On October 24, entrepreneur Israel “Markos” Mark launched a promotion offering $100,000 for a business start-up as a prize within his Poor Nothing group.
Mark teaches 2,000-plus aspiring business owners how to utilise online platforms to build their brand.
“So, let’s say you’re really good at singing, or you’re really good at football, whatever you are really good at, I would show you how to put that on social media and monetise that, create a business with it,” he explained of the exercise.
Some skills include how to set goals, how to monetise your skills, how to build an online brand, how to manage cash flow and make investments, and how to market your brand using social media.
The deadline for the promotion was November 24 and among the hundreds of applicants was mother of three Candace Rojan from Central Trinidad. She pitched a hospitality business but it was the warmth of her heart that put her ahead of the rest.
“She told me her story. I’ve been following her within the group seeing her progress and I does go with my gut for everything,” Mark said.
“I got a bunch of messages leading up to the 30th because everyone want to win this 100 thousand dollars, so something just made me stop at her chat and I looked at it and when I listen to her story, I said I need to bless this person.”
Mark contacted her and set up a meeting near to her home. During the conversation, he told Rojan he, in fact, wanted her to sign the back of the cheque for someone else who had won the prize. She, her three children and some of her family members went with her to meet him.
“The surprise we actually had is that you is actually the winner,” Mark told her in the video as he took out the cheque from the back of his vehicle.
She and her loved ones were immediately brought to tears, followed by gratitude.
“Look, I had nothing to eat today and I came by my sister,” Rojan revealed in the video.
Mark said it was Rojan’s selflessness that got his attention and he also wanted to help her and her relatives, who were also affected by the recent floods.
“We will take it to a new level, so we will get a new place for you. I always tell myself your environment change your mindset, and mindset is what decide where you go,” Mark said in the video.
Her relative could be heard in the video shouting that Rojan and her children needed a break like this.
“This is the best thing that ever happen to she in she life,” the relative said.
Mark said Rojan’s struggle resonated with him because just last year he was in a similar situation.
“It’s still free for me. I lost everything, my business crashed, I got evicted, I was people owing money, it was a hot mess,” Mark recalled.
Guardian Media first highlighted Mark earlier this year pretending to be homeless person outside Trincity Mall. He gave the first people to help him $1,000. Since then, he has been seen in videos buying gas for random people at gas stations and doing other charitable actions across T&T.
He said sometimes, fast success builds up people’s ego and he carries out his acts of kindness to remember where he came from.
“This is to remind me that just that other day I was in this position and I am so blessed now and I don’t ever want to reach a point where I forget it,” he said.
“I want to do a lot more initiatives like this am I am currently launching a charity fund it’s being processed now...we’re going impacting a lot more families,” he added.
Aspiring entrepreneurs can request to join the Poor Nothing programme by visiting https://poornothing.com.
Anyone willing to help Rojan can also reach out to him to make contact with her.
