COVID Destroyed This Rapper, Then He Became A Serial Entrepreneur

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He lost 18 clients in a single week.

One by one, the calls came in.

“We love working with you, but…”

“We have to cut the marketing budget…”

“Let’s pause until we know what’s next…”

By the time the dust settled, Barion McQueen’s agency was dead.

Who is Barion McQueen?

He had just resigned from his job, married the love of his life, and bought a house. Now he was standing in the kitchen, wondering how the hell to tell his wife that they had no income and no plan.

He had built The Brand Castle — a marketing agency where trust was everything. Month-to-month contracts. No long-term commitments. Clients loved the transparency. But when COVID hit, that strength became a fatal flaw.

This is where Barion’s journey begins.

Today, he owns three successful remote businesses — a PR agency, a media studio, and a real estate photography brand.

He lives between New York and Florida. He speaks on stages. He helps business owners become the face of their brand.

But none of that existed when the world shut down in 2020.

Barion had to rebuild from zero in the middle of the worst financial storm of his life.

By the end of this story, you’ll walk away with three powerful takeaways you can apply today to clarify your voice, your story, and your brand.

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He was standing in the kitchen when it hit him.

The calls had stopped. The contracts were gone.

Eighteen clients… down to two.

And there he was — newly married, a mortgage over his head, staring at the floor, trying to figure out how to tell his wife they had no income.

He had quit his job to chase this dream. Built an agency with integrity. Month-to-month contracts. No pressure. No lock-ins. He thought it made him different.

But in the middle of COVID, it made him disposable.

“That trust I built with clients? It gave them an easy exit when things got scary.”

There was no fight left in him. Just silence. And shame.

But something cracked open in that moment, not just fear, but clarity.

If he was going to rebuild, it had to be smarter. Leaner. Focused.

And most importantly, it had to start with just one thing he could control.

Watch the full podcast:

The Rebuild: 3 Lessons That Changed Everything

1. Start Small — With One Skill That Pays

A friend needed photos of a house. Barion had a camera and free time. That one favor turned into a $250,000/year solo business.

“I was doing five shoots a day at $300–400 each. Just me. No team.”

2. Focus on What’s Crisis-Proof & Simple

While other industries tanked, real estate exploded. Barion doubled down — then outsourced everything. Today, he owns the company but doesn’t shoot.

“Now I’ve got shooters, editors. I haven’t touched a camera in years.”

3. Build Your Face Into the Brand

After years of hiding behind logos, Barion realized people buy from people. He rebranded himself as a visibility strategist — and put his face everywhere.

“There are billboards of me in Miami. Because attention is currency.”

The Deeper Truth: Your Wound Becomes Your Weapon

Barion didn’t just build businesses. He built belief.

Belief that you can start over at 35.

Belief that one skill is enough.

Belief that you don’t need to be perfect to be visible.

He now helps other founders do the same. And most of his work doesn’t even begin with PR or content. It begins with fear.

The Now: A New Kind of Entrepreneur

Barion is 39. He owns three businesses. He works remotely. He picks his team carefully and fires quickly.

“Miami sells you the lifestyle — the yachts, the Lambos, the fake success. I moved to upstate New York for peace.”

He’s no longer addicted to growth. He’s addicted to peace.

He has a simple metric now: $300/hour or it’s not worth it.

He knows what his time is worth — and he spends it building brands that last.

💬 Final Thought

There are two kinds of entrepreneurs:

• The ones who look successful

• And the ones who become unshakeable after they’ve lost it all

Barion is the second kind. If you are reading this while still caught in the storm, let Barion's story serve as a reminder to you:

You can start over. You can simplify. You can build something real.

Even if you've lost everything,

Talk Soon

Roman

The Nomad CEO

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