From Dean's List to Getting Shot to Building a Platform in 67 Days
This is the real story of how Biz50StartUp was born - no venture capital, no fancy investors, just a veteran with formal business education who built it in under 30 days while at Annual Training.
2015: The Year Everything Changed
Blair was on top of the world. Dean's List at National College studying Business Management.
He wasn't just studying business - he was LIVING it:
- Two full-time jobs: Target warehouse and DHL simultaneously
- eBay business: Just launched, learning e-commerce
- Campus employment: Welcome desk/security/administration associate
- Professional extern: Maintained websites and supported meetings for the African American Association for Doctors and Nurses
- CMO role: Building MyCincyLife with business partner and military coworker
This wasn't someone coasting through college. This was someone BUILDING an empire while getting formal business education.
And then everything came crashing down...
October 2015: The Day Everything Changed
The day before I was shot, I was sent home from work. I spent the day doing what I always did - homework for my Business Management degree, working on my online clothing brand relaunch, watching my newborn daughter.
When my child's mother returned home and got settled, I stepped out to the store. A simple errand. A normal day.
Upon returning, I was shot.
Not in combat. Not overseas where I'd served for 18 years. Right here in America. In my own hometown. While serving my community.
That was the day my life changed forever.
The physical wounds healed. The financial devastation? That took years. Medical bills piled up. I had 4 daughters to feed. The military pension helped, but it wasn't enough. College had to be put on hold. All those jobs? Gone. I had to figure something out.
And that was just the beginning. From 2014 to 2021, I lost family members every single month - including my son. Then in 2021, I lost my sister. My biggest loss.
2016-2018: Recovery & Planning
Over-the-road box truck driving became more than a job - it was healing and a period of deep reflection.
Mile after mile, state after state, I healed. Mentally. Physically. Spiritually. The open road gave me time to think, to process, to rebuild who I was after everything fell apart.
This wasn't just about making money - though I needed that desperately with 4 daughters to support. This was about finding myself again and discovering my true purpose.
2018: Kuwait Deployment & The 20-Year Plan
Deployed overseas with the Ohio Army National Guard. This experience was profoundly eye-opening. I saw the world through my own eyes - not filtered by others' perspectives or social media. This first-person experience was critical.
That's when I meticulously started planning the next 20 years of my life. I defined what I wanted to build, who I wanted to become, and the legacy I wanted to leave for my daughters. Biz50StartUp's seed was planted here.
2016-2022: Nearly 100,000 Services Delivered
While grieving monthly losses and raising 4 daughters, I built multiple revenue streams - whatever it took to survive.
2016: BT Logistics
Over-the-road box truck driver across 35 states. Taught a soon-to-be medical retired NFL player the industry while being mentored by a 20+ year trucking expert. On days off? Ran Amazon van and box truck deliveries - ~80,000 deliveries.
2018: Kuwait Deployment
Deployed with the Ohio Army National Guard. Still serving while everything else fell apart at home.
2019-2022: Uber - The Classroom on Wheels
Started October 2019. Delivered ~6,000 orders. Made $35k (2019), $45k (2020), $55k (2021). Then switched to passenger rides in 2022 and made $92k driving 83,000 miles in one year.
But here's what the numbers don't show: 10,282 rides became my MBA.
After being shot and sent home from work, I was at home with my newborn daughter, doing homework for my Business Management degree, and relaunching my online clothing brand. I needed income. So I drove.
Every few rides, someone would connect with me - real energy, real vibes. I would somehow always bring up business and being shot. I'd tell them: "Life can be hard, but you have to keep going. I'm building a business and I love teaching it. I'm no professional, but I've been involved with business people since I was 13, so I know the basics and foundational steps to create a sustainable and successful business."
Those 10,282 conversations? That was my practice. Uber riders kept asking why I hadn't shared my story. I used those rides as preparation for what I'm doing now.
2022: The Transmission Failed
After making $92k in one year, the car transmission died. Couldn't drive for Uber anymore. Time to pivot again.
January 2023: Building My Own Business
When the transmission died and I couldn't drive for Uber anymore, I didn't give up. I pivoted.
460+ clients served through Angi Services - 360 via the Angi platform plus 100 direct clients. Real businesses: barbershops, salons, homeowners. Real services: roofing repairs, electrical work, lighting installations, general handyman work.
Every client taught me something about running a business: pricing, customer service, marketing, operations. I wasn't just reading about entrepreneurship in books - I was living it while raising 4 daughters and serving in the National Guard.
This hands-on experience showed me exactly what small business owners need to succeed. And that's what Biz50StartUp was built to deliver.
August 5, 2025: Built in Under 30 Days
67 days ago, I started building Biz50StartUp. Not over months or years - in under 30 days.
I built the entire platform foundation while at Annual Training with the Ohio Army National Guard. Between drills and duties, I was coding, designing, planning. Every spare moment went into this vision.
Every dollar that built Biz50StartUp came from:
- Angi Services revenue - 460+ clients, real business income from real work
- National Guard drilling pay - Still serving while building this dream
- Every spare dollar - No fancy office. No expensive tools. Just sweat and determination.
I built this platform the same way my Angi Services clients were trying to build their businesses: one dollar at a time, working every hour I could, refusing to give up.
September-October 2025: Crisis Launch
I came home from Annual Training to a perfect storm of challenges that forced me to launch NOW.
Car accident. Transportation issues cutting into Uber income.
Newborn baby. My 4th daughter arrived, requiring attention and resources.
Lost consistent Uber earnings. The income stream I'd relied on was disrupted.
So here I am, launching on October 11, 2025 - exactly 10 years after being shot.
Not because conditions are perfect. Because they never are. Because I learned that waiting for "the right time" is just another form of giving up.
Why Biz50StartUp is Different
This platform wasn't built by Silicon Valley tech bros or corporate lawyers in suits.
It was built by someone who:
- Knows what it's like to start with nothing - Shot, grieving monthly family losses for 7 years, transmission failed
- Understands working-class hustle - Nearly 100,000 deliveries, rides, and services. I get it.
- Runs an actual business - 460+ Angi Services clients. I live what I teach.
- Built this while raising 4 kids - Including a newborn during launch. Family comes first, business comes second.
- Served 18 years - Completed Ohio Army National Guard service May 12, 2026
- Built it in under 30 days - During Annual Training. While Silicon Valley takes years.
If a shot veteran with 4 kids, monthly grief for 7 years, can build a service business with 460+ clients AND create this platform in 67 days - YOU CAN BUILD YOUR BUSINESS TOO.
Want the FULL Story?
This is just the summary. The complete 10-year journey - unfiltered and told directly by me - is on the Biz50StartUp YouTube channel.
Why YouTube?
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Ready to Write YOUR Success Story?
You don't need perfect conditions. You don't need fancy connections. You just need to start. Let me help you the way I wish someone had helped me.
"I'm not here to get rich. I'm here to help people like me - veterans, working-class families, anyone who's been told they can't make it - prove the doubters wrong. I built this in 67 days while my back was against the wall. Let's build something together."
- B. Roland Sharp, Founder
U.S. Army Veteran (18 years, completed May 12, 2026) | Father of 4 | Nearly 100K Services Delivered | 460+ Angi Clients | Honorably Discharged May 12, 2026
Biz50StartUp: Founded August 5, 2025 | Built in <30 Days During Annual Training | Launched October 11, 2025