The Early Years…
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta Georgia in a place called Marietta. As a child my favorite pastime was playing in the deep woods with friends, some basic foraging (wild onions, plums, apples, sour grass, etc.), exploring and building forts, with the occasional pinecone war here and there. By the age of 12 I decided that it was time to try my hand at other more lucrative hobbies. I had always been interested in business so I decided to setup shop in my parent’s basement. The very first business was a lawncare operation. I was able to round up three friends, along with one of my four brothers, and we got things started. Each person was assigned a specific role, and as the leader I knew that I should be responsible for most of the work. I went door to door in search of business and did quite well. Services included grass cutting and removal of pine straw and leaves. This experience gave me some much needed confidence and confirmation that I could be successful at business.
Next up I attempted to produce and supply funeral homes with obituaries. The first call to a shiny new funeral home built not too far from my parent’s home. It was so scary in that moment but I felt so alive! I thought my pitch was spot on and to the point;
“I would like to offer my services to your business, I design obituaries and surely can assist your funeral home to standout…”..
Noticing how young I sounded the female voice on the other end chuckled with admiration. No doubt she thought my effort to be adorable, although I meant business! 😊 She politely declined but that wasn’t enough to stop the mounting momentum that was building within. Wishing me good luck she hung up the phone.
The Next Chapter…
The College Years:
By the time I finished high school I had partook in a myriad of business experiences and decided to attend university to deepen my business acumen. I chose Life University where I would acquire a Bachelors in Business and a Bachelors in Health Care Management. Subsequently adding an MBA to the list as well. During my studies I took on several internships and mentorships, as I learned early the benefits of experience combined with theoretical knowledge.
Corporate America:
By the time I graduated from college I had worked several corporate jobs. With each new job I committed to “extracting” all that I could to become a more qualified professional. From the very start I understood that I was building myself so that one day I could build a successful business! I have served in both executive and management capacities for multiple companies over the last twenty plus years. Some of those companies include; Digistor, Compbenefits, Chase Bank, Apple and Home Depot Corporate.
A New Start:
In 2009 I was laid off from Chase Bank. It was at the height of the economic downturn and businesses were slashing jobs left and right. I felt that I had made some pretty good decisions up to that point so I decided to take a leap of faith! After months of contemplation I decided that I would go into business for myself. This wasn’t easy as I had accumulated a lot of stuff and thus had so much on the line.
My first attempt at business was consulting, and so immediately got on the horn to promote that there was a new, very sharp, business mind on the scene who could aid small to medium sized organizations to the next level! Partnering with the Chamber of Commerce and Cobb County schools, I had the opportunity to work with educators, administrators, elected officials and some very amazing students. I ended up mentoring dozens of students, and some administrators, on business and finance. Several of the students I mentored I worked with throughout their college careers, including grad school, and ultimately to their first career job. I can’t tell you how many letters of recommendation and calls I made on behalf of my students.
During all of this I realized that I had a passion for developing others. It made me feel fulfilled and productive (more to come on that).
Soon after I decided to become a book publisher, as I had previously written four books myself and thought I could help others along the way and make money in the process. I successfully published a number of Authors and had a great team, however, having little to no experience at that time on how to maneuver through the many challenges that presented themselves, I would eventually have to cease operations. It was a very difficult decision that came with a lot of bad press, nonetheless, I was able to walk away with a wealth of knowledge on what not to do next time around. The experience was tough and left me in a state of just wanting to return to the corporate world in order to avoid the difficulties of running my own business. For the next 8 years I would do just that, work and learn, build a corporate career, and live life. During that time I took up meditation and self-improvement training.
After five years of studying and personal development workshops I realized that I missed the people aspect of what I used to do. I noticed that any opportunity to share information, help someone develop and get them to the next level, made me feel alive, no matter what the situation was. After years of searching, reading, and self-reflection, I was finally clear on what I needed to do. For two more years I would read, take part in more workshops and meet with different groups. I even hired an amazing business coach out of Ethiopia for guidance.
The Professorship: In 2017 I became a professor for Georgia Piedmont Tech, where I taught business courses. Armed with years of corporate experience and the know how to manage one’s self to WIN, I readied myself for another go at entrepreneurship. Although there had been many challenges on my journey, I understood that the ONLY way I would learn to WIN was to experience really difficult times and overcome them!
As a professor I was fortunate enough to teach the following disciplines and work some amazing students, professors and faculty;
- Project Management
- Human Resource Management
- Employment Law
- Business Plan Development
- Principles of Management
- Organizational Behavior
- Leadership
- Introduction to Business
- Business Ethics
- Performance Management
- Quality Management Principles
- Production/Operations Management
