Sam Tejada Of Liquivida: I Am Living Proof Of The American Dream
An Interview With Jake Frankel
You can’t receive with a closed hand so make sure you’re giving more than receiving. You simply have to give back. No matter how busy you are, you need to make time to help people with their needs. My mentors did it for me, and now I do it for others, including them!
Is the American Dream still alive? If you speak to many of the immigrants we spoke to, who came to this country with nothing but grit, resilience, and a dream, they will tell you that it certainly is still alive.
As a part of our series about immigrant success stories, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sam Tejada.
Sam Tejada, a visionary leader, is revolutionizing health and wellness through Liquivida. With a dedication to cutting-edge solutions, Tejada optimizes overall well-being. By introducing transformative services and treatments that cater to individual needs, such as advanced aesthetic procedures, IV therapy, and hormone replacement therapy, Liquivida offers a comprehensive and personalized experience. With a focus on quality and customer satisfaction, Tejada is shaping the future of health and wellness, making Liquivida the preferred destination for those looking to enhance vitality and lead healthier, happier lives.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in the Dominican Republic and am the youngest of 4 children. My parents made the decision to migrate to America in 1987, when I was only 8 months old. Both of my parents were successful architects with Masters degrees in the DR. They sold everything they had to move to the United States to give us a better life. They left behind comfortable surroundings, family and familiarity and moved to the inner city part of Milwaukee Wisconsin, where we lived until I was 17 years old. We then moved to South Florida, where I reside to this day. While my home life was still deeply rooted in the heritage and culture of the Dominican Republic, I think I experienced a pretty typical American upbringing outside of our home life. I went to public school, made friends and played sports. I was a hustler, even as a young kid, delivering newspapers on my bicycle to earn my own money. I mowed lawns and shoveled driveways, but those things I did mostly to help my neighbors. That sense of wanting to help people has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. I became a certified lifeguard at age 14 and worked as a lifeguard for the Milwaukee public school system at 15 years old. When I relocated to South Florida, I started my first business, Rescue-101, training and certifying others to become lifeguards. My ultimate goal was to become a firefighter, which I did at age 19.
Was there a particular trigger point that made you emigrate to the US? Can you tell us the story?
My parents made the decision. They say that they were committed to a better future for their four children and moved so that we could live the American Dream. My father told me that at that particular point in time, some of the immigration laws were changing, so they decided to take advantage while the timing was right and come to the US while they could. I guess you could say they were really opportunists at that point.
Can you tell us the story of how you came to the USA? What was that experience like?
While I don’t remember moving here, as I was only 8 months old, I can say that the experience of living in the United States of America has been a positive one and I am grateful to my parents for this opportunity. Growing up as a minority in this country may have come with some challenges, but it has also helped to shape me into the type of man, business professional and human being that I want to be.
Growing up in the inner city of Milwaukee and seeing my parents live paycheck to paycheck left its mark on me. That was something that I never wanted to experience. We mowed our lawn with a push mower, washed our own cars, were constantly reminded to turn off lights to save on electric bills. My mom even cut napkins in half to save money. I told myself from an early age that I would own an electric mower when I got older and could earn my own money. I remember thinking that I couldn’t wait for the day that I could grab as many napkins as I wanted, hire someone to wash the car and clean the house, and leave all the lights on if I wanted!
Growing up in the inner city with the friends that I had, everyone was more in survival mode. It was always about how we would make the next buck, which could sometimes get people into trouble. Fortunately, I chose better paths –mowing lawns, shoveling, paper routes. I even airbrushed sneakers and sold them.
At the age of 12 I got a job as a caddy at a golf course for the summer. My parents said it was a tradition in our culture to give 20% of what I earned to them for the household. I did that until the day I moved out of their house.
From the age of 12 on, I bought everything with my own money — from my clothes and my bikes to my first car. Right out of high school, I paid for my education for EMS school to become a firefighter paramedic. I think it cost like $14,000. Not money most people can earn and save up while they’re in high school.
What my parents taught me is that nothing is given to you. You have to work really hard for what you want.
And, being the youngest out of 4 children, I think I’ve always felt I had something to prove. Everyone thought I was going to be a screw up, but I knew that I was going to be the one who was going to be the most successful.
Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped make the move more manageable? Can you share a story?
My Uncle Modesto was already living here in the US with my Aunt Joyce. He had a total of 17 brothers and sisters, and was the sponsor, slowly bringing over the entire family. My uncle and his wife were already architects in Wisconsin, so my parents were able to come over and work in their field of expertise working with his firm. My Uncle Modesto and Aunt Joyce were such a huge asset to our being able to come here and seek the American Dream.
When we came here, we went through the whole legal process which required us to get residency in the United States. I had to study a lot of American history and I learned a lot about my new country form that. All six of us in my family went through this process. I think I was 13 years old when I actually received my citizenship. I remember going to the Immigration office and getting a hand-held American flag, which I have to this day. It was an American prideful moment for me when that happened.
I don’t think future generations in my family will ever be able to truly appreciate or understand this, but it’s great to be able to memorialize it and pass it down for them to read and learn about.
So how are things going today?
I’m truly living the American Dream. I’ve been able to serve my community in multiple ways.
As a lifeguard/swim instructor I taught people life safety lessons. I was able to take e my knowledge as a lifeguard and become a firefighter/paramedic and work with City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue for 12 years as a first responder. That job helped me to really dive deeper into healthcare, leading to the start of my company, Liquivida. Our goal being to help people nationwide with their health, wellness and beauty goals. Our mission is to bring preventative health and wellness services into underserved communities so that everyone can have access to these alternative treatments.
I’ve been able to connect with very influential people that have become my business mentors, helping me to look at life and business from different perspectives and helping me to scale my company to the next level.
I’ve also been a speaker for numerous wellness industry events, appeared in countless publications and on various health-related television segments and entrepreneurial podcasts; I am a respected leader in the modern wellness industry and a published author, recently releasing my first book, “How to Win in Modern Wellness: Delivering Trackable Results to Impatient Consumers.”
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
As the creator of a franchise, I am proud to be able to provide jobs and opportunities to hundreds of people, with skill sets ranging from medical professionals to customer support.
I am most proud to bring health and wellness solutions to the masses, something that I realized was lacking while I was serving as a firefighter/paramedic. I saw the glaring disparity in healthcare equality as an opportunity to bring transformative wellness solutions to the general public, where typically only the wealthy had access to preventive measures like IV Therapy and getting their blood tested so they could know their deficiencies.
My company also creates opportunities for people in other countries to work through our GO (Global Operators) Team.
You have first-hand experience with the US immigration system. If you had the power, which three things would you suggest to improve the system?
I’ve seen several people go through the process. To me, it would be good to develop a speedier vetting process for people that have already been in this country for so many years and are good citizens, own businesses or are gainfully employed.
Give additional opportunities for people to make an investment to this country, maybe not based on money, but on their talent.
Give people the opportunity to serve areas of the community to help expedite their process.
Can you share “5 keys to achieving the American dream” that others can learn from you?
- No one owes you anything. You have to work — and work hard — for what you want. My own upbringing is the best example I have of that.
- You can’t receive with a closed hand so make sure you’re giving more than receiving. You simply have to give back. No matter how busy you are, you need to make time to help people with their needs. My mentors did it for me, and now I do it for others, including them!
- Define what your definition of success is. If you don’t determine this early on, you could work really hard for the rest of your life and never know if you achieved your goals.
- Make building relationships a priority before anything else. The competitors in my industry all came together to collaborate on my book. This is because of the relationships I built with them.
- Reward yourself throughout the process which will keep you motivated. I’m not very good at this part, but I keep trying!
We know that the US needs improvement. But are there 3 things that make you optimistic about the US’s future?
I’m very optimistic about the expansion of programs being put in place for underserved communities. I was reading recently about a program where people in marginalized areas are being given the ability to invest in their own communities, build them up and improve them. I visited my former hometown of Milwaukee and saw a lot of growth and opportunity.
I see a strong movement on the health and wellness side in this country. There are more healthy choices and self-care types of businesses. I’m optimistic that an increase in these type of offerings will make them more accessible, and will also lead to a decrease in certain diseases and create a healthier American people. My company, Liquivida, and other wellness companies like it, are big proponents of this proactive approach to health and wellness.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
For me, that would be Kevin Hart. The reason is that I have always felt very connected to his story. He grew up in the inner city. People were always doubting him. He said he wanted to be a comedian and they’d tell him he was never going to be the next Cosby or Sinbad. Well, they were right, in a way. He’s not them. He not only went on to become one of the world’s biggest comedians, he does movies, animation, documentaries, tv shows; he has a charitable foundation. He’s very much into health and fitness and even has a supplement company. I’d just like to tap into his true mindset to see how he accomplished all of this. Obviously he didn’t do it all on his own. You need a great team around you to develop and expand to that level. I would love to know how he was able to develop and lead the team that helped to make him who he is today.
What is the best way our readers can further follow your work online?
Samtejada.com
Liquivida.com
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
