A.G.M. Slideshow
- 1. C.E.O. /Writer Ashton G. Mendez Presents The Making of The A.G.M Publishing Empire Taking the industry to a whole different level one book at a time.
- 2. What do you want to be when you grow up? I always wanted to become a millionaire from as far back as I could remember. I always wanted to be an elite. Someone who call the shots .Some people call it being high minded ,I call it just being me. Whatever I do I want to be the best at it. I live for challenges I believe there are no problems only solutions .Every conquest builds and fortify my belief system. I don’t believe in luck, I invest in proper preparation ,research ,perseverance and timing .I am the captain of my ship, my destiny is determined to a large degree by the choices I make.
- 3. Stepper the General You have to start from the bottom and work your way up. A General must first be a good soldier .One who takes and obey orders without asking questions. To ask why is a sign that you question the competence of those issuing the orders. This could be construed as disloyalty or treason. The penalty is death. A person who is untrustworthy is a liability, no one can afford. The streets are always watching for signs of weakness. The weak are food to be consumed by the strong. The streets could be cold and unforgiving. Environment forge mentality .Mine made me into what I became. A street general who was prepared to do whatever was necessary to survive and thrive.
- 4. Money Power Respect In the Streets the most ambitious among us sacrifice their lives to become wealthy. With that wealth comes power to move people to your will. Respect comes from the lives you make better because of your wealth. Some prefer to be feared .These are usually the ones who get betrayed by someone close who are well aware of the consequences of failure or betrayal. Individuals who know enough dirty little secrets to destroy from within . Power is a balancing act, you have to know when to be a lion and when to be the fox. When you are on top everybody wants to bring you down so that they could wear your crown. So be careful who you offend. One day that same person might be your savior or executioner, depending how you treated them.
- 5. Money the root of all evil? Some people love money, I don’t .Money has no power but the power you give it. Money brings out what we have inside of our hearts and mind. It reveals our true nature and bring us out from behind our façade. Tell a person no and you will see an ugly side of them you may not even be able to recognize. If you have no principles or morals you can easily be bought. People who come with price tag are not to be trusted. They sell themselves to the highest bidder so there is no loyalty only greed. A lot of people tried to buy me but I was never for sale which made my value and reputation highly valued in the streets. A reputation can make you or break you .You have to decide what kind of message you want to put out there. The message I sent was when I’m with you its to the end and I will never betray you as long as you stay loyal to me and no amount of money, jewelry ,cars, women or whatever could change that.
- 6. The more you have the more you want. Greed, jealousy, envy, lust are four things that usually bring those who fly high crashing down from lofty heights of accomplishments. Set goals and stick to them and save your money for a rainy day, because sometimes when it rains it pours. Don't look at what another person has because you don’t know what they had to do to get it. What may work for them might not for you. Stay in your lane you will get whatever your hand call for. But don’t try to compete with somebody who has deeper pockets. You will always come up short and find yourself broke and alone. At some point you have to be satisfied with your accomplishments or you will just pursuing an illusion never to be obtained. Madness!!!!!!
- 7. Death Before Dishonor Standing tall when the Feds came for me was never an option. I fought them in the courts and lost. I was devastated but I took my long sentence, put it in my back pocket and did it like a man. The real always remain real. The paper gangsters will always make excuses why they folded under pressure and betrayed those within their circle. Slaves to material things. The same things the Feds threaten to take away . I knew that I would always be me with those material things or not. They don’t define who I am .So the fear of losing cars ,jewelry ,money or women did not phase me. My freedom was precious to me ,but not at the cost of selling out someone else. My integrity and reputation is everything to me .A coward is selfish without any moral code but to survive. Which makes him no different from a snake that crawls on its belly and bites indiscriminately in the name of survival. Repulsive!
- 8. Do the time don’t let the time do you. When you are doing time the people that love you are with you no matter the span of distance or time, constant and loyal. Others fade in and out during the duration of the sentence. Very few in number stand firm without wavering their support. These are in a category all by themselves. I always treat people how they treat me ,they deserve nothing less. Then there are those who do nothing but expect everything set out for them .Doing time shows you who are really with you and vice versa .I made sure I made the time count. Writing was very therapeutic for the mind and a good investment for the future. While others were building their bodies in the gym, I was in the library building my mind and doing my research on the publishing industry to help those going down the same negative path I diverted from.
- 9. Sick and tired of being sick and tired Comes a time when you realize that the life you are living is insane .Jail, death or paralysis. are the three options the streets offer us yet most of us feel we can win. That’s insane .Insanity is playing a game we can’t possibly win. I was one of the lucky ones who came into realization , that if I wanted to live I would have to change every aspect of my death style. Food ,friends ,bad habits, negative beliefs. Everything! It was not easy to purge myself but I knew mind over everything else. I wanted to live for the first time in a long time and it felt good. When I was in the street I lived day to day, knowing my life could be taken by an enemy at anytime. In my mind I was already dead.
- 10. A promise is a promise My mother was my rock and my salvation. She was my ride or die .She helped me to maintain my sanity during all those year of zombie prison life .After I lost trial to the Feds she came to visit me and she cried a river of tears. As though she had lost her only child to death. It was there behind the flexi- glass that I realized it was me who was causing this queen I loved more than life itself so much pain. Time was wearing her down ,just as it had stolen much of my youth It was at this point that I made the conscious choice to change my life from negative to positive. I had been selfish for too long in my actions. I had always believed it was only me doing the time. When it was actually we.
- 11. Ashley My daughter was born four months before the Feds came to take me away from society. When they had me boxed in outmanned and out gunned. They asked me basically one question. ”Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way” .I chose life ,not out of fear because death was my constant companion ,but out of a sense of paternal duty to her, because she was an innocent who did not ask to come to this world. Because of the wrong choices I made before she was even born ,I was forced to leave her unprotected and venerable to the evils of this world. One of life’s irony. I had been a protector and enforcer for many years for people who were nothing to me biologically.
- 12. When life gives you lemons make lemonade Urban Bible was my first step into the publishing industry. I wrote numerous books during my incarceration which I knew would benefit me and those within my inner circle in the future. Other titles include, In me I trust ,Aggravated, Phya and Ice, Let sleeping dogs lay, Two of a Kind, Once Upon A time In Brooklyn, Ice, Don Dadda, The family, The Untouchables ,Should a Would a Could a, Twisted, Black Heart.
- 13. Book by book Breaking The Cycle is my second book which was distributed not only by Amazon.com but by most of the major book channels around the world.10,000 downloads in less than 16 hours. A major stripe in the literary world. Made me a world class writer. My stories are based on the reality taking place in most urban cities today .Therefore the masses can identify with the storylines. My goal is not to follow in any other writer who came before me footsteps .Instead I would like to make my own impact in the Gritty Urban Book Genre .Like the legends Donald Goines and Iceberg slim who’s graphic books inspired my writing style. With each book that is published I will rise to another level in the industry, until I reach the top. Respect to all the other writers, but this is something that I must do.
- 14. Breaking The Cycle This was my intro to the publishing world. My first promo video.
- 15. A.G.M. Casa Blanca Hard work pays off
- 16. Foundation My dad and Step mother always taught me discipline and moral values. They always believed that I was capable of great things if I believed and worked hard pursuing my goals. The same principles I applied in the streets is my secret weapon I will utilize for the publishing industry. Mind over everything. Excellence have been programmed into my psyche. It’s the fuel I will use on my journey making history .I want to be an example that it could be done, giving hope to the hopeless. At the same time bringing honor and glory to the family name instead of notoriety and infamy.
- 17. No man is an island Every man needs a good woman he can depend on ,that is 100 % for his progression and success. One who will assist him to reach his maximum potential. Beside every successful man is a good and strong woman who will remind him to stay the course. Knowing that they are in the struggle together. People think you go out and look for good women. They are wrong. She will find you but you must be able to recognize her quality and worth or she will elude you and slip through your fingers. When you are traveling on a positive path, good people will come into your life who can assist you with your goals. For those who believe you don’t need anyone but self, I'm here to tell you that you are wrong.
- 18. No going back!!! Before After
- 19. Team A.G.M
- 20. Team A.G.M
- 21. Team A.G.M.
- 22. Team A.G.M
- 23. My agent/Lenny Augustine When you come across someone who believes in you and your vision and is willing to invest time, knowledge and finance. You ask him to become your agent or representative because he is fully aware of your potential without a doubt. Anyone who invests in you means to see that investment flourish which amounts to a win win business relationship.
- 24. A.G.M. Publishing Empire Reality Manifested