About Us
A Personal Note from Mike
I won't sell you dreams of overnight millions or promise blueprints for passive wealth. What I can share is the raw truth of building something real from less than nothing – multiple times.
In 2017, fresh out of an 18-month prison stint, I built Ruggiero Landscaping to $125K with no license. By 2018, I thought I had it figured out. Then I lost everything – equipment stolen, back in cuffs, rock bottom.
January 9th, 2019, sitting in a cell facing another DUI and a 6-year license suspension, I made a choice. Start over. Do it right. No shortcuts.
Building back meant paying a full-time driver from day one. It meant starting with just a truck, adding a dump trailer one year, a Scag mower the next. Five years later, we've hit $725K in revenue, built sustainable systems, and grown into commercial services. More importantly, I found myself – and love – along the way.
Now in 2025, as I finally get my license back, I'm launching Light Up The Dead not as another business guru platform, but as a sanctuary for warriors facing their own battles. Whether you're rebuilding a life, fighting inner demons, or seeking unshakeable purpose, this is where we turn our darkest moments into fuel for transformation.
To Danielle – my high school crush turned life partner and business force – thank you for believing in us through every battle. That chapter's done. Time to light up the dead spaces and rise into who we're meant to be.
Welcome to the fire, Mike Ruggiero
About Light Up The Dead
From cancer battles and prison cells to building a $700K business from scratch, my path has been one of continuous death and rebirth. Each setback – addiction, loss, starting over – taught me that our darkest moments fuel our brightest transformations.
Light Up The Dead shares these hard-earned lessons through weekly letters, combining street-level wisdom with spiritual warfare tactics. Whether you're rebuilding a life, fighting inner demons, or seeking unshakeable purpose, this is your sanctuary for authentic transformation.
Join our growing community of warriors.
Your past isn't your prison – it's your proving ground. Let's light up those dead spaces and rise together.
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