were being printed by a local print shop, but the turnaround time was 10 business days for printing and fulfilling his orders. Ernest went to YouTube to learn screen-printing.
Having created a brand, Ernest was on his way to launching his t-shirt company. He believed in his vision so much he started asking for investors and he was turned down at every turn. Initially, no one believed in the vision, but he was not discouraged because he had the GPS of Tyler Perry. A friend wanted to invest but Ernest felt the energy wasn’t right for the investment but shared his vision of wanting to have his machine print his shirts and then start helping others to start their t-shirt company. A few weeks later “the friend” opened his own print shop and all of the ideas that Ernest shared were sitting before him from a competitor.
“The friend” called Ernest one day to tell him that someone in his complex was selling an embroidery machine. Ernest was very interested, but he only had $9 in his pocket and the machine cost $175.00. Ernest went to Facebook to sell some shirts and made just enough money in one day for the purchase. However, he didn’t have a truck to haul the machine. He called the seller and asked if he knew someone with a truck, and he said yes but there’s a charge of $50.00. Ernest went to Facebook again to sell a few more shirts. From the sale of t-shirts, Ernest was able to purchase the embroidery machine, a t-shirt dryer along with the delivery fee.
Conversing with the seller, Ernest found out that the embroidery machine was purchased in 1988. The machine was older and had years of wear and tear, but Ernest being born in 1988 saw that as a sign.
November 2011, the printer was delivered from Southaven MS to his mom’s garage, Ernest started cleaning the machine with water to remove the sticky residue, but the water only made it tougher because he didn’t know about the chemicals of the residue. After getting it cleaned and posting a picture on Facebook, not seeing a t-shirt printer before, people asked Ernest what kind of robot he had. Ernest commented that it was a t-shirt printer and he was available to print orders for the public. Ernest went to work learning the ins and outs of using his machine. Using only one-half of the garage for the printer, the paint was stored in the corner near the garage door. Right when Ernest begins to work his 1st order of $750, it started snowing. Outside with 2 coats on and a pair of gloves, the paint is frozen! Contacting his customer Ernest informed him that his paint had frozen and wasn’t sure what the outcome would be and assured him that he would still deliver his order on time. Ernest took the paint and attempted to thaw it out in the microwave. Needless to say, the first order was done.
At this rate, working in the garage, Ernest prayed to God and asked for 4 years to prepare to get his own location. The move took only 4 months! At 22 years old, Ernest learned at that moment, you can’t plan your own life and that everything is in God’s timing. He got a plug that the Hickory Ridge Mall had space for $500 which he couldn’t afford at the time. Walking in faith, Ernest went to speak with the mall manager to see how long the space would be available. With 3 months' leeway, Ernest was able to save up the money to get his first location.
Key in hand, lease signed. Getting ready to leave for the day, the gas hand is on empty, with no money for gas. Ernest resorts to Facebook to sell some shirts. One customer, in particular, purchased a shirt, who lived directly across the street from the mall. Ernest was able to make the sale, deliver the shirt, and put gas in his vehicle to fight another day.
The first 3 months of the lease, Ernest worked in the back of the space, because he couldn’t afford the light bulb that was needed for the front section. Nor could he afford the signage that displayed his business name. Finally, able to afford light bulbs, his store was ready to function as a full t-shirt print screen company. As the business is growing, customers are now asking can they have their shirts designed, printed, and sold in his shop. This starts the next phase of Millionaire Grind. Ernest purchased the space next door to showcase and sell apparel for other t-shirt brands. As Ernest contacted the other brands, the interest was not there. Discouraged momentarily, Ernest asked himself, what is the issue? The majority of the other brands didn’t have the upfront capital to purchase their inventory to be printed. Finding a solution to the problem, Ernest purchased the first 50 shirts for 8 different brands to help them get started. Millionaire Grind had a store full of other shirts that were not selling. Purchasing and printing is only the first half of the process. The second half was promotion and marketing. None of the brand owners pushed traffic to the store where their shirts were being sold which led to Ernest having dead inventory on the shelves.
Preparing to open the 2nd store on April 23, 2017, with heavy inventory, Ernest was robbed Sunday, the 22nd. The front gate is down, and Ernest is in the back of the shop teaching an apprentice how to print t-shirts. As he walked in the front, he noticed his shelves were rather empty and he thought someone was playing a joke. Looking around, all the inventory that was just purchased is gone and the gate that was down is now slightly up. Contacting the mall security as a procedure, just to find out there was nothing they could do. He was informed that the inside security cameras didn’t work so there was no footage of the theft. As he waited for the police to file a report, Ernest sees 2 guys walking in the mall with his apparel on. Ernest questioned one of the guys and asked, “where did you get that shirt from”? The young man replied that he just purchased it from a gas station nearby for $10. Thinking carefully about what to do next, Ernest decided to wait for the police to escort him to the gas station. Upon arrival, no one was there selling the shirts. $6,200 worth of inventory gone!
Initially, he didn’t want the publicity that came with the theft, but always being the underdog made him find the strength to keep going he decided to post the incident on social media. The post went viral and a local news station wanted to know more of the story. With no leads, no cooperation with the mall, Ernest was stuck. Couldn’t afford to go anywhere else, he had to stay and create an exit strategy.
Being one of the few stores left, producing much of the traffic in the mall, paying 3 times more than some of the other tenants, and having a 7:00 pm curfew, it was time to go. Letting God order his steps, there was available space next door to the warehouse that he purchases his inventory from.
Ernest says he always tries to find the lesson from the pain. Reflecting on his time at the Hickory Ridge Mall, he felt that God used him in an “incubator stage” in people’s lives that he encountered. Always trying to find a solution that plagues many start-up entrepreneurs such as resources and capital.
Constantly driven by purpose Ernest felt he was the “light bulb” in a dark place for others. He remembered that the mall was dark, solemn, even scary at times. His store was at the back of the mall but had enough light that no matter how dark it was, customers gravitated to his store.
“There are some storms I made it through that had God started me at the surface, I would have folded, but if he sends me under, I could stand a stronger storm because I’m deeply rooted,” says Ernest.
Understanding his purpose clearly, although, in a new location, Ernest continues to find solutions to help entrepreneurs by offering 15 different services. Under The Millionaire Grind umbrella, there are 4 platforms: a clothing brand, a podcast network, an affiliate program, and a university.
Along his journey, no one has ever asked, WHAT is The Millionaire Grind? “To people, they think it’s money when they see the word millionaire. To me, a millionaire represents the ‘ultimate goal’. Most people say they want to be a millionaire but in reality, we don’t work for money but what we can do with the money. Grind represents going against the grain to reach that goal. Any time you are grinding against something, you are going against the grain” explains Ernest.
Many may think that The Millionaire Grind is just a t-shirt company/brand. But it is more than just a brand, it’s a lifestyle. “Keep grinding, you’re almost there” ~ Ernest Fields
