Isaiah Bey shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Isaiah, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Yes, actually. Sometimes I’ll have moments where I just smile to myself and realize, I’m still standing. This not only gives me a sense of gratitude, but grace. My therapist tells me all the time, “There’s plenty of people who grew up in the same circumstances as you and your siblings who are dead or in jail… and you’re still here”. So if you knew my story, you’d be proud too.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Isaiah Bey and I am the founder of A New Dream, LLC. A New Dream is a brand, lifestyle, and movement that focuses on a message I feel the world needs more clarity on – freedom. Currently, we have a retail side that focuses on clothing, and soon we have the intention on expanding towards a 5013c that provides entrepreneurs a workspace and the tools needed to start or scale their businesses.
Born and raised in Louisville, KY, I boxed most of my teenage years, but due to constant instabilities at home, I found myself in and out of the gym. From my siblings and I having to step up at a young age to help maintain the household, being kicked out, experiencing homelessness, and even facing minor legal issues, it was hard to focus on where my passion lied.
Despite my love and talent for boxing, it was instilled in me early that I was more than “just an athlete”. This is what sparked my entrepreneurial drive. Throughout the years I’ve tried multiple things until I landed on A New Dream. Between all my ventures, nothing has felt more aligned. Within three years, I’m proud to say we’ve been able to collaborate with Nike, Hibbett, and City Gear, make a true impact within the Louisville community, and expand to an even bigger city, Houston, TX.
This brand started during a transitional phase in my life. I was finding who I was and what I wanted to do. I knew I needed something tangible to attach to the message because A New Dream existed before the clothes ever did.
We represent the ones that won’t settle for whats common, those with an itch because they know deep down inside, something isn’t right with the way we’ve been programmed.
I want to encourage anybody following my journey: DON’T BE AFRAID TO QUESTION ANYTHING! Those same questions deserve answers, but you have to be bold enough to ask to get them.
I want to give a big thanks to the Most High for blessing me with another opportunity to share my story with you all. To Jade, Jeremiah, De’sha, Jojo, and to my Aunt Melody and her husband Tim—thank you for giving me the space to find my way in a new city.
The list could go on and on, but if you’ve ever supported me along this journey—thank you. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I feel like I found myself becoming exactly what the noise expected – just another statistic. When you grow up in a low income – environment, real guidance is rare, so you have babies raising babies. Survival mode becomes the norm, so you’re more focused on keeping food in your mouth than chasing your dreams. A strong support system is rare too, so you start looking for love, validation, and direction in all the wrong places.
With these being the circumstances, I found myself getting in a lot of trouble and learning the hardway. As I matured, I realized all the slick comments about me either being dead or in jail would become true if I didn’t change. But again, I’m grateful because all of my experiences made me who I am today. I just had to get burned to see if the stove was hot.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Adversity teaches you how to win big and remain humble. How could you ever win if you never lost or been through anything? The most successful people will tell you – “you learn more from your failures than your success.” The times that I’ve failed gave me the opportunity to go back and learn what went wrong. Once I understood this, I stopped taking my “losses” so personal.
Through the ups and downs, I’ve realized that the control I have compared to God’s is minuscule. The real test lies in your faith because God is all wise and all knowing. With this understanding you know just as he can give, he can take as well. So don’t become arrogant with your wins.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Speaking on my behalf, you cannot do it alone. No matter how good it sounds, or how smart you are, you need a team! This has been one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned. I’m so used to doing everything with little to no help that I saw myself having this mindset until I reached my ceiling.
Imagine driving sales, being the accountant, the marketer, counting inventory, back to back meetings, etc, etc. All of that will drive you insane. Granted we all have to start somewhere, but the moment I started delegating and created a team, I saw myself making more money easier.
You can also have it all one day, then loose it all the very next. I can admit to being arrogant and feeling untouchable. Those are the moments where God will step in and take what he gave.
As I rebuild and learn from my past, I would say these are the things I’ve been most wrong about.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
With me being so young, and only just scratching the surface with my experiences, its hard for me to look that far ahead. When I’m dead and gone though, I want people to tell a story of impact. If somebody were to come across my journey, I would want them to see a relentless pursuit to truth.
Tell them how I did it scared, I did it not knowing, and how I did it on faith. Show them how I started from the very bottom and ended up on top. Tell them how curious I was and how many questions I asked until I understood!
I say this because growing up, everything that I’m listing was frowned upon. But as I got older, I realized that this is what separated me from the rest.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://anewdream.shop
- Instagram: Personal: https://www.instagram.com/kalu.bey/?hl=en | Business: https://www.instagram.com/anewdream.co/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ishiah.mckissick/
Image Credits
Heart and Hustle Productions, Alexander Diego, Joel Evans, Kayla Jackson
