Rick Ross has been pruning himself for boss status since his adolescence.
The Miami rapper can even trace back his days of earning money to the age of 13 when washing and detailing cars was the crème de la crème. “I got $30 a day from 8 in the morning to 8 p.m.,” recalled the “Everyday I’m Hustlin’” rapper during a panel discussion at REVOLT Summit.
The gig was simple enough, but for Ross he treated it as though he was providing his patrons with the most important service they would receive that day. “That’s when I just learned to go above and beyond from the big homies that brought their cars in,” he said.
“You know, I’ll wash your car while you went in the flea market. They go buy Bally’s, they go buy Clarks, whatever it was they were doing. S—t, I’ll put gas in your s—t, I’ll organize your cassette deck, anything,” he explained of his “above-and-beyond” customer service that made it easy for many to embrace him early on. “I got you. So they always wanted the fat boy that — they used to call me Heavy Silicone.”
The Teflon Don is making sure his own son has a similar outlook on work and building wealth. William Roberts III, Ross’ eldest of three children, made headlines when his famous dad gifted him his own Wingstop franchise for his 16th birthday in September. While most teens are hoping for a car, Ross shared that providing his son with his own stream of income was a better vehicle to setting his son up for the future — though the teen was not denied a new whip.
“I just wanted to reward him as he’s coming into a young man, his maturity level, and let him know ‘Come on, let me give you some of these responsibilities as well.’ It’s not just money and paper, but it’s also responsibilities,” explained Ross.
In 2011 Ross opened his first Wingstop franchise just outside of Memphis, Tennessee. He has since then added at least another 13 locations to his portfolio throughout the Southeast; these locations earn him an estimated seven figures annually. His hope is that William is watching his actions and the way in which he has built generational wealth so that he, too, may one day be a boss of his own.
“I think us as fathers and men, we gotta teach our youngsters how to come into manhood and be responsible and take care of yourself and not only yourself but your family that you gon’ create.”
More Stories from Our Partners:
Finurah Funding Friday: Here’s What Doordash, Walmart and SBA Are Offering Entrepreneurs
