Today we’d like to introduce you to Alvin Hill.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born into circumstances that most people only hear about in cautionary tales. My earliest memories are tied to instability — bouncing between foster homes, boys’ homes, juvenile facilities, and state programs like Independent Living. I didn’t have the luxury of a stable household, a traditional support system, or a roadmap for success. By the time I was 18, the lack of guidance and the pull of survival led me into a situation that resulted in a serious mistake — one that cost me nearly nine years inside the state prison system.
Prison didn’t teach me anything productive. If anything, it showed me everything not to do, and exposed me to the type of stagnation that destroys potential. But when I was released, I stepped back into a world where the easiest path — and the most familiar path — was returning to the streets. I knew how to make fast money, and I knew how easy it was to get pulled back into that environment. So for a period of time, I took advantage of that opportunity and I leaned into it. The streets became my main hustle, and music became my passion project. But I approached the music game differently than most. I studied the business side of it. I learned contracts, marketing, distribution, and how to turn creativity into income. The stage kept me motivated, but the business behind the stage kept me hungry.
Living with one foot in the streets and the other on the stage eventually caught up to me. I found myself fighting a federal case that ultimately led to another four years behind bars. But this time, something in me shifted. I wasn’t willing to repeat the same cycle again. I buckled down, got serious, and earned my associate’s degree while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I realized how much I loved the business side of my creative career, so I made the decision: if I was coming home, I was coming home with a plan. A real one.
Immediately after my release, I enrolled in the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University and simultaneously laid the foundation for what would become Real Life Business Solutions. In the beginning, the business was simple — credit repair services and basic business setup. But I saw the real needs entrepreneurs had. Within a year, I expanded into business credit, websites, automation, and eventually full-scale funnels, marketing support, grants, and the structural tools entrepreneurs need to actually grow. By the time I earned my MBA, I had transformed Real Life Business Solutions into a company that truly helped minority and service-based entrepreneurs turn hustle into structure.
Along the way, I began working with multiple nonprofits through Community Violence Intervention (CVI), supporting youth and adults who grew up facing the same challenges I did. I even established my own nonprofit, Real Life Reentry Resources, dedicated to helping returning citizens reintegrate into society with dignity, resources, and real opportunities. I wanted to be the mentor, guide, and educator I never had.
Through years of coaching, consulting, and watching entrepreneurs struggle with the same barriers again and again, I developed Real Life XP, a complete entrepreneurial and executive development program. Real Life XP is built on the pillars that changed my own life: the right mindset, real motivation, systems and processes that create structure, funding and financial literacy, and the tools required to achieve exponential progress — not slow growth, but transformational growth.
Today, my mission is bigger than business. My goal is to take the Real Life XP framework and teach it across the world — to entrepreneurs, executives, returning citizens, underserved communities, and anyone who believes they are capable of more. I want people to understand that no matter where they start, greatness is still possible. Structure is possible. Success is possible. And exponential progress is possible — in real life, with real work, and with the right guidance.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Some of the biggest challenges I’ve had to overcome weren’t just external — they were deeply personal. One of the hardest lessons I learned on my journey was that you cannot grow and stay the same. And because of that, I had to make the painful decision to separate myself from people I once loved, trusted, and grew up with. Some of these were childhood friends, brothers in the struggle, and people who had been part of my life since I was young. But as I committed myself to a new path, I realized that not everyone would support the changes I was making. Some couldn’t understand my evolution. Some didn’t respect it. And some were actively working against the progress I was building. So for the sake of my purpose, my peace, and my future, I had to cut them off — not out of anger, but out of necessity.
Another challenge I faced was the stigma of my past. Regardless of the degrees I earned, the transformation I went through, or the value I knew I could bring, society didn’t always see that. I’ve been denied job opportunities, interviews, and chances to move forward simply because of my criminal history. It didn’t matter that I was a 4.0 student. It didn’t matter that I was dedicated to rebuilding my life. My past followed me into rooms long after I left those prison walls. But instead of letting that discourage me, it motivated me. Every closed door reminded me why I had to build something of my own, why Real Life Business Solutions needed to exist, and why Real Life XP had to be created — because there are countless people like me who are ready to change but lack opportunities.
On top of all that, I’m a father. I have four kids that I’m responsible for — not just financially, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Balancing fatherhood with entrepreneurship, rebuilding my life, and healing from my past has been one of the greatest challenges I’ve ever faced. There were moments when I questioned whether I could juggle it all. Times when I felt like I was failing them while trying to build a better future. Times when I had to choose between immediate responsibilities and long-term vision. But those kids are also my biggest motivation. They are the reason I refuse to quit, the reason I stay focused, and the reason I push myself to become a better man and a better leader.
These challenges — cutting ties with people I cared about, facing rejection because of my history, and carrying the weight of fatherhood while rebuilding my life — have shaped me into who I am today. They’re the struggles that fuel my coaching, my company, and my commitment to helping entrepreneurs and returning citizens break through their own barriers. If I can transform my life from where I started, then I know others can, too — and I’m dedicated to giving them the tools, mindset, and support to make it happen.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Real Life Business Solutions?
Real Life Business Solutions is built on one mission: helping entrepreneurs turn hustle into structure. We work primarily with minority and service-based business owners who are skilled in their craft but lack the systems, strategy, and support needed to grow. Through a mix of coaching, consulting, automation, business credit, funding guidance, and hands-on implementation, we help entrepreneurs build real businesses that work in real life. We’re known for taking overwhelmed or stuck business owners and helping them create clarity, direction, and momentum through practical, proven solutions.
Our signature framework, Real Life XP: Entrepreneur Acceleration, sets us apart. Real Life XP is a complete roadmap that focuses on the real drivers of growth—mindset, motivation, systems, processes, operations, funding readiness, and exponential progression. It’s not just information; it’s transformation. I built the framework from my own lived experience and professional journey, going from incarceration to earning my MBA and launching a company that now supports entrepreneurs nationwide. That authenticity is our difference. Clients trust us because everything we teach is rooted in real-world application, not theory.
What I’m most proud of is our commitment to accessibility and impact. Whether through our free Real Life XP course, the six-week acceleration program, monthly meetups, or high-level coaching and consulting, we provide actionable pathways for entrepreneurs to scale—no matter where they’re starting from. Real Life Business Solutions is more than a company; it’s a movement designed to help people achieve exponential progress by giving them tools that work, support that’s real, and a blueprint that creates lasting change.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is playing with my friends in the projects. We didn’t have much, but we had each other, and those moments felt like pure freedom. We spent our days doing everything from playing basketball on cracked rims to running around laughing, playing ding-dong-ditch, and making the best of what we had. Looking back now, I understand the deeper effects of growing up in that environment, but at the time, it was just joy, innocence, and the closest thing we had to a carefree childhood.
Pricing:
- Business Formation- $1000
- Non-Profit Formation – $1500
- CRM Software – Starts at $47/m
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reallifebusinesssolutions.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/chosen1jackpot
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/chosen1jackpot
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-hill-rlbs
