Entrepreneurship – STEMedia

#EngineeringGreatness – A must read!

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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One very basic definition of an engineer is simply one who is a “problem solver”. In the profession, this typically involves using the principles of math and physics to derive a desired solution. However, in a general sense, engineering is also something that happens in our everyday life, whenever we use available resources to find the solutions to navigate whatever challenges we may face.

Often though, it is the abundance of tough challenges and difficult circumstances in life that lead many to embrace low or mediocre expectations for themselves, others or the world around them. For some it may be the expectation to eventually drop out of school simply because no one else in your family has ever gone past a certain level of education. For others, it may be the expectation of always being a part of a broken home, mainly because long-lasting marriages are rarely seen in your community. Perhaps there is economic or emotional poverty that you find yourself struggling with. Or maybe even for some, it is a literal physical or mental condition which seems that it will forever limit your performance. Whatever the situation may be, I believe that God is able to do “exceeding abundantly above” anything that you expect for your life and this is done according to the “power that works in [you]”.

Therefore, you don’t have to be a victim of circumstance, but rather become a master of it. We have the potential to not merely meet these expectations, but to EXCEED all expectations. In spite of the expectations held by our peers, our family, society or even ones we’ve placed upon ourselves! Whatever the obstacle, whatever the impediment, whatever the challenge, whatever the problem, know that it can be conquered and not only that, but the problem can be solved in such a way the world has never seen before. #EngineeringGreatness

By: Nehemiah J. Mabry, PhD Founder and President of STEMedia who wholeheartedly believes “there is something inspiring about inspiring.”

Creative Arts

Introducing the NSBEpreneur Podcast, produced by STEMedia

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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The NSBEprenuer™ S.I.G. has launched brand new podcast series produced by media company, STEMedia™ Incorporated! The podcast will focus on sharing stories of successful minority entrepreneurs and helpful resources for startups and small business owners. Though designed for National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Professionals membership, the series will be made available through popular audio channels such as iTunes and Stitcher Radio.

Entrepreneurship

How noticing a market-hole at work led to the…

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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NSBEpreneur Podcast, produced by STEMedia
Show Notes

Episode 1 – Jewel Burks (Interview): How noticing a market “hole” at work led to the launching of Partpic

Jewel Burks is co-founder and CEO of Partpic, an Atlanta based startup designed to streamline the purchase of maintenance and repair parts using computer vision technology. Partpic has raised over $1.5 million in seed funding to integrate its proprietary technology into mobile apps and websites of parts distributors and retailers.

In addition to leading Partpic, Jewel also serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence for Diversity Markets at Google. She works to help underserved business owners attract and engage customers using Google’s business tools. Prior to founding Partpic, Jewel served in management and enterprise sales roles at McMaster-Carr and Google. Jewel is a native of Nashville TN, and graduate of Howard University.

Random Fact:
Jewel likes to paint in her free time. She once tried selling her paintings as a business in high school.

The Idea:
Here idea for Partpic came while working for a major parts distributor in Atlanta, GA. She noticed a hole in the marketplace and decided to fill it!

First Steps:
She shared her idea with a few people for honest feedback. This included a former coworker (eventual co-founder) and her mom ( an entrepreneur herself). After confirmation, she dove head first into research about the industry.

Early Challenge:
It was a surprise to find out that an existing software could not be used to quickly build the product but things needed to be created from the ground up.

Advice:
1. Have Faith – The most important thing to her journey has been to remember to be faithful and know that this are going to work out.
2. Get Validation – Talk to people and make sure people actually want what you are creating.

*Book and/or Resource:
1. “The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses” by Eric Ries
2. “Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers” by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur

*Books are Amazon affiliate links.

Favorite Quote:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” –Proverbs 3:5,6

Contact info:
Partpic.com
Twitter: @Partpic & @Jewelmelanie

Creative Arts

How a personal passion for journaling and a natural…

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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NSBEpreneur Podcast, produced by STEMedia
Show Notes

Episode 2 – Dr. Maeling Murphy (Interview): How a personal passion turned into a lucrative business.

Dr. Maeling Murphy is the creator of NaturalChica.com, a leading natural hair and lifestyle site, which was started in 2009. She is a wife, mom and an avid learner with interests in healthy living, web development, photography and video production. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2015.

Random Fact:

Maeling loves journaling and has kept a consistent journal since the fourth grade.

The Idea:

It initially began as a personal plan to document her natural hair journey and encourage others who were also in the process through online journaling. Once she noticed her growing audience it dawned on her that she could leverage it as a business.

First Steps:

It was a lot of networking in the beginning and so she reached out to several individuals to simple learn from them and find out what they were doing. As she started to share more information on her site she found that more people started to come to her with questions. She then started attending several natural hair events to further connect with companies that were interested in partnering for reviews, advertising, etc.

Early Challenge:

Convincing potential clients of the value she had to offer when there were many others in the industry who were doing it for free.

Advice:

Create an LLC – Taxes are a huge part of running a business.
Be Confident – Trust your ability, value and what you have to offer the world.
Don’t use the path of others to define success for your own life.

*Book and/or Resource:

“Unstoppable: 45 Powerful Stories of Perseverance and Triumph from People Just Like You” Book by Cynthia Kersey
Evernote – organization app

*Books are Amazon affiliate links.

Favorite Quote:

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” –Arthur Ashe

Contact info:

Facebook: /NaturalChica

Twitter: @NaturalChica

Instagram: @theNaturalChica

Creative

A Military Veteran and former Science Major Join Forces…

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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NSBEpreneur Podcast

Show Notes

Episode 3 – Michael Garvin (Interview): A Military Veteran and former Science Major Join Forces to start a Sneaker Boutique

Michael Garvin is co-founder of REDtro Habitat, a sneaker restoration and consignment apparel store. The business provides restoration of old or new sneakers, redesigning custom or exclusive sneakers, and consignment apparel. The initial restoring and repairing sneakers to a factory look is the primary focus and the base of their work; however retail is the majority of what is done. REDtro Habitat is located in the downtown area of Fayetteville, North Carolina. The organization is committed to providing the highest quality workmanship and customer service, while supporting the sneaker community with another location to purchase goods and services. To be successful, they implement and maintain the latest, exclusive trends in sneakers and apparel, while training likeminded employees/team members.

Random Fact:

Michael is a wounded warrior, a war veteran who still currently serves our country in the military.

The Idea:

A conversation sparked after watching a TV commercial which lead to a plan for starting the first local sneaker boutique in Fayetteville, NC. Both founders drew upon the youth experiences and ongoing love for nice shoes as inspiration to offer something that was missing in the existing market.

First Steps:

They wrote out a business plan which got the idea out from inside their heads. They examined the target market, price points, locations, etc… From there they combined funds to establish a starting inventory, secured the necessary permits and launched the business on the designated start date.

Early Challenge:

Reading the motives of others. Determining who, of the individuals came around them, had their best interest in mind versus just wanting to hop on the bandwagon.

Advice:

It’s OK to hear “No” – You will hear a lot of “No’s” from people at first but keep a clear vision of your goal and keep moving towards it.
Stay earlier and don’t waste any time #TimeisMoney – Make sure every minute you are doing something positive towards your goal
Always Plan and Progress
Don’t Forget about the People who care about you

*Book and/or Resource:

“The Art Of War” (book) by Sun Tzu
“The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage)” (book) by Barak Obama

*Books are Amazon affiliate links.

Quote:

7 Ps – “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance“ – Military Adage

Contact info:

RedtroHabitat.com

Facebook: /REDtroHabitatSneakerBoutique

Twitter: @RedtroHabitat

*BONUS Video: REDtro Habitat Sneaker Boutique: The Journey Begins

Entrepreneurship

Blendoor: A new app to combat discrimination and bias…

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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NSBEpreneur Podcast

Show Notes

Episode 5 – Blendoor: A new app to combat discrimination and bias during the job application process. (Interview w/ Stephanie Lampkin)

Stephanie Lampkin is the founder and CEO of Blendoor – a mobile job matching app that facilitates diversity recruiting in tech companies by circumventing unconscious bias. Despite very humble beginnings, Stephanie first learned to code at 14 through BDPA, by 15 she was a full stack web developer and by 16 a network admin. Fast forward 17 years, Stephanie has worked in tech for companies like Northrop Grumman, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Deloitte and TripAdvisor, but is now focused full time on changing how people, organizations and companies connect in a way that fosters diversity. Stephanie graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Management Science & Engineering and MIT Sloan with a MBA.

Random Fact:

Despite being from the inner-city (Washington, D.C.), Stephanie qualified for the Junior Olympics for Downhill Skiing at the age of 16 and it still continues to be one of her favorite activities.

The Idea:

She questioned common excuses given for the lack of diversity in tech companies; such as a forced “lowering of standards” and “lack of qualified candidates” in the pipeline. After personal experiences and learning more about what is known as “unconscious bias” of employers, she decided to do something to help diversity recruiting for tech companies.

First Steps:

Stephanie participated in several business ‘pitch competitions’ and received validation for her idea while winning a number of cash prizes. On the technical side, she spent 3 months in her mother’s basement coding the first version of the software herself.

Early Challenge:

She had no Human Resources (HR) experience and had to learn all about the social science behind the industry in order to appropriately target this viable niche.

Advice:

Start with finding like-minded people – talk amongst people you respect and have expertise in the given space.
Doing it alone is really tough but doing it with people who are not completely aligned with your vision, nor have the skill-set you need, is even tougher.
Have a really strong plan on how you will build your team.

*Book and/or Resource:

“Outliers: The Story of Success” (book) – Malcolm Gladwell
Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Series – Stanford University (Host Recommended)

*Books are Amazon affiliate links.

Quote:

“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Contact info:

Blendoor.com

Twitter: @_Blendoor

Facebook: www.facebook.com/blendoorapp

Creative

It’s Not Complicated: INC Tutoring is making a direct…

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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NSBEpreneur Podcast

Show Notes

Episode 6 – It’s Not Complicated: INC Tutoring is making a direct impact in the lives of students. (Interview w/ Jay Veal)

Jay Veal is the Founder and CEO of INC Tutoring, a private, prescriptive tutoring company specializing in individual one-on-one tutoring that achieves RESULTS. Serving clients at all academic levels in math, science and standardized test preparation, their tutors are passionate about providing a collaborative learning environment specifically tailored to the student’s learning style. The curriculum is not a “one size fits all” cookie cutter template but a holistic one that includes input from parents teachers and the student to develop lessons that foster accelerated learning/ which equals lower customer cost. INC Tutoring is one of the most sought after tutoring organizations and the only minority owned, private, prescriptive tutoring company in the Dallas area.

Random Fact:

Jay is bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish; which he learning as the child of military parents once stationed in Arizona.

The Idea:

He started tutoring college students in Math as a 10 year. Throughout the years he continued to get request for teaching and tutoring in the STEM subjects. After a short stint actually teaching Math in high school, her discovered that it was a way for him to combine his passion with profit.

First Steps:

He first steps were to master the craft of teaching. He recognized that effective teaching s quite different than simply delivering information. Next, his goal was to build clientel and beginning marketing both online and going door to door.

Early Challenge:

It was a surprise to find out that an existing software could not be used to quickly build the product but things would need to be create from the ground up.

Advice:

Start your company as early as early as you can.
Guard your ideas – Hone in on things that you are passionate about
Keep Your Drive – To the point that no one else can beat you at your own game.

*Book and/or Resource:-

“Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller – Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century” (book) by Napoleon Hill
“Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!” (book) by Guy Kawasaki
Coursera.org – Take free online classes from 120+ top universities and educational organizations
MITx – Free Courses from MIT | edX

*Books are Amazon affiliate links.

Favorite Quote:

“To lead an orchestra, you must turn your back on the crowd.” –Aristotle

Contact info:

http://www.inctutoring.com/

Email: info@inctutoring

Jay Veal on LinkedIN

Twitter: @INCTUTORING

Facebook: /ItsNotComplicatedTutoring

Instagram: @inctutoring

Creative

Double Duty: Entrepreneurship as a franchisee and publishing company…

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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NSBEpreneur Podcast

Show Notes

Episode 7 – Double Duty: Entrepreneurship as a franchisee and publishing company owner (Interview w/ Keith Sylvester)

Keith Sylvester’s entrepreneurial pursuits began shortly after he graduated from college. He owns a franchise with LegalShield, a company that provides high quality legal and identity theft services. The legal plan gives members access to over 6900 attorneys for situations ranging from the trivial to the traumatic, and the identity theft plan provides industry leading monitoring, consultation, and restoration. Keith is the CEO and founder of eBook Solutions which is a book publishing company that provides digital and physical book publishing services, provides online and offline book promotion services, and help authors develop/expand their author platform. Keith’s main goal is to provide the best customer service to his clients by listening to their needs and providing the best solutions to their problems. He is also an active member of the NSBE Professionals national board.

Random Fact:

Keith is a HUGE comic book fan who spends time reading and buying them. He stays up to date on the stories of both Marvel and DC, and he also enjoys watching the movies as well.

The Idea:

The idea of having his own business, and being his own boss, was always intriguing to Keith. His first taste came from a real estate opportunity a friend offered after college. However, his start of trying things independently began when he was approach by a gentleman who explained the concept of LegalShield to him. After growing as a successful franchisee, that experience lead to the start of another company, eBook Solutions; and the rest is history.

First Steps:

After hearing a lot about digital publishing and kindle ebooks, he began to learn the process for himself. He learned how to convert published hard copies of books and make them available on various platforms. This became a service he offered aspiring authors, along with promotion, which became the core of eBook Solutions. He pitches these services as opportunity for individuals to have the “ultimate business card”, their own published book.

Advice:

Just Start.
Don’t Wait.
The bad is going to happen – The quicker you can get the bad out the way the faster you can get to the good.

*Book and/or Resource:-

“How to Win Friends & Influence People” (book) by Dale Carnegie
“The Richest Man in Babylon” (book) by George S. Clason
“The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness” (book) by Jeff Olson
“The Entrepreneur’s Solution: The Modern Millionaire’s Path to More Profit, Fans & Freedom” (book) by Mel H. Abram
Mind Meister (www.mindmeister.com)

*Books are Amazon affiliate links.

Favorite Quote:

“Play now and pay later or pay now and play later.” –John C. Maxwell

“…But either way, you gotta pay.” – Keith Sylvester

Contact info:

www.ksylvester.com

www.ebooksolutions.org

Business Phone # 404-692-3583

Entrepreneurship

Happy Holidays!: 7 Gifts from the First 7 Interviews…

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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NSBEpreneur Episode 8 – Happy Holidays!

Our Final Podcast Episode of 2015 will feature a collection of the best “gifts” (i.e. Advice) provided in our first seven interviews. Each guest shared lessons that they would give themselves, back before starting their business and reaching their current level of success. Listen to the great quotes from each episode and find nuggets of wisdom are good for us all.

PLUS, we have among these gifts another Top 7 list that you might also enjoy…
Let us know which one of our Top 7 “Must-Play” Christmas songs is your favorite and what others you would add. Please leave your thoughts below in the comments section.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Creative

A Background in Business aided in the Launch of…

March 5, 2018April 23, 2018
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NSBEpreneur Podcast

Show Notes

Episode 9 – A Background in Business aided in the Launch of an Independent Music Career (Interview w/ KJ Scriven)

KJ Scriven is an entrepreneur, singer, and prolific songwriter hailing out of North Carolina. K.J. brings an anticipated freshness and excitement to the gospel music industry. One of his most noteworthy achievements was that of penning the song “What Can I Do” which was featured on Tye Tribbett’s grammy award-winning album entitled Greater Than. K.J.’s blend of soul, contemporary worship, hip hop, and alternative rock has listeners buzzing at the originality and authenticity of his sound. On this episode of the NSBEpreneur Podcast KJ shares how his academic background in business prepared him for an career as an independent musician. He also gives priceless advice based on lessons he learned along the way.

Random Fact:

KJ played basketball all 4 years of high school basketball. Standing at 6’-5”, he frequently gets asked if he plays sports whenever someone meets him for the first time.

Video:

Advice:

Don’t Wait, Start Now – Don’t wait for the right time because the right time will never come.
Make sure you put you 10,000 hours in (Ref. Malcolm Gadwell)
Do what you gotta do until you can do what you wanna do.

*Book and/or Resource:-

“Outliers: The Story of Success” (book) by Malcolm Gladwell
“The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren
“Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki
Square Register (app)
Square Cash (app)

*Books are Amazon affiliate links.

Favorite Quote:

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who cn do nothing for him.” – Malcom S. Forbes

Contact info:

www.kjscriven.com

Twitter: @kjscriven

Instagram: @kjscriven

Facebook: KJ Scriven Artist Page