What College Didn't Teach Me

From Campus to Startup

Four years at the University of Miami gave me a lot: knowledge, a network, and a piece of paper that says I graduated with a 4.0 in my major. I took classes in marketing, psychology, entrepreneurship as well as music business, all of which helped shape how I think. But if I’m being real, most of what’s prepared me for life didn’t come from a classroom. It came from building something on my own.

That something is Crossed, a cannabis-infused seltzer brand I co-founded during college. It started with an idea in a dorm room and turned into a full-blown startup. It taught me more about myself, business, and life than any lecture ever could.

The Gap Between Theory and Execution

In school, you learn frameworks: how to write a marketing brief, how to define your target audience, how to analyze market trends. In the real world, you’re launching ads at 2AM, fixing label errors, writing copy on the fly, and trying to keep your team motivated while still hitting deadlines.

No textbook could’ve prepared me for shipping delays, ad account shutdowns, or the mental grind of showing up every day with no guarantee of success.

But that’s where the learning happens. In the doing. In the failing. In the adapting. College taught me how to think. Crossed taught me how to move.

Lessons from Building Crossed

1. Done is better than perfect.
   If I waited until everything was perfect, Crossed wouldn’t exist. Your first product, post, or pitch won’t be perfect, but you launch, get feedback, and iterate. That’s how you grow.

2. Storytelling > Selling.
   What sells isn’t just what’s inside the can; it’s the story around it. People buy into how you make them feel. I learned to lead with emotion, lifestyle, and shared values, not just ingredients or specs.

3. Consistency beats motivation.
   There were days I was tired, uninspired, overwhelmed. I posted anyway. I followed up anyway. I filmed the ad or called the supplier anyway. Discipline is what carries you when motivation fades.

4. No one’s coming to save you.
   In school, you can email a professor for an extension. In business, if you don’t show up, the opportunity goes to someone else. You learn how to lead, how to solve, and how to fail forward, fast.

The Content Hustle

Between classes and meetings, I’d be editing videos, scripting product launches, or filming content with barely enough storage left on my iPhone. I didn’t have a full team, big budget, or agency resources. I had ideas and the drive to execute.

That taught me how to be resourceful. How to film a product drop in one take. How to get creative when time, budget, or bandwidth is limited. And most importantly, how to communicate authentically in a way that resonates, especially with Gen Z.

To Other Students Balancing School + Side Hustles

Here’s what I’d tell anyone trying to balance a dream with deadlines:

• Treat your side hustle like your main hustle... even if it’s part-time now.

• Use school as a tool, not a trap. Take what’s useful and apply it immediately.

• Say no to what doesn’t serve you. You don’t have to go to every party, join every group, or chase every GPA point. Protect your energy.

• You’re not behind. You’re building. And every late night, failed campaign, and small win is shaping you.

School Taught Me the Rules. Crossed Taught Me the Game.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for college. It gave me a foundation. But what I’m most proud of wasn’t earned through exams or papers. It was built through risk, resilience, and relentless action.

I didn’t just graduate with a degree. I graduated with a brand, a team, and a new way of seeing the world.

And that? That’s something no syllabus could’ve taught me.