Hello Steemians

I grew up in a low income single parent household without any extended family. Schools labeled me "gifted" academically as a child (reading at a college level at 8 years old) but also "behaviorally challenged" due to an inability to sit still and be quiet in class. After-school, I'd "go to work" and the same traits that my teachers complained about were exactly what my customers raved about.

Entrepreneurship has been a beacon of light that sustained me in the darkest moments of my life. While my peers idolized athletes, musicians, and film stars; I followed the decisions of Richard Branson, Larry Ellison, Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, and the like. My ability to speak and inability to "sit still" have been vital to my growth as an entrepreneur and consultant.

I spent the first half of the past decade in media and the latter half bootstrapping and advising companies. Low resources have given me impetus to acquire dozens of skills to make things happen. I've also been deeply engaged in promoting social justice through education and entrepreneurship.

I believe in the power of startups to change the world and have dedicated my life to promoting economic development because I understand it's importance in creating safer, stronger, communities, and families. I currently reside on the Jersey Shore collecting data, creating courses, and developing applications that will open-source income as we move from a task-based to a talent-based economy.

10 years ago, while attending Rutgers University, I had an idea of starting a social media network that paid users. Unfortunately, this was pre-cloud, pre-monetization, pre-blockchain world. So to the computer science department my idea seemed "preschool". Everyone else just thought I need a "prescription". Though I may have been naive all of my assumptions were validated in coming years. AWS made it possible for people to launch, run, and scale programs without buying expensive servers. Facebook monetized at the "high" valuation of $54B and has grown over 700% since the IPO. Now, due to blockchain technology, it IS possible to pay users for creating, curating, and distributing content.

I've been a part of several experiments in this arena. The most successful of them pales in potential to what Steemit can be. The white paper is concise and I agree with it's insights. The network is growing and so is the value of Steem. People are earning and redeeming their Steem with ease. This is the big one guys.

Why am I so interested in being paid for social media? I see a coming crisis and I don't see any other way to overcome than to change from a task-based economy to a value-based economy. By 2020, 40% of the American workforce will be made up of "freelancers". Of all U.S. jobs created in the first quarter of 2016 80% pay minimum wage. Furthermore, robotics and (AI) could cut HALF THE WORLD's jobs in the next 30 years. Together these statistics, among others, paint a bleak picture of the future. One that our educational system, government, and economy are unprepared for. My goal is to fill this gap. by creating and promoting applications and initiatives that open source income in places that are barren of jobs or "legal" opportunities.

I want to create new economic paradigms in the most oppressed minds of the world. The systems of the world we live in are broken. These broken systems will either destroy the lives of the majority of human, or, humanity will turn it's back on these systems and march into the future. Who's with me?