Erik Petrosyan: From Humble Beginnings to Building a Multi-Faceted Empire

Written in partnership with Cody Smith

Success is always awe-inspiring. It means someone dedicated time and worked hard to make their dream a reality. Still, one thing makes success even more impressive – when someone achieves extraordinary success while coming from nothing: no money, no hedge funds, no friends and family in high places.

Stories like this inspire average Janes and Joes worldwide that they can also achieve anything they want. And they very well encouraged Erik Petrosyan to chase after his dreams. A few years ago, Petrosyan was a simple average Joe with a vision to become an accomplished entrepreneur. Today, thanks to his dedication and hard work, he runs a multi-million-dollar business empire in the freight transport industry.

Erik Petrosyan always knew that his destiny was to become an entrepreneur, but when he got fresh out of college with a BA in Accounting, his hopes quickly went down. With no experience and an empty CV, he could not find a proper job, let alone start a business. The first gig he landed was as a seller in a smoke shop, but for Petrosyan, that job was just a means to an end.

“I worked at a smoke shop when I was younger, working 13 hours a day and making $110 a day,” he says. “I knew this couldn’t be my calling. But my luck turned around when my friend, who worked at a freight brokerage, told me there was a job opening and to come. I had nothing to lose, so I decided to give it a shot. Now, I’m the best in the game.”

Soon after he started as a freight broker, Petrosyan fell in love with the game. He was the middle person between the client and the person transporting the goods. It was up to Petrosyan to ensure that everything went as smoothly as it could and that everyone ended up with a smile on their face. A huge responsibility that requires a lot of resourcefulness and smooth-talking, but at the same time, something that he was thrilled to embrace.

And Petrosyan was good at that game. He could find a trucker willing to transport cargo at any time of day or night. Not long after, he outgrew his cradle and thought, “Why don’t I start doing this for myself instead of for someone else?” That’s when he decided to start his company and make a name for himself. “My dream was finally about to come true. I was still hesitant, but I joined forces with my friend. We made a whole plan; how, when, where. We left nothing to chance, and that’s how EPB Logistics was born,” says Petrosyan.

Three years later, EPB Logistics Inc. turned from a two-person operation into a multi-million-dollar freight brokerage company with 15 employees at their main office in Dallas, TX, and several remote operators across the United States. As Petrosyan reveals, the EPB team is one well-oiled machine that works around the clock to cover all bases and ensures total customer satisfaction. Employees get compensated well for their hard work.

Still, Petrosyan points out that nothing can come by itself as success requires significant commitment, dedication, discipline, and seriousness. “There are times when nothing goes how you want it, but you must have the discipline to show up and still do the required things,” says Erik Petrosyan. “There were days when I wasn’t making any money, but I still showed up because it was the right thing to do.”

Erik Petrosyan further explains that many people give up on their dreams because they lack discipline and refuse to do what is hard. Speaking from experience, he says that one thing he learned from other successful people who weren’t afraid to aim for the stars was that they did everything in their power, even in situations that seemed impossible to win.

“Life is hard all the time, and it sucks. But you have to suck it up and do your thing. That’s the only way to move forward and succeed,” he says. “You have to look for opportunities if you don’t see any and be there when the money calls. And the money never stops calling as money doesn’t sleep. If you are not there, you will miss your chance. This is the mindset you have to have if you want to be successful and turn your dreams into reality.”