Brayden Cruz
“I have one mission in life – to inspire people of all ages to follow through with their life passions. I believe that with the right mentality, dreams can become realities.” This is what Mr. Brayden Cruz, 17-year-old entrepreneur lives by. Brayden Cruz is a soon to be senior at Mayde Creek High school who intends to run his social media marketing agency, Reach’d Consulting, once he graduates in 2018. With the skills he gained from past ventures, his experience throughout high school in his local Future Business Leaders of America chapter, (FBLA), working two jobs and running his business part-time, Brayden is well equipped for the business world he soon faces.
At the age of 12 Brayden created his very first business, “Splash Zone Car Wash”. “I took saved up money and bought some car wash equipment. Then I designed some flyers and set out going door to door in several neighborhoods during the peak of Texas summer heat asking to wash their cars for a small fee.” Brayden said. Throughout this venture he learned what it really takes to market yourself door to door and how hard the world of sales can be. No easy feat for just any 12-year-old. Brayden also learned how to manage expenses and how to allocate his time amongst his clients as he serviced several neighborhoods. But, more important than that, Brayden discovered what he loved to do. “It was then that I fell in love with entrepreneurship before I even knew what that word meant.” He would go on to say. He truly has a passion for helping people by offering his services and enjoying the perks of running a business in the process.
Fast forward a few years skipping several other businesses he started: from fish breeding to rare coin trading. He was now in high school and discovered FBLA, a club that exists at the high school and collegiate levels and focuses on providing young people with the professional resources and experiences they need to become successful leaders of tomorrow. “It was in this club that I zeroed in on my business skill set from marketing projects to business plans and discovered my life’s work.” Brayden stated. He recalls his most memorable moment in high school as follows, “Well, the day I entered the business room my freshman year I knew I wanted to be a part of that. I was fortunate to meet two amazing people in FBLA who have become my lifelong friends. We traveled together with FBLA competing at the district, state then national level in various business presentation events. We’ve been to San Antonio, Atlanta and now California. I’m so happy I joined the club because it taught me the foundational skills I use in my business now. Using the skills learned in FBLA I founded Reach’d Consulting, a social media marketing service aimed at providing simple and effective social media marketing strategies to small businesses everywhere. I manage 5 clients as of today and have been running the service for two years now.” As he recounts his experiences, it’s easy to see just how profound FBLA was in developing Brayden into a well-suited individual to run a business at such a young age.
However, Brayden is no stranger to the realities of the business world. He tells us, “Yeah, it’s hard being so young doing something so big. Not too many people I go to school with understand what it is I’m doing. But, at the end of the day you just have to keep your head high and remember why you started.” He says. “It’s not about the money or the fame. It’s not even about proving the skeptics wrong. Skeptics will come from all corners, your friends, teachers and even your family. For me It’s always about doing something that I love and never working a day in my life.” He states. “Too many times I see my peers get stuck in the routine of things. They get a standard 9-5 job and become stuck with real passions and desires for their life that they feel they must suppress due to social and internal pressure. I want to show everyone that you can do literally anything if you have a true burning passion for it.” Brayden goes on to say. He is passionate about sharing this message with the world and empowering others to as he says, “turn their dreams into realities.”
Once he graduates in 2018, Brayden intends to invest a large amount of money into the business. He is saving up during the year prior by working two jobs: at a grocery store and at an investment firm. With such dedication, he sees himself driving Reach’d Consulting as far into success as possible. “See, in my business age doesn’t matter. In fact, clients come to me because of my young age. The fact that my generation is so plugged in helps make my service look attractive to business owners who don’t know how to use social media or lack the time resources to do so. Social media for business however, is a very different game. Through my skills in FBLA and certifications I have obtained, I am highly skilled in what I do and my clients can attest to that.” Brayden has a brilliant marketing mind and he makes the following prediction on his industry, “In the next ten years, social media for business as we know it today will either be dead or evolved entirely.” Brayden informs us that the rate at which the social media marketing industry is changing is beyond measure. “Someone could literally post a piece of content tonight and it could revolutionize online marketing forever.” He goes on to say. Therefore, he feels that he must take advantage of the industry at its current state and achieve his dreams in the process.
Brayden Cruz is a story about someone with true drive, motivation and obsession with a passion greater than himself. He wants to show you, the Katy area, what it means to be successful. It’s not about the money or fame, it’s about doing something that doesn’t require you to work a single day in your life, your passion. If you want to learn more about this up and coming marketing mind here in our very own Katy area, send him an email at Brayden.cruz14@gmail.com or visit his businesses website at reachdsocialmediac.wixsite.com/reachd.