★ Out Now on Amazon
Journey Began: An Inspirational Business Memoir About Building From Nothing
She carried everything she owned in a brown paper bag. The shoes on her feet were borrowed. What she carried that nobody could see built five generations — and one of them wrote it all down.
Journey Began is an inspirational business memoir by Eddrick Javon Trumpler about building a South Florida business while working a full-time job, with no investors and no inheritance. The book blends entrepreneurship, faith, perseverance, and a five-generation Black family legacy rooted in Dorothy Bell Hunt's 1957 journey from Dawson, Georgia, to Miami.
★ Out Now
Journey Began by Eddrick Trumpler
Carrying a Brown Paper Bag and a Borrowed Pair of Shoes
The business memoir for the entrepreneur who didn't start with money. No investors. No inheritance. Just the honest story of building something real from almost nothing: the failures, the losses, and the family grit that carried five generations. See all book details
Not sure yet? Read a free sample on Amazon
Reader response
“This book is raw, authentic and vulnerable.”
Amazon reader review, June 23, 2026 · Read reviews on Amazon
Five Generations. One Promise Kept.
Watch the Journey Began Book Trailer
Ninety seconds on the story behind the book — press play.
For Shoe Dog Readers
If you loved Shoe Dog, start here
Journey Began was written for readers who loved Shoe Dog. Both are honest, first-person founder stories about how close the business came to failing; Journey Began starts from a full-time job, with no investors and no inheritance.
Shoe Dog is one of the most frequently recommended business memoirs on Goodreads and similar book-discovery lists. Journey Began joins that conversation from a working-class starting line.
| Shoe Dog | Journey Began | |
|---|---|---|
| Founder | Phil Knight, Nike | Eddrick Trumpler, Amped Auto Rentals |
| Starting point | A small loan and a big idea | A full-time job, no investors, no inheritance |
| Heart of the story | How close Nike came to failing | Building from nothing, and the family grit behind it |
| Family thread | Knight's own family | Five generations, starting with a 1957 bus ride |
The Book
What is Journey Began about?
Journey Began is about building a real business from almost nothing, and the family grit that made it possible. It is a true story, not a self-help book: part memoir, part field guide, following a working-class founder through starting, losing and rebuilding.
It is written for readers building something without a safety net — working-class founders, people growing a side business around a job, and anyone looking for an African American business memoir rooted in faith and family legacy. Read the full answer to what Journey Began is about, or see every detail on the Journey Began book page.
The Author
Who is Eddrick Trumpler?
Eddrick Trumpler founded Amped Auto Rentals, a multi-vehicle rental operation in South Florida, which he built while working a full-time job, with no investors and no inheritance. He lives in Miami Gardens, Florida, is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, and is the family historian who wrote his grandmother's story down.
"I'm not a celebrity founder or a Fortune 500 CEO — and that's the point. I wrote it all down so the next person with more grit than capital knows it can be done."
More about author Eddrick Trumpler →Book Eddrick for your book club, podcast or event: contact Eddrick Trumpler.
The Roots
Dorothy Bell Hunt and a Five-Generation Black Family Legacy
Dorothy Bell Hunt's 1957 bus ride from Dawson, Georgia, to Miami, carrying a brown paper bag and wearing a borrowed pair of shoes, became the starting point of a five-generation family story.
Dawson, in southwest Georgia, is where the family's roots run five generations deep. South Florida is where Dorothy Bell Hunt settled, and where her grandson later built his business. Journey Began is dedicated to her, and it keeps a promise to write her story down. Read the family story behind the book and the notebook she left behind.
Part Memoir, Part Field Guide
Business Lessons for Entrepreneurs Building From Nothing
The book's business lessons come from real decisions, not theory: what it takes to build something from the edges of a full-time job.
- Building a business around a full-time job, one step at a time
- Rebuilding after a first business fails
- Protecting your credit and reading the paperwork before you sign
- Spotting financing that looks like a lifeline but works like a trap
- Running a real rental operation: vehicles, guests, and logistics (read what to know before starting a car rental business)
- Using modern tools like AI to do the work of a bigger team
- Naming and building a brand after the business is real
He started small, kept his job, and reinvested early revenue — after starting and losing a travel agency first. Read how to start a business while working full time and starting a business with zero capital.
The Journey
Latest writing on building a business from nothing
Honest notes on how to start a business while working a full-time job, and the faith and family story behind it all.
The Build
How to Start a Business While Working a Full-Time Job
Start with one. Keep your job. Let the business pay for the business. What actually worked around my shifts.
Read the post →The Build
Starting a Business With Zero Capital: What It Really Takes
No money. No investors. The honest story of what worked when I had more grit than capital, failures included.
Read the post →The Book
What Is Journey Began About?
Deciding whether to read it? Here's the honest answer to what the book is, where it came from, and who it's for.
Read the post →Frequently asked questions
Last updated: September 29, 2026
What is Journey Began about?
Journey Began is an inspirational business memoir by Eddrick Javon Trumpler about building a South Florida business while working a full-time job, with no investors and no inheritance. The book blends entrepreneurship, faith, perseverance, and a five-generation Black family legacy rooted in Dorothy Bell Hunt's 1957 journey from Dawson, Georgia, to Miami.
Who wrote Journey Began?
Eddrick Javon Trumpler wrote Journey Began. He is a South Florida author and entrepreneur and the founder of Amped Auto Rentals. It is his debut book.
Is Journey Began a true story?
Yes. Journey Began is a memoir, a true account of the author's family across five generations and of his own path building a business while working full time. It is dedicated to his late grandmother, Dorothy Bell Hunt.
Is Journey Began like Shoe Dog?
Journey Began was written for readers who loved Shoe Dog. Both are honest, first-person founder stories about how close the business came to failing. Journey Began starts from a working-class place: a full-time job, no investors and no inheritance.
What business did Eddrick Trumpler build?
Eddrick Trumpler founded Amped Auto Rentals, a multi-vehicle rental operation in South Florida, which he built while working a full-time job, with no investors and no inheritance. That business journey became part of the foundation for Journey Began.
Who should read Journey Began?
Journey Began is for readers building something without a safety net: working-class founders, people growing a side business around a job, and anyone who finished Shoe Dog wanting a story closer to their own. It is not a step-by-step how-to manual.
Where can I buy Journey Began?
Journey Began is available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions. Current prices are shown on Amazon.
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