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VERY inspirational PEOPLE
INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLES
“SOMETIMES IN YOUR LIFE, you just need to jump,”
Activating potential LeRoc became a certified educator in personal finance through the Institute for is how Marco Kpeglo LeRoc summarizes his journey from college student with limited English to entrepreneur, bestselling author, international speaker, and Financial Literacy in 2011 and that same year founded called Moneyvations to personal development coach. In everything he does, LeRoc advances a message coach clients on personal finance. In 2015 he formed Marco LeRoc & Company that people can transform challenges into opportunities—a message that he’s and began to broaden his message beyond financial literacy to personal fulfillment and topics like self-leadership, intentional living and personal productivity. He personally lived out. “I do a lot of things but what it comes down to is my mission and vision,” he launched a YouTube-based interview show called “Inside a Great Mind” said. “For me, it’s to have a platform where people can find the inspiration to (marcoleroc.com/tv), and in 2017 published Activate Your Untapped Potential. “Through that book, what I want to share is that we all have a gift within. improve themselves either financially or personally.” How can we get that out? We all have so much talent, we have so much LeRoc exudes positive energy and confidence today, but he didn’t start out with aspirations to be a writer or public speaker. When he came to the United greatness. What do you have to do to start?” he said. States from Togo (west Africa) in the spring of 2004, he simply wanted to His books are available through his website (marcoleroc.com) and through pursue his education in accounting, intending to follow his father into the field retail outlets including Amazon. LeRoc said he’s motivated not by sales figures of finance. or positive reviews, but by knowing his words can help people make “I think it started by accident,” he said, with a chuckle. “Years improvements in their lives. “I just want them to get something ago as an international student I made a lot of mistakes, out of it. I don’t call myself ‘being successful.’ I like to make especially financially, because I did not understand the an impact. I found a great niche.” U.S. economy and how things worked. Luckily I was able to catch myself with the help of mentors who “You should be Keep evolving taught me a lot of great things.” thinking every day As his work expanded, so did LeRoc’s Determined to graduate without college debt, about legacy, LeRoc made the decision to transfer to community involvement and advocacy work. He’s Metropolitan Community College early in his been with the Omaha Jaycees since 2010 and because tomorrow accounting studies. “I got my associate’s degree, served in several leadership roles. He’s been a board is a gift.” worked for a few years, and came back to Bellevue member for the national organization Hidden Talent University for my bachelor’s,” he said. Foundation since 2012. LeRoc’s advocacy activities His jobs at places like Walmart, Taco Bell, a gas include service with the United Nations Foundation’s MARCO KPEGLO LEROC station and a hospital were not exactly glamorous, but F Nothing But Nets anti-malaria initiative and Global Partners he viewed them as honest work that provided an income and in Hope. a chance to meet new people. “When I was out there talking to In late 2018 he founded The League for African Advancement to people and interacting, that’s where I would find my joy,” LeRoc said. And encourage and offer opportunities for Africans and people of African descent to although he completed his degree in accounting in 2009, he had realized along grow personally and professionally and make an impact in their communities. the way that “I didn’t have the passion to go in that direction.” He also launched the Omaha-based Leadership Africa Summit for young professionals, leaders and entrepreneurs. A broader audience “It’s designed to promote cultural diversity among young professionals,” he Under the philosophy that “information is the highest commodity on earth,” LeRoc published Cash in with Your Money: Tools for a Better Financial Life in 2011. said. “Both years we’ve had 400 attendees from more than 10 different cities, “Cash in with Your Money is about personal finance. Personal finance itself is some visiting Omaha for the first time, to make an impact in this community. broad, and I tried to focus on the importance of financial literacy education. We have set a date for April 18 in 2020 already.” Keep in mind when I started that journey first, I was very intentional. I didn’t His personal and professional journey continues. just write a book because I wanted to write a book,” he said. “I wanted to solve “A self-employed person has to keep evolving,” he said. “Education is good a problem because I was admitting to myself my own mistakes when it comes but we have to continue to learn about new things so we can become better to finance and I wanted to provide opportunity for that immigrant who was entrepreneurs…People will come up to me and say, ‘Wow, I just read your book; going through the same things.” it impacted me, I learned something.’” He laughed and added: “And then there He quickly discovered a much broader audience. are the people who ask, ‘When is the fourth book coming?’” “When I was asked to speak at Stanford University, I freaked out. I was so LeRoc’s two little girls with wife Gina, Elizabeth (4) and Victoria (2), give nervous to speak to those students. I looked at them like they were rich kids, him reason to keep thinking ahead, too. they were very smart, they knew everything,” he said. “But when I got there to “When I look at them I want to leave a legacy. People think you have to be speak, the room was full. All those students wanted that information. At that really old before making a legacy but I think you should be thinking every day point, no school was teaching personal finance.” LeRoc’s next book was Screw College Debt: How to Go to College without about legacy, because tomorrow is a gift. If you happen not to be here tomorrow, what have you done? What kind of choices have you made?” he said. “To me, Breaking the Bank in 2015. “This important topic was very relevant,” he said. “School teaches us skill and everything I do is for them; they inspire to be successful on my own terms and knowledge in how to make money, but not to manage it.” inspire them every day.” 30
mmagazine • JUne 2019