Steven Livingston (most people call me Steve).

I’m a Jamaican-born entrepreneur, small business investor, advisor, husband and father to two amazing girls.  Over the past 2+ decades, I’ve built businesses from scratch, turned around $100M+ corporate divisions, and now focus full-time on growing companies that create real-life impact.

🇯🇲 Where It Started

I was born in Harbor View, Jamaica, in a modest home near the airport. My older brother—Uncle Kiwa to my daughter Sage—and I grew up in Kingston. At Ardenne High, I ranked last in my class—not because I wasn’t capable, but because I hadn’t yet discovered the subjects that sparked me. What I lacked in GPA, I made up for in grit.

I started in finance as a teller at JMMB while pursuing a business degree. That path led me into trading, and by my early 20s I was managing multimillion-dollar portfolios as a fixed income trader and liquidity manager. But I wanted more than just moving money—I wanted to understand how value was truly created.

That realization pushed me to take the leap. I left a well-paying corporate job to start my first distribution business—earning a quarter of what I used to but learning 10x more. It was the best decision I ever made.

💼 The Corporate Chapter

My entrepreneurial roots laid the foundation for a high-impact corporate journey. Over 15 years, I held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s most respected global brands, operating across the Caribbean, North America, and international markets:

• Diageo: Led shopper insights and retail growth across North America; played a key role in developing the company’s eCommerce foundation.

• Colgate-Palmolive: Managed $90M+ commercial operations across club channels (Costco, BJs, Sam’s Club), delivering multimillion-dollar growth and operational savings.

• Walmart: Oversaw $1B+ omnichannel operations; reversed an underperforming $90M category from a $16M loss to an $8M profit in just 15 months. Led strategic marketplace expansion, vendor development, and category scale.

• eBay: Directed strategy for global fashion and sneaker verticals, managing a $2B+ P&L and executing on global partnership, M&A, and data optimization initiatives across the U.S., U.K., Germany, and beyond.

From Kingston to New York, from Hoboken to global boardrooms—I’ve led expansive initiatives, launched market-first innovations, and built teams that moved fast and delivered real results. But after years in the C-suite, I felt the call to return to my entrepreneurial core.

🚀 Where I Am Today

I’m now a full-time entrepreneur, investor, and advisor—living the dream I once journaled about.

Together with my wife, Takia, I own and operate Kitchen Tune-Up and Bath Tune-Up Bloomfield, two award-winning home remodeling franchises serving Northern New Jersey. We’ve completed hundreds of renovations, created jobs in our community, and built a brand that blends craft, care, and consistency.

Beyond our franchise operations, I actively invest in and advise small businesses and early-stage ventures across:

• Hospitality

• eCommerce & Consumer Products

• Home Services

• Wellness & Local Retail

My investment portfolio includes businesses ranging from $2M in annual revenue to fast-scaling startups operating in both niche and competitive categories. I support founders in the U.S., the Caribbean, and globally—helping them fine-tune strategy, streamline ops, build teams, and scale smart.

These businesses aren’t just transactions to me—they represent opportunity, potential, and purpose. I show up not just with capital, but with conviction, mentorship, and operational firepower.

🎯 What I Stand For

I believe in clarity over complexity.
I believe in being the kind of leader who’s willing to roll up their sleeves.
I believe the best businesses are built with purpose and soul—and the best operators are those who’ve been in the trenches.

I’ve helped reverse an eight-figure loss. I’ve scaled P&Ls over a billion dollars. I’ve grown a neighborhood remodeling business into a regional powerhouse. But what I’m most proud of is doing it all while staying grounded, humble, and people-first.

Today, my mission is to help more businesses grow the right way—with systems, smarts, and heart.

💬 Why This Site Exists

ThisIsSteven.com is where I share what doesn’t make the LinkedIn highlights. The failures, the pivots, the unfiltered insights. It’s for entrepreneurs, operators, leaders—and anyone looking to build better.

Whether you’re just starting out or scaling your next chapter—this is your space too.

Welcome.

Let’s build something that matters.