Written in partnership with Kody BoyeAt first sight, entrepreneurship, and success reward business owners only with monetary gains, respect, renown, and boundless work opportunities. After experiencing and indulging in the surface-level advantages of wealth, Michael Ciullo, passionate and driven founder of Nsight Health, co-host of the Finding Faith podcast, and a leader of many other business ventures, embarked on a journey of giving back, sharing blessings, and improving local communities through the Ciullo Foundation.
Michael, after turning his life around, generating millions of dollars in revenue, and founding multiple successful establishments, quickly realized the stress and anxiety that comes with successful entrepreneurship. “I felt like I was on a train going down at a hundred miles an hour, and half a mile up the road, I was laying down more rails so the train doesn’t derail,” says Michael. With the adrenaline of working over 100 hours a week pumping in his veins, Michael lost himself along the way, returning to old unethical behaviors.
“It got to a point where I gave up and couldn’t control it anymore,” adds Michael. Overwhelmed, stressed, and with a weakened marriage on his shoulders, Michael, for the first time in years, went to church, seeking any form of solace amidst the chaos. What was supposed to be an escape from everyday struggles for Michael and Angelika, his wife, became the center of their lives. “From only attending church every Sunday, we started listening to worship music and reading Scripture every morning. Suddenly, we felt different and lighter, and our hearts have changed completely,” Michael shares.
The immense transformation that affected Michael’s work life, marriage, and every other aspect of his life inspired him to spread the kindness he’d received at the church. With a desire to contribute, he and Angelika began donating 10% of their income to a local church, volunteering, serving meals to the homeless, and working toward a more generous, amicable future.
Recently, Michael’s business plans have expanded, and the entrepreneur is expecting many more successes to come his way. The optimistic news ignited a fierce desire to help more people and led to the creation of the Ciullo Foundation. Named after the young entrepreneur, the organization will be receiving 10% of Michael’s income, and all profits will be dedicated toward improving the surrounding communities. Whether through supporting churches, missionary trips, building homes, or assisting animal shelters, the Ciullo Foundation is bound to leave a lasting mark on the world. Currently, Michael is in the process of completing the 501(c)(3) tax exemption status, after which the foundation will be able to accept donations and external grants. Michael is expecting the official status change will happen in the next few months.
Now, the Ciullo Foundation is self-funded and created purely out of Michael’s and Angelika’s sacred and unsated urge to give back. In the future, the altruistic pair hopes to attract more entrepreneurs and successful individuals to give back to their communities, either through the Ciullo Foundation or another organization. While both partners are involved in the creation, execution, and mission of the nonprofit, Angelika will be handling day-to-day tasks and ensuring the money received will be allocated to the most appropriate projects.
For Michael, entrepreneurship and success come with tremendous responsibilities. Fulfilling these responsibilities, either through donating, helping at local homeless centers, or simply spreading kindness, adds immense value to the multiple advantages, pleasures, and benefits of financial success.
“If you’ve been blessed, you have a responsibility to be a blessing. I believe the quickest way for one’s soul to die is to accumulate enormous amounts of money, get greedy, and never share it,” shares Michael. “I’ve lived that life, too, and I would never go back. How much money you make will never resolve the troubles you feel from within, and if you spiral and become too materialistic, you will never feel real happiness. For me, the only solution that soothed my soul was the powerful combination of God, purposeful faith, and generosity.”
Michael Ciullo, a forward-thinking entrepreneur, driven business owner, devoted husband, believer of God, and compassionate community member, took an inspiring step toward fostering a more friendly and generous future. After witnessing the power 10% of his profits gave to a local church, he’s committed to spreading kindness further through the Ciullo Foundation and using his blessings to bless others.
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