Latest / Glovisor Podcast / Ep. 23: From Prison to Purpose: How to Stop Being Forgotten in Business and Life
Transcript
- Joe Abreu - Glovisor: What if the very thing that nearly destroyed your life became the fuel that built your purpose? Today's guest went from trauma, addiction, self-doubt, survival mode to building a company designed to help people be seen, remembered, and trusted. Welcome to Glovisor Podcast, where we explore leadership, communication, business growth, and personal development through real conversations with people who have transformed adversity into impact. Today we're joined by the founder of VbizMe, a video first mu. Today we're joined by the founder of VbizMe, a video first virtual business card platform helping entrepreneurs stop being forgotten. His journey is powerful because it's not just about technology or entrepreneurship, it's about rebuilding a life from inside out. Through faith, therapy, discipline, psychology, sales, and personal growth, he transformed pain into purpose and created a platform centered around connection, trust, and human attention. Today we're talking about second chances, founder led sal today. We're talking about second chances, founder led sales, resilience, storytelling, first impressions, and how business owners can stand out in a world where attention is now one of the most valuable currencies. Glovisor welcomes Michelangelo Casanova. Michaelangelo Casanova: Thank you. Thanks for having me on the show. I appreciate you, Joe. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Pleasure. I'm looking forward to the conversation. All right. So first question for people hearing your story for the very first time, who is Michelangelo Casanova today? Michaelangelo Casanova: As am I. Well, the first thing you should know about me is that I've been to hell and back twice, right? One by no fault of my own, the other one self-inflicted, right? So I'm a father, an entrepreneur, a founder, a speaker, and someone who believes deeply in transformation. I am the founder of VBizMe a video first virtual business card platform designed to help people be seen, remembered, and taken seriously in a world where attention disappears in seconds. I came from a place where most wouldn't survive, and if they did, would be devastated for life. A place where physical, emotional, and mental pain, trauma, addiction, and bad decisions all led to self-doubt and if ultimately loathing. For a long time I believed the lies that were spoken over me. Today I no longer live by those lies. But more than business, I'm a man who continues to rebuild himself. I can't I came from a place where most Today I no longer live by those lies, but more than business, I'm a man who continues to rebuild himself. I came from a place where most wouldn't survive. If they did, they would be devastated for life. trauma, addiction, and bad decisions, and self doubt for a I came from a place where most wouldn't survive and if they did would be devastated for life. Most wouldn't survive, most of them wouldn't survive, and for a long time I believed the lies that were spoken over me. Today I no longer live by those lies, today I live with purpose. I want to help people understand that where you started does not have to decide where you finish. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Well, that sounds like a lot. So that really now brings up the question, who the hell were you before this? Michaelangelo Casanova: Yeah. I was a wounded kid who grew up grew into a wounded man. You know, as a young kid, I had a stepfather that severely abused my brothers and I. You know, not only was it physical, it was emotional, it was verbal, it was mental. So I wasn't raised with encouragement. I was programmed with destruction. I was told I'd never be anything. I was stupid. I was worthless. And nobody would ever love me, right? So and that I wouldn't amount to anything. And these things, when you hear it from an adult, they really, really hurt. No, and you carry these things like a program. So they carried me into things like not being able to maintain a job, addiction, drugs, anger, choices and self-destruction. I'm super intelligent, right? I have 127 IQ. I think that's smart because I was told that was stupid. But and I'm not a bad person trying to do good. I just lived this program that was inculcated into me since I was three years old. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Well, that's amazing. So what what I do love about this conversation is that you're you're so self-aware, number one, you're so open to talk about your past and and and all of these challenges that happened in your life. Most people want to just, you know, keep that quiet, never talk about it ever, ⁓ again. But at what point did you realize in your life that At what point did you realize your life did not have to stay defined by those experiences? Michaelangelo Casanova: So I have to be honest with you, it wasn't there wasn't aha moment, right? You know, because I've because I've had a bunch of those. It wasn't like aha I'm done and ⁓ this is what I have to do. You know, I've had a lot of those with no results. But I just I just got sick and tired of being sick and tired. You know, I must have just at some point, because I can't recall exactly where. But I think and go into that a little bit further, but it wasn't a magical moment by any means, right? And I didn't change overnight. It's been a long, drawn out journey. I read over 235 books in the areas of psychology, sociology, motivational, inspirational, ⁓ philosophy, Bible, Quran, Bhadva Gita, all these things. I just try to figure out what was wrong with me. Why? Why did I make all these mistakes? Why did this was my life just the same thing over and over? Just pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain. And you know, I had to separate. what was done to me from who I actually was. And that was powerful because once I realized the lies, you know, and they were all lies what this person told to me, I could I could start building a foundation on truth. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: What what would you say was the hardest part of rebuilding yourself emotionally and mentally? Michaelangelo Casanova: Like I stated earlier, you know, you come to the real realization that what's going on is that I live a program, right? So Aristotle and the Jesuits, they have a saying, Give me a child to the age of seven, and I will show you the foundation of man. So in other words, if you're given if they give a child, they give him love, they give him happiness, they give him peace, they they they give him the ability to speak his mind and to talk and and you're respected and nurtured, then yeah, the likelihood of you coming out to be a bad person. is not very very high, right? But when with then you take my what happened to me, then well and people will tell you, hey, you're a great person. Hey, you have a great ability. Why don't you become a salesperson? But you can never ever ever see that until you you can never believe that until you see it. It doesn't exist, right? So I always had to fight the voice that's like you're not enough. The you know I was always had these self defeating self-defeating words that would be in my head when I was doing really, really well and just, you know, and just I just just, I couldn't get out of my own head because these things, anytime I did something good, I would have a self-defeating behavior. So it was just, it was horrible. And this is a program like like Apple and Microsoft would have right in their program. You can't, they nothing happens. That those programs don't deviate from the norm by any means unless they a virus. Right? So I had to rebuild myself. And rebuilding myself meant I had to unlearn survival. I had to learn how to trust. I had to learn how to feel without running. And ultimately I had to learn how to forgive myself without making excuses for my mistakes. And that's not easy. That's war. But it's a war worth fighting. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Absolutely. Now you brought up sales. How did that become part of your healing journey? Michaelangelo Casanova: is everything to me. Sales was like was like my ⁓ peace, right? So sales became a part of my healing journey, but not in the way that I expected it to be, you know? And let me tell you how it started. One day, after another arrest, I was in the county jail. And I was in a single cell, and I was arguing with God, and I was just like, you know, why? Why if you ⁓ I was raised this way, if you know that I'm living a program, if you know that. This is what I was taught, and that I can't change. Why do you keep punishing me? And I was really like like in an argument with him. You know, I was like, and I was crying and I and I was overwhelmed. And I was just like, I'm like, you know, this guy beat me, told me I was nothing. How do I get out of this stuff? And it still chokes me up to this day, you know, when I talk about it. Man, I always think about taking my life, you know, just like, I'm done with this. I don't want to do this no more. And I guess you could say this was an aha moment, but it didn't really change, right? Much. It was just like, okay, so I had an answer. So At that very moment, at that very moment, I and I'm not even joking. I had a calming that came over to me and a voice said, Because you're gonna be the greatest salesman in the world. And that's not I know it sounds crazy, but that's what really happened. And what someone would tell me the story, because I'm you know, I someone would tell me the story, I'd be like, You're crazy, you're crazy. But it really happened to me. It really did. And then what happened was after that that that that that voice came, it showed me as a little boy, like when my stepfather would come through the door. And I would have to gauge him immediately, like, ⁓ my God, am I going to get beaten today or am I going to be okay? Right? And then then from there it went to when I used to sell cars and I had an uncanny ability to be able to read people. I could tell from their language, I could tell from the looks on their faces. I can tell their energy. And I'm very, very, very ultra sensitive. So I can I I can I can feel anything. I can feel anger, I can feel empathy, I can feel, I can feel happiness, but from other people. From other people. So that, that, that was really got me into sales. I was like, wow, you know, then I had no other choice. Where did that come from? Because you're gonna be the greatest salesman in the world. So then I went on a quest. I went on a quest. I started reading all kinds of books. When I went up to the big prison, I started reading all kinds of books and rant every to everybody you could think of. Robert Chaldini on influence. I just want to learn psychology. I went on this quest to figure out what was wrong with me. Why do I act like this? So people always talk psychology. You hear psychology. ⁓ you can change psychology. So I read every book on psychology. I ended up reading reading 235 books in 17 years. All in the areas of psychology, motivational, inspirational, all that. So when I got out, I said, okay, I'm gonna sell cars. I'm gonna sell cars. I know I can do it. I read these books, I can sell cars. And then, man, within three months, I was the number one salesman. It was that Sullivan, Sullivan in ⁓ in in ⁓ Torrington. You know what that is. So in Torrington. So I I became the number one salesperson in three months. Then I went to a better place, started selling Cadillacs, and then I got in trouble again. Right. So all this stuff I learned, I did, I did it there. But I'm gonna tell you another thing. When I moved to New York City, and this is other sales, I I I actually got a job in a New World Trade Center selling mortgages for for the for the ⁓ network capital. I was on the fifty-ninth floor, my desk was three desks from the window where the Statue of Liberty was. It was amazing. And and and so what happened is I created a pitch called pattern interrupt from all the psychology I read. And then I start I started increasing sales. And then they said, Hey, we love what you're doing. We want you to write your pitch down and give it to everybody in there. And the first month I increased increased sales by two hundred thousand dollars. The second month, two million. The third month, three million. They gave me ten thousand dollars in cash and put it on my desk and they said, Thank you. But you know what happened? You what happens? I got great communication skills. I I I was valuable, and then They they saw my record and it was like, Hey, listen, you can't we can't do this until you have a certain amount of years to clear. So I lost the job. And that put me into a spiral, you know. But sales gave me the proof that I was not broken and beyond repair. had value, I had a gift. So gotta go back to the drawing board and just strengthen it. what I did. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: So let's go back for a minute. So you you said you went to the big prison. How long were you in prison for? Michaelangelo Casanova: I w in total of my life thirteen years. Thirteen years. Yeah. Thirteen years. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Thirteen years. So that's where you read those two hundred books. Two hundred p yeah. Michaelangelo Casanova: Yeah, two hundred and thirty five. Well I re I read a lot now, so probably about two hundred and twenty. It's been a long, arduous journey, but I have to say it made me who I am today. And I feel like if I moved one thing at one one thing one piece of the puzzle out of there, I don't think I would be where I am right now. On my way to build a billion dollar corporation. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Yeah. Yeah. So now w when take us back to the day you heard the voice. Set the scene. were you falling asleep or you're just waking up or you're standing, sitting down, how did you how did you hear that voice? Because what what but the only reason I'm asking you is because a lot of us we hear voices sometimes or we think we have that internal voice sounds. Well, ⁓ do we know which one to listen to? Michaelangelo Casanova: I was up by the ⁓ So I was on my knees and I was praying and crying. was just I was crying. I w I was weeping, you know. And I was just playing it over to him, you know, why how how is this possible? I mean, you you created this, so what are you you're supposed to watch over me? Why is this happening? And then when that calm that that calming voice came over, I'm telling you it was unlike anything. And I've heard people say stuff like this, and I'm like, Yeah, whatever, you know, until it happened to me. And And then I was on my knees and then I d it was just calm. And then it showed me and it showed me more read more more scenes as a child. And it was just the whole point was is you're you have the uncanny ability to be able to read people. I gave you this gift to read people so you can be the best at what you do. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: But after that moment you still went and did thirteen years in prison. Michaelangelo Casanova: No. This yeah, well so this was that was like my third bid. My third bid in there. You know? So yeah, they were they were separate. They were separate, separ pieced out. Five years, six years. ⁓ Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Okay. Gotcha. So but but so after you heard the voice, did you go to prison after that? Michaelangelo Casanova: I think. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Okay. And how long were you there for that bit? Michaelangelo Casanova: No. Yeah, I did. I went one more I did one more I did for a year on a violation of a violation of parole. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: for here. Okay, so during that year did you that you heard this voice and you questioned yourself whether did you really hear the voice and ⁓ it really co ⁓ it really connect as to that's that was your purpose in your goal? Michaelangelo Casanova: So yeah. So when I came back in, I that I was that voice reminded me the whole entire time I was in there. Is this what you want to do? Is this what you want to do? And so I went back to reading. But you know, knowledge is power, but knowledge knowledge is nothing without action. Right? So if I I'm not acting on it, then it's just nothing. It's just weird words. So with that, that time, that was it. That was it. Two thousand seventeen I got out and I never ever looked back. I never looked back. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Interesting. now you said something powerful at some point. You had mentioned about being overlooked or forgotten sort of by by by people which family members and friends, but you became obsessed with helping others be seen and being remembered. Can you expand on that? Michaelangelo Casanova: Yeah, so right now I I talk with with prisoners, I talk with kids, right? So I you know, I I just want them to know that they can change and things can be better for them. You know what I mean? And but cause I grew up when I grew up I was invisible. The only time I wasn't invisible was I was getting beat. And when I tell you I was getting beaten by this man, he was punching me as a punching me in my torso area, with every blow I would piss my pants. So it's not like I'm talking I got smacked around a little bit. No, I was beaten, kicked, spit on. Told I would never be nothing, pulled by my ears till they ripped. I think that's why they're so big now. then, you know, and I can't hear nothing with them. But in my head, punched in my head. And this this this the the verbal started at the age of three. But then the the actual when he started beating us was like six years old. Six. And that went out until I was thirteen years old. You know, and then my my mother my mother found out and she ended up going into a mental institution. So my my story's for you. I'm writing a book now. It's almost done. But she went to a mental institution and we all went to foster care. So the story goes on and on and on, right? Of what happened. But but what's going on now is even better because every piece of that puzzle, every piece of my life is just one stepping stone to the next, to the next, to the next. right now I love it. I wake up happy, I smile, and it's just I want people to be seen because I've been to I've been through very, very, very hard and very ⁓ turbulent times and like no child should have to go through that. It's it's beyond me how a grown man could just think it was okay to do that. You know? So when I entered into business, I started noticing other people weren't able weren't being seen. I would go to networking and and they they would they would ⁓ They would just give their card, but they didn't know how to present themselves. So I offer up at the at these things, I offer up free business classes, like just understanding business, understanding sales, and just and teaching people how to talk and present themselves for for ⁓ it's called not second chances. I'm drawing a blank right now because I'm on the spot. But it'll I'll come up with it. But it's a pastor who also did time, he was also incarcerated, and we just go and talk. So yeah. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Sure. Okay. Michaelangelo Casanova: People, a lot of people, and these people who've been through this, man, that would they have that stigma. They've been in prison. Listen, I have a I have a IQ higher than most people. I'm very charismatic. I'm funny. I'm charming. And I never knew any of that. Any of that to like 10 years ago. You know what I mean? And now I hone it. I it gets better and better. I practice it. And, you know, with my business, we close at like 48%, which is awesome. And it's just because of the things, the things that that I do and things that I've been through and understanding that, you know. What happened to me as a child, it's it's was was great in order to get me and to propel me to where I am. To where I am. Because I have to tell you this. My youngest brother, he lives in a tent in the street, ⁓ strung out on drugs. You know, I go look for him, I bring him socks and t-shirts. I don't give him money, I'll bring him food and and it's and it's it's sad, you know. I pay for his phone to stay on so I know where he is, but it's just yeah, it's sad because he's he never got over it. He never he never got over it. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: It's a tough price to pay though to get here. ⁓ but how did the idea of V Biz Me first come to life? Michaelangelo Casanova: Yeah. I love telling this story. So four or five years ago, I'm in Brooklyn, New York. I'm I'm reading something, a business magazine, and I I read an article. 82% of all business cards are thrown away within the first week. So I'm like, throw my head, what? That's crazy. of all but so at the time I was doing sales for a friend of mine who started a little website company. So I would call people and talk about their website and and get it right. So once I saw this, I said, hey. This is the biggest scam in the world. We could change this and make it better. We can make this better for people. We can get people. Because cards don't do anything. But I didn't know this. Now, now it's 88% of all business cards are throwing away through the first week. Right? So a lot has changed since then. So that's only four or five, four and a half years, five years. So I start telling him, I say, listen, what if we could actually make a business card that can introduce you? Because he knows what he's doing, he's designing websites. So he didn't understand what I was saying for like six months, maybe not that long, until I literally just started drawing things that I wanted to see. Cause he was a coder, so he could put stuff where where I needed stuff to be. And I said, Hey, why don't we put this here and this here? And let's have this crazy video that would people are just like, wow. And you know, because I read a lot of I lead a I read a lot of psychology. So I know that when people are wowed and they feel great, there's oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine being being released. And it just grabs people so they're more willing to sit and talk with you. That's why I come at people with high energy, you know. So eventually we started drawing it up. And it's been it's been four years in the making. And we haven't even formally launched, and we have many, many, many clients through a beta for a paid beta test, and and we got all the feedback. And right now, in about two weeks, this thing is gonna be unlike anything as unlike anything anyone has ever seen. And I promise that to you. I promise that to you. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: That's great. So, what what makes a video first business card more powerful than a traditional business card? Michaelangelo Casanova: Well, you have a video first, okay? So there's there's a there's a couple things. So you have the video first, so it's a dynamic intro video. Someone scans your QR code, then this amazing video comes through. So and it goes right to your logo. So it could like fire or an explosion or something a little bit more common, corporate, right? And then it goes right to your logo. So everybody's like, Wow, right? So let's get the let's get it going. Then then there's what's called what I call the invisible advantage. And the invisible advantage is what makes It's what it's this the sequence that guides people through. They see the video, they feel good about it. Now they want to do more. So then they you walk them right through it. You can see the my info. And then at the bottom I have these icons. So it tells everything about about the the person, the about me, the services, the reviews, a blog, pictures, videos, everything so people can make an informed decision immediately. I mean they no longer have to take your card, go log into the computer. Go go check on go read through the four and six pages of your website. Here's a fact for you. On a website, there's only 15 to 20% relevancy. That's all people need. Yet they have four to six pages going on doing this. This is why you should choose me. I'm the best, right? So I take that, that, that 15 to 20% relevancy and I just put it on there so people can make an informed decision immediately. Right? While they're hot, while they're still, well the acitoxin don't mean the serotonin is running. Yeah. Yeah, it's exciting. It's exciting. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: So I'm guessing first impressions is important in the digital world. Michaelangelo Casanova: Absolutely. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Wow. So you focus heavily on the storytelling and psychology. why do people remember stories more than information? Michaelangelo Casanova: Well, because information speaks to the brain, but stories speak to the person, right? People forget facts all the time. They forget numbers, bullet points, sales, pitches, you know, but they remember how something made them feel, right? They remember a struggle, they remember a comeback, they remember a moment that connects with their own life. And if you can find number one thing in sales is finding a common ground. And the reason why we have the dynamic into a video is because most people, especially nowadays, these young kids, can't find a common ground. You know, they they were raised on video games, not social socializing. And that's it. So that's so we need we need storytelling. We need it because I mean that's the way they passed on all the stories before they had paper, right? Everything was a story. They passed down a story. And it'd be an allegory or a metaphor and they would pass it down and that's it. So and that's so I figured let's have this card do the same exact thing so people are excited. Like I am right now. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: I like it. I like it. So the QR code is really to just give more access to to the business card. Michaelangelo Casanova: Yeah, well, so I felt statistically people don't want to people do not want to download an app. So when I was talking to my devil, I said, listen, we're not having an app. We're not gonna have an app. We're gonna make it nice and easy, right? A QR code makes access instant. No typing, no searching, no friction. You know, someone scans it and they're immediately inside your world, right? They see the dynamic intro video, they see everything that you can do. and now we have AI an AI assistant coming on. And you're able to translate the language. So, you know, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese. So when when when all these features do one thing with the card, right? They make it easier for a customer to understand you, trust you, and then take the next step. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: CTA, right? The action for the sale. All right. So the what about the analytics? Can you tell us a little bit more about that? What's you know, why do we need so many analytics now? Why do we need to know so much about what, you know, where my business card is versus I at least I gave out a thousand out of a thousand, let's just say thirty people called me. That's a pretty good return, right? So why do I need to know so much analytics now? Michaelangelo Casanova: Sure. Well, because analytics ultimately they help you understand what's working. So if you have a c you have a card like our card, it tracks your it tracks how many people saved your card. It tracks how many people looked at your social media, right? tracks how many people looked at your website. So these things are very, very valuable because people need this to know. So let's say if you wanted to start an investment campaign, right? A campaign to to invest in in in your business. So you look at your analytics, you go on the back of my car, you look at your analytics, you say, ⁓ well, Facebook got eleven hundred clicks this month, but Instagram got thirty two hundred. So that would tell me, let's funnel the money into Instagram because more people are looking at it. So analytics are very, very, very important. You know, and it seems like more, more people are into it now, you know, more people are more aware. It used to be a thing that bigger businesses did to watch and track, but everybody, you know, they track their own businesses now. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Okay. So it's not just about the people that are coming through your site, but where you're also going to invest your marketing dollars. So it's a lot Sure. So what type of businesses or professionals benefit the most from your platform? Is it industry sp ⁓ specific? Michaelangelo Casanova: Right. There's a lot of variables to it, yeah. No, no. Honestly, almost anyone who has a business can have it. And I think anybody. Let's see, if you're a construction worker, you get the cards, I put a dynamic logo. So what I'll do is put like a blueprint on the back, have it do something crazy and then go to your logo. And then that comes out on the invisible on the scrolling navigation bar I told you about. On there, I have their pictures of their work. I have better their better business bureau. I have Department of Consumer Protection. I have All their certifications and licenses, home improvement contractors license, insurances, right? In a world of scams, they can benefit from it. Insurance agents, I have a bunch of insurance agents. I have I have mortgage brokers, I have salespeople, I have car dealerships, I have and it just goes on. Everybody, authors, nonprofits, network marketers, MLMs, everybody. So it benefits every person. You know, your your business depends on people being able to remember you, right? And so ⁓ with that dynamic intro video, that's what makes people remember you, right? And we have a patented, so it's perfect. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Awesome. So now attention is a currency. Why is it so hard to earn it now? Michaelangelo Casanova: Because everybody's fighting for it. is fighting for attention, right? Hey, look at me, look at me, look at me. You know, I go to network marketing events, I meet a whole bunch of people, and they're not in business three months later, but they're taking pictures, posting them. I fight, I feel like this is what they do. They waste all this money. Say, hey, look at me. But they're not really out there doing anything, right? So, and people are overloaded. Social media, text messages, emails, ads, videos, notifications. Everybody screaming for attention. So the human brain just filters that stuff out. Right. So if you're boring, you're forgotten. If you're average, you're forgotten. If you're generic, you're forgotten. With V Biz Me our video first experience you're never forgotten. People actually go home and say, Hey, a husband say, Hey Hud, look at this, look at what I just look at this card. It's gonna blow your mind. Right? And then they then they call me a few days later, hey Tick, we wanna have what you have. So it's it's it's exciting, man. I I'm excited. love Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Now you get to see a lot of different people networking. What would you say the biggest mistakes that they're making? Michaelangelo Casanova: Well, I'm gonna tell you from my from my own stuff. And I know everybody else is doing it, right? Until you learn it, right? So as an entrepreneur, I overloaded people with too much information, right? I try to tell them everything instead of giving to them what matters the most, right? It becomes just So so what I did was I okay, actually a friend of mine who was another salesperson, I don't even know why I didn't have it, he said, brother. You need to explain how this card is gonna benefit them. It's amazing. It blows blows my mind when you show me the stuff you do. But what are you saying? Because right now you haven't told me anything how it's gonna benefit me. And that's the thing, right? That's the thing. So I wasn't sharing that with them. I wasn't I would just tell them how great it was and blah blah blah and banging on my chest, like the people at the websites, right? So that's where the invisible advantage comes, right? It's the hidden psychology inside B Bismy. It uses emotion. storytelling video and an intentional flow to help people trust you faster remember you longer and take action sooner because good marketing has three variables who are you should I trust you ⁓ should I do next and if people can understand you fast they're gonna roll with you they're gonna roll with you ⁓ Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Right. So now what separates those entrepreneurs who persist from those who quit too early? Michaelangelo Casanova: One's like persistence. Well, I mean, persistence is everything. If you don't follow through, it's over. It's over, right? know, persistence. ⁓ I read a quote just the other day. It something to effect that. for there's entrepreneurs have a have a sense of delusion, right? But it's that delusion that pushes them to go further than anybody else. It's that what must what what a realist might say, base everything on the money they have, what's going on right now in their life. They can't see outside of their they can't see further their nose or their bank account. So right? So they stay trapped inside their current environment, right? Through their income, their limitations. All that. So this is what separates persistence separates people because if you're not hungry, if you're not going for it, man, I've been doing this, I've been doing this and and re regauging and refreshing and thinking, coming up with thoughts for for almost five years, right? Not consistently, but for the last year, super consistently. So and and I'm just persistent. And people when I tell listen, this is gonna be the next billion dollar billion dollar company, I'm gonna be an IPO, I'm gonna get it on the stock market, and people will scoff at you. And I just I don't even say anything anymore because I just I don't even pay any attention. Because here's the here's the ultimate reality. Where the people have no vision, they perish. If you want to work for someone day in and day out and never get any further, then go ahead. But me, as you already know, I'm a risk taker. now, but now they're calculating. My risks are my risks are calculating. They weren't calculated before, right? So The dreamers keep people alive. They may look crazy in the beginning, but it's always them that changed. Look at Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, who's like like like my idol. I mean, these people have changed the world, man, you know, in good way. In a good way. So yeah, being persistent is key. You have to, you have to be strong. You have to maintain your goal. And you cannot listen. I don't listen to anyone who has not walked in my shoes. If you can't walk in my shoes or even close, I don't even want your s unsolicited advice. Right? Because we have two we look at the world two different ways. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Absolutely. So that brings up a good question for you. so is purpose discovered or is it built over time? Michaelangelo Casanova: It's both. It's both. My purpose was my purpose was discovered to pain. Right? As we know. I told you. And so now I later realized now I can help people. I can help people who've been through the same thing. You know? And but then purpose has to be built. Once you understand, you have to build it, right? You have to build discipline around that. And then you have to build habits and then systems and businesses, messages, and then you bring the impact, right? Pain may reveal your purpose, but action builds it. So yeah, I think it's both. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: So how has your definition of success changed over the years? Michaelangelo Casanova: A lot. A lot. A lot. You know. at one point in my life I thought money was money, sex, power, respect, hustling, being out in the streets, and whoever had the most money drove the best car, right? That was my that was my thing, right? They made the movie Bristol Boys about me and my friend. I think you know about that. Me and my friend, me and one of my buddies. So but all that came at a heavy cost. It came with pain, it came with suffering, it came with incarceration. And it came with consec consequences that no amount of money, Joe, can erase. What I went through in there and what I did. Luckily I was a boxer, so I was able to protect myself. But you know, people try, you know. You know, I had money, but I didn't have peace. I had attention, but I didn't have purpose. And I had a whole bunch of just yes men right around me. You know what I mean? They wouldn't tell me the truth, their life depended on it, because I was sub I was keeping those guys alive. You know? So it's just So my what I being wealthy now is being a great father, being a great business owner, being a great brother, being a great friend, and be having a purpose and just continue to build my business in the way that I see it. Because most most importantly, I need to be truthful, and honest to myself. So many times I have set goals and I didn't do it. And you know what? I start to trust distrusting myself, right? People don't look at life like that. You know, you could tell people you're gonna something for you, and they won't distrust that they won't trust you after a while either. So how isn't the same thing when you tell yourself, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this, and then you don't show up for it. You understand? So I show up, I show up for me. show up for me every morning. I'm on this I'm at this desk at 4 30 in the morning. I read the Ethiopian Bible, I read something by Neville Goddard, and it's something that's gonna give me, and and I read it out loud and I just I just move forward. And that's that's that's success to me today. And I don't have to have all the money in the world, and by knowing that, all the money's coming. Right. So today I'm a man building purpose and the money will just follow that. This that's what I believe, a hundred percent. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: and certainty. So, what kind of legacy do you hope the V BizMe leaves behind? Michaelangelo Casanova: Absolutely. I want it to be a household name, but more importantly, let's just say if we go IPO and we end up making a billion dollars. I I I had discussed that I I only need a million dollars. If I build this words huge, I only need a million dollars a year. I want to I wanna put programs in prisons, I want put programs in school, I want to put programs. There's so many smart kids whose parents don't give a shit about it, like how I like how I grew up. And they're so smart and they just have nowhere to go. You know, I want to work with counselors, the the ⁓ counselors in the school. just try to get these people. My ultimate goal, and this may sound lofty to some people, but it's it's it's on my list and on my visual board. I want to open up a school for kids like me, kids that were super smart, had no way to to to to to to to go. Because when I was a kid I wanted to be a I wanted to be a trial lawyer, know? And I had that beaten out of me. I was just a drug addict and a loser and and just you know that my my book's coming out but you know what I told you guys. So it's just That's that's what I want to be rem remembered for. Man, this guy, man, he came from nothing. And that's what my daughter says. She's like, Pop, you came from nothing and you are building yourself, and I'm so proud of you. You know, she she works for she works for Fidelity Investments in Boston. You know, she did really, really well. You know, we just pushed her. But she just that's all I want to do. I just want to be want my daughter to be proud and I and I wanna be the best man I could possibly be. And I want when I die, I want my money to be able to continue to help people. Yeah. ⁓ Joe Abreu - Glovisor: So for someone who's listening who feels like their past disqualifies them from success, leadership, purpose, what would you say directly to them? Michaelangelo Casanova: I have something written down. Can I just read it off the paper instead? Yeah, because I because I have I have this because I I I'm memorizing for for when I speak to people. So I would say this. listen to the naysayers. There will always be people who pass judgment on you. Some people will think they're better than you because they have never experienced what you experienced. They have never known real want. They have never known poverty. They have never known abuse, trauma, addiction, or the kind of pain that changes the way you see yourself in the world. And because they have never lived it, sometimes they judge it from ignorance. But know this: what happened to you ever visited them, it might be you they would come looking for. Because the people that have been through fire often carry the wisdom that's comfortable that comfortable people do not understand. You can change if you want to. I believe that with every fiber of my being. Your past may explain some things, but it does not have to own you. Life is what you make it, and most importantly, your life is about you becoming who you were created to be. Not who your trauma convinced you that you were. One of the most powerful things I have learned in this life, have neither friends nor enemies, only teachers. Every person you meet teaches you ⁓ Every painful relationship teaches you something. Every betrayal, every judgment, every rejection, every chance encounter with another human being gives you an opportunity to learn about yourself. And when you really understand that, you stop giving everybody else so much power over your healing. You begin to realize that most of the time it was never really about the other person. It was about that moment was revealing inside of you. Accept that, like holy doctrine, and life starts to change. The trauma gets easier to understand. The darkness starts to lose its grip. You stop asking, why did this happen to me? And you start asking, what can I learn from this? And who can I become because of it? So to the person who thinks their past disqualifies them, I would say, no, it does not. You're not what happened to you. You're not the mistake you made. You're not the labels put on you. You're not the lies you believed when you were hurt. Chokes me chokes me up a little, but you're responsible for what happens next. There's still time, there's still purpose. This is still great, there's still greatness inside you. And when you finally decide to fight for yourself, you can walk yourself out of the darkness. One honest step at a time. And that that's going at the end of my book, so I just wanna I wanna read it. It still chokes me up when I read it. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Awesome message. it so everyone's getting of course. Yeah, yeah, no. But I love that we're getting a preview to your book. So let me know who should be contacting you right now. Michaelangelo Casanova: So ultimately, we are looking for some investors. We're looking for about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars that would put us in a place to take over the world. ⁓ literally. yeah, we need some investors on our team. We need some people to take a look. I have a magnificent pitch deck, and if they want to take a look at it, they can they can just give send me their information. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: stop there for a second we're gonna i'm gonna ask you the same question again suggestion i'm gonna make is don't do a dollar sign because we wanna do an evergreen on this ⁓ and you may need a million next time you know what i mean not not 250 ⁓ okay so you know looking at just because some of my videos have gone to vc guys and stuff and i and i s Michaelangelo Casanova: Okay. Okay, all right. I like your Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Sometimes I've had guys who say, ⁓ I only need a couple hundred thousand dollars. And then these guys are going, no, you're gonna need two million. And it's like, well, you know, listen to them. Cause two million is better. So all right. Absolutely. So I'm gonna go ahead and restart the question all over again and we'll go from there. Michaelangelo Casanova: Yeah, yes, yes. Yes. Thank you so much. I appreciate that. All right. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: So who should be contacting you right now? Michaelangelo Casanova: So right now looking for we're looking for investors. We're for investors. I have an amazing pitch deck. When I that it'll knock their socks off. What I've come up with, the stuff that we did, how we compare to other other ⁓ similar similar products in the market, and there is no comparison. So on the SMB sit the SMB sales fit score, we have a nine point seven. Our closest competitor competitors eight point one. So I would encourage any investors to come take a look at what we have. Let's let's Sit down and make a deal. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Great. now what about if someone wants to check out your platform? Can they go see it now and download it? Or how does that work? Michaelangelo Casanova: Yeah, so there's there's no app. Like I like I said, there's we have no app, so that's perfect. But what you can do is you can visit our website, www.vbizme. So that's victorbobiglozebramichael echo.com. And my email is mcasanova at vbizme.com. if people need to get a hold of me immediately, investors probably, then 860-770-9893. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: Well, well, Michelangelo, thank you so much for sharing your story as openly and as honestly as you did. I think a lot of people are going to connect with this message. the pain does not have to be the end of your story. it can become the beginning of your purpose, just like you have. And you know, I love your mission behind the V Biz Me and helping people stop being forgotten. And start building that real human connection. so thank you for joining the Glovisor Podcast. Michaelangelo Casanova: Thank you. I truly appreciate you, Joe. Thank you for letting me share. Joe Abreu - Glovisor: So like You're welcome. Thanks everyone for listening. If this episode inspired you, share it with someone who needs a reminder that their past does not define their future. And don't forget to follow the Glovisor Podcast for more conversations on leadership, communication, resilience, business growth, and personal development. Till the next time.