TULSA, Okla. — From being a former felon to becoming an entrepreneur, Abraham "Abe" Cruz turned his life around.
"I was always doing something wrong. I was getting into trouble, and we shouldn't live like that," says Cruz.
The 39-year-old was arrested in 2006 for drug-related charges and ended up serving three years in prison in Oklahoma.
"While I was in prison, everyone pretty much counted me out. They said my future was pretty much done with," reflects Cruz on his past.
He knew his life wasn't over and wanted to change that. He says he began writing business ideas in napkins in prison for a brand he named "Forever Faith."
When he was released in 2010, he faced another hurdle.
"Fourteen different jobs you know that I sent in applications... said no," says Cruz.
That didn't stop him. He got a job at a Tulsa gym and started selling Forever Faith t-shirts with a message of hope behind it.
"To never lose your faith. That's why it's forever faith, not sometimes faith, not part-time faith, not only when it's convenient faith, but forever faith," says Cruz.
What started out small has grown into an apparel line and supplements on his website.
Most recently, he was a contestant in Exatlon USA, a TV reality competition series. He also appeared on Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker when he was trying to find love after being incarcerated.
Now, he has a wife and kids and says he owes it all to them.
"I'm happy. I love my life. I'm focused because all my success now is for my family," says Cruz.
He's getting ready to launch his book "Forever Faith: The Abe Cruz Story" this fall with Cedar Gate Publishing.
To preorder a book or for more information on his apparel line and his journey, click here to visit his website.
