You may remember Kamarlo Spooner. We’ve written about him before.
Marlo Da Motivator, as he now refers to himself, served three years in prison for drug sales and firearms convictions and spent much of that time preparing for a career post-release. His first job was as a carpenter’s apprentice. But he realized that being a commercial truck driver offered a better path for him.
After six years working for two different truck driving companies, Spooner secured employment hauling garbage with Waste Management. He eventually moved to Tri-CED Community Recycling. One of Northern California’s largest nonprofit recycling organizations, Tri-CED does curbside recycling collection in Union City and Hayward and is a second chance employer hiring only those with barriers to employment.
Spooner’s workday begins at 5:30 a.m. and lasts until his route is finished, usually about 12:30 p.m. His Teamsters union contract guarantees eight hours of pay, even if his route is done in four hours. Any additional work after that gets overtime pay. And the pay is good.
“Most of the guys are making $170,000 to $200,000 per year,” he says.
Spooner was spending the rest of the day driving a 26-foot truck for his own company, Spooner Hauling, with plans to buy another truck and hire more drivers. He still has the truck, but had to take a hiatus, however, to care for his seriously ill father and settle his affairs after he passed away last fall.
Serving on the Alameda County Labor Council
In the meantime, Spooner serves as an International Brotherhood of Teamsters delegate for the Alameda County Labor Council. The council coordinates community, political and educational programs for more than 135 unions, representing 135,000 workers.
“We listen to other unions who come in, like the nurses. They tell their grievances, and we’ll do phone calls or picket for them. Each union has a representative, and we meet once a month,” he says.
As if he isn’t already busy enough, Spooner has just a few more classes to go before completing his MPA (master of public administration). He plans to use his degree to enter public service.
“At some point I’m going to run for some office. I have some qualities that can be useful on a board for the City of Hayward. Or who knows, maybe I’ll run for mayor one day,” he says. “I think I have a unique set of experiences to offer.
From Reentry to Publishing
Beyond his work driving trucks, representing his union and taking classes, Spooner has expanded his book publishing business by adding three new books.
The most useful of these is Da Money Manual: Financial Freedom for Folks Who Never Got Da Game. The book offers readers “a practical game plan to win financially, even if they’re starting from behind.”
Why he wrote Da Money Manual
Spooner wrote Da Money Manual to give other people the information he would have liked to have himself.
“I grew up and didn’t have a lot of education related to how to manage money,” he says. “A lot of people who have been incarcerated don’t know how to do simple tasks like budgeting, or opening savings and checking accounts.”
He also believes that people in reentry need to shift their mindset from one of always being broke to one of being able to create wealth.
Spooner begins his story by describing how he came home from being incarcerated with:
- A credit score of 444.
- No car, it had been repossessed.
- No house.
- No valid driver’s license.
- $200 in his pocket (that the system gave him).
- Two misdemeanors and two felonies on his record.
But that was then. And he’s done pretty well since.
Marlo Da Motivator’s many accomplishments
His accomplishments include:
- Owning three four-bedroom, two-bath homes and two rental units.
- Running a successful trucking company (now on hiatus).
- Writing and publishing six books.
- A credit score of 839.
- A valid and clean driver’s license.
- Two expunged misdemeanors.
- A Certificate of Rehabilitation and Pardon from the Superior Court of Alameda County.
- Five associate degrees, and a bachelor’s degree.
- Enrollment in a graduate program working towards a master’s in public administration degree.
Spooner shares what he has learned about getting his financial affairs in order in a 100-page easy-to-read format that reads like he’s talking to a friend – that is you. The book includes real life stories that readers will be able to relate to.
Each chapter offers practical advice and ends with a writing exercise in which readers can examine their attitudes toward money and steps they can take to manage it better.
Lessons from the book
If you read the book, you will learn how to:
Change your mindset: Spooner begins by telling readers they must shift their mind on money. Instead of thinking they’ll always be broke, people need to sacrifice and save for the future, like he did. At the end of the chapter, he encourages people to write down their beliefs about money and how they intend to create a mindset of wealth.
Create a budget: As Spooner writes, “A budget is simply telling your money what to do and where to go, instead of wondering what it did and where it went.” He suggests establishing a budget, or “gameplan,” where 50% of your money goes to essential items, 30% to paying down debt and savings and 20% to having fun, whether it’s buying clothes, streaming media or going out.
Restore your credit score: This chapter explains how a credit score is determined and steps you can take to increase it, including obtaining a secured credit card.
Save money: Spooner outlines the reasons why people don’t save and how to create a money-saving system that works.
Get out of debt: After listing the most common types of debt, Spooner recommends creating a document with all of your debts and a practical strategy of how to gradually pay them down.
Establish a side hustle: He encourages people to evaluate their skills and choose a side hustle – a legal one – that uses those skills effectively.
Invest: Spooner explains how to make money work for us, instead of just working for money. Whether it’s buying stocks, investing in real estate of starting your own business, investing is the way to make your money grow.
Create a legacy: A legacy, as Spooner describes it, is not just money passed to the next generation, but “the values you teach, the businesses you build and the blueprint you leave behind for others to follow.” He explains why most people don’t build a legacy but how you can take the steps to create one yourself.
Bonus chapters
The book also includes bonus chapters covering:
- Common money mistakes.
- How to raise financially savvy children, using his own children as examples.
- The importance of not wasting money on clothing, jewelry, cars and other things bought to impress people.
- The value of union jobs.
Creating a curriculum
In addition to publishing Da Money Manual: Financial Freedom for Folks Who Never Got Da Game, Spooner is creating a curriculum that can be used to teach people how to improve their financial lives. He plans to offer a package that includes facilitator training, a facilitator’s guide and copies of the book. And he is currently talking to a company that is considering offering the course to its employees.
Although you may not be able to take the course, you can read the book and do the exercises that Spooner recommends. Whether you’ve recently been released from incarceration and need some help getting started, or been out for a while and are struggling financially, Da Money Manual: Financial Freedom for Folks Who Never Got Da Game will provide an excellent blueprint for your first steps on the path to a sound financial future.
Spooner’s story is a reminder that successful reentry is not simply about finding a job. It can mean building a career, creating businesses, earning a degree, serving your community, building wealth and using what you have learned to help others move forward.
