Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio T. Smith, Jr.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story begins as a six-year-old kid abandoned by drug-addicted parents. After running away from temporary foster homes, I settled in a city dumpster outside of what used to be called the Golden Globe building in Galveston, TX. At six, I found pain in this trash can, loneliness in this trash can, abuse, sadness intense hunger and the overwhelming feeling that everyone forgot about me was also found in this trash can. Yet, I got out that trash can. I remember one night looking up at the stars as the top of the trash can was up as it was a hot summer night and my eye catches this blinking star and then I realized that star was actually a plane. I can remember thinking it would be so much better if I was on that plane. I wouldn’t have to be here hot, sweaty and forgotten. It intrigues me to understand that I eventually left the trash can that kept me trapped for most of my childhood because somewhere around eight or nine years old I put my mind on that airplane. I’m here to tell you, the body will always follow the mind. In my adult life, I read a story by Spencer Johnson called “Peaks and Valleys” about a kid stuck in a valley.
At first, he loved his valley. His valley was safe protection for him, but eventually, the valley felt more like a prison. As he looked up from his valley, he saw a mountain top and decided within himself that the valley no longer served him. So one day he begins to climb that mountain. The path was rough, the journey broke his body, but he made it to the top. Today, I teach people, just like my trash can and just like this kid’s valley, if you put your mind in a location far greater than where you are now, by scientific default the body must follow. I put myself through school. Since I was homeless, I was arrested for being a homeless kid I was rapped and molested because homeless kids find themselves in predator situations. Yet, I always knew my situation was never my destination.
As soon as I was old enough, I became a military intelligence sergeant for the United States Army. It was in the army as an Intelligence Analyst that I would learn the business skills that I use today. It was in the trash can that I learned the survival skills that make me prosperous today. In the army, I learned how to do presentations on enemy movements and possible avenues of attack that the enemy would use to attack the prosperity of America. It was my job to inform the Colonel how to keep his unit and his country in prosperity from the attack of the enemy. I do this very same thing today. I just do this for Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and entrepreneurs. It wasn’t until 2012 while interning for Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church that I realized I could use my military training to help out major organizations. Lakewood had three ministries within their church that were not operating to its church standards. When this was brought up in a meeting I was attending, I told the top leadership at Lakewood Church I could fix the problem as I had remembered doing the same thing for the United States Army.
As promised, I fixed those problems and created a ministry inside of Lakewood Church that still exists today and during a celebration meeting for my accomplishments, I realized right then and there I could see things within troubled organizations and see solutions that no one else could. It is amazing to think about how I helped so many businesses today because I first helped Lakewood Church raise the standards of its ministries to the vision of Pastor Joel Osteen. That’s how I got my start. I took the pain from my childhood and my experience from being military intelligence and created a multi-million dollar business with it.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There is nothing about a success that is smooth and to add to that, there is nothing about millions that will ever be smooth. For starters, success also means terrible conditions. This is something most people don’t understand and this is also something that most people refuse to accept. In order to have success, one must also have terrible conditions, confront them, surround them, and prevail against them. This is the very meaning of success. Success is to overcome terrible conditions, it is to overcome break downs and shortcomings and it is to overcome what most people call failure. To have success is to also have terrible conditions. You need the terrible conditions in order to be successful. In the same manner, you need obstacles in order to be a leader. One can not exist without the other. Likewise, money is just energy. In order to get millions of money, you must exert millions in energy. If you ever see a millionaire, immediately accept two things. First, that millionaire has served over a million people. Secondly, that millionaire has exerted enough energy to attract a million dollars. I would love to tell you this was easy for me but it wasn’t. I lost friends and family members didn’t agree with my journey so they became enemies. I lost the ability to pay my bills on time and a few times I lost my mind. I once heard that the army wife is the hardest job in the world. I agree with that. I also agree that the CEO position is the loneliest job in the world. Most people have been programmed by society to conform to security, but security is an illusion. The only real security one could ever achieve in a capitalist society is massive wealth. Only then can one find true freedom when they don’t have to worry about freedom at all.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The ATS Jr. Companies story. Tell us more about it.
On the surface, The ATS Jr. Companies, a top personal development, and training company, offers people from small business owners, to managers, to entrepreneurs, to stay-at-home moms, and college students reliable, high-quality resources through coaching, motivational speaking, and free and paid resources. The company mission is to help clients develop the strategy, motivation, and accountability required to succeed in their business and personal lives. We provide personal development and training through one-on-one coaching services, group coaching services, personal and development and empowerment course, seminars, conferences, mindset calls, books and more. We aim to teach people how to plant better seeds into their lives in order to reap better harvests.
All of this is a great summary of what my company does, but it doesn’t capture the full picture, only the big picture. We create opportunities for people to explore their annual revenues no matter where they are. From sales funnels to marketing, we are a one-stop shop for big and small businesses and new and seasoned businessmen and women. My client roster includes several million dollar companies while we have worked with billion dollar companies in the past. At the heart of the company, we collect data just like Google, Facebook or Amazon. In the public eye, my company is powered by keynotes and conferences and anything that attracts attention. However, my company does so much more. We create million dollar business systems and educational programs and give away more business resources than anyone else on the planet.
I most know for two things. For starters, I am in the process of creating a division one college. That’s all I will say about that for now. most notably, I have created a platform that plugs the regular entrepreneur inside of a million business system and teaches them how to duplicate what I have created so they may be able to take it back home to their own companies. I currently have 54 employees on most continents of the world.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’d like to say that luck has played a major role in my business. I am just someone that habitually creates luck. Anyone can create their own luck. Here is how you can do so. First, get around lucky people. The first step to creating luck is to find yourself around people who are always getting lucky, as luck does not frequent locations most people frequent. For example, luck does not visit the casino often, nor does it visit drama filled people and drama filled situations. Luck does not visit a bad marriage, nor does luck visit an unhealthy diet. Luck frequently finds people that work on their craft every single day. Luck is absolutely infatuated with servant leaders. Where ever you find someone willing to put others before themselves, you will find luck. Luck is mostly found around happy people that are living in their purpose.
If you can find your way to total happiness as 99% happiness is not enough, luck will find you. Just as luck has found me. For instance, I should’ve died during my childhood but somehow through massive poverty and intense hunger, I remained happy. So, luck always made gangsters and street dwellers protect me instead of taking advantage of me. Luck found its way to my ASVAB score for the United States Military. I scored 76. That score was high enough to qualify me for military intelligence which ultimately led me to who I am today. Luck also made me work for some of the worst leaders the military could find and immediately made me realize, don’t be like them and working for people was not something I enjoyed to do. Luck then lead me to Joel Osteen, where Pastor Joel Osteen single handly launched my career. Luck led me to my business partner, Tempestt, who has done more for my career than anybody. I wasn’t supposed to meet her and I’m sure she wanted to be off that day but luck had other plans. Luck led me to assemble one of the greatest teams on planet Earth. Luck is very useful and anyone can call forth “Lady Luck” when they need her most. IT is true, I did a lot of great things to make it here, but I most certainly didn’t make it on my own.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2915 Ave M 1/2
Galveston, TX 77550 - Website: www.antoniotsmithjr.com
- Phone: 2818167753
- Email: info@theatsjr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theatsjr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theatsjr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theatsjr
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniotsmithjr/
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