CHANDLER, Ariz. — Beating cancer is already a major achievement, but this Valley teen didn't just stop there. He took the experience he gained from his health journey and used it to start a business coaching other kids through tough times.
16-year-old Jose Beltran Jr. -- known as Junior to his friends and family -- started his business to help change the lives of others his age.
“Because being a kid and not being able to do what other kids can do doesn’t feel great," Junior said.
It’s a feeling Junior knows well, after starting a long weight-loss journey.
"I want to help people as much as I can," Beltran Jr. said. "I used to be overweight - like obese. I was 225 pounds at 5’7", which is not great, but I lost 55 pounds.”
That accomplishment, encouraged him to take the leap starting a health coaching business after finishing the Bayless Entrepreneurship Program in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley
The program was started by local businessman Justin Bayless, who uses his skills and resources to help Valley teens in under-served communities start their own businesses. Now, Beltran Jr.'s business is running strong after a big donation from Bayless.
“A lot of the things I learned was how to start a business, how to make one and how to keep it that way," Beltran Jr. said.
Junior runs his business on Instagram. It's called JVB Online. He already has 10 paying clients, earned his personal training certification and is working on his website. “Starting my own business now, it’s been great, it’s been great,” he said.
“These are lots of young people who come together with great ideas and then they have business mentors who actually help them develop their ideas," Cassidy Campana with the Boys and Girls Club said. "Help them write business plans, budgets."
But for Beltran Jr., weight loss wasn't the only battle he had to fight. One day, he got news that no one wants to hear.
"The doctor told me you were diagnosed with cancer and I was like, when you feel that, when they say those words, it’s like, is this real? Where are the cameras?" Junior said. "I couldn’t believe it. It was a hard, hard day.”
After the shocking diagnosis, Junior was eventually able to hear good news too.
“We went to the hospital, they said this is going to be a 99 percent survival rate," Beltran Jr. said. "We were like, whew, we're good.”
So Junior took beating cancer to becoming healthy and started a profitable business to inspire other Valley young people just like himself. He's encouraging other young entrepreneurs to get involved with the program that helped him shine.
Applications for the fifth cohort of the program are open now. At the end of it all, the young entrepreneurs take their ideas and pitch them to a panel for a chance to win $2,500 in seed money.
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