By Jared Curry, Guest Contributor

​There’s no doubt that entrepreneurship is challenging. There is no doubt that being a young,
black entrepreneur is even more so. You’ll need to build a diverse set of skills, work with a wide
range of personalities, and often spend long nights building your brand. Plus, you need to
overcome all of the limiting beliefs about what you can do.
​
Honestly, I didn’t know exactly what it would take to succeed when I created Scope Marketing at
16, and I’ve learned a lot since then. But despite everyone who told me to wait until I was older,
I managed to grow my company into a leading marketing brand in just two years.

I couldn’t tell you that building a business is easy. That said, I can tell you that anyone can do it
if they have an innovative idea and the will to turn that idea into a concrete reality.

Some people see my story as one in a million, but I hope it inspires young people around the
world to pursue their dreams, regardless of their age or any other obstacles. I want to cover
three seemingly simple ideas that completely transformed my outlook and helped me reach the
point I’m at today.

Believe in Yourself - You are never Too Young For This

My life has changed dramatically since I started Scope Marketing, but I didn’t even consider
opening a business until I read Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki at age 14. I already had
some ideas about digital marketing, and at that point I realized I had a real opportunity.

Seemingly overnight, Scope went from being a fun hypothetical to a serious business with high
stakes. Two years later, I’m on pace to generate six figures of revenue in 2020 while working
with global ecommerce brands.

One thing I’ve noticed is that kids and adults alike act as if I’ve achieved the impossible. To be
honest, I would have said the same thing just a few years ago.

But after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad and taking a look at my own financial future, I realized that
everything that’s never been done before seems impossible until someone breaks through
those artificial walls and ceilings. I simply asked the question, ‘why shouldn’t it be me?’

The Society Doesn’t Get to Choose Who You Are - The Choice Is Yours

Nobody gets to decide who you are and what you can achieve. The only person with the power
of that decision is you - don’t forget that. We are born and raised in a world that is still struggling
with something we thought shouldn’t exist anymore. Yes, racism is still a thing and we can all
feel it.

However, as a young teen in America, you get to decide if you are going to follow the image that
was created for you, or if you are going to follow your dreams. I decided to dream, to work and
to take action. And here I am. I have just turned 19, and I have a team to lead and clients to
care about. I continue to overcome what is “expected of me” and to crush my goals.

How? Focus is the most important thing. Just focus on you, yourself and your personal goals.
You are writing your own story.

Focus on Results

In the same way that people tend to sensationalize my accomplishments, I often feel like their
expectations are different when they’re working with a younger entrepreneur. Instead of trying to
capitalize on the story or do well “for my age,” I just try to do the best work I can and let my
results speak for themselves.

I don’t just talk the talk—I offer an ROI guarantee that provides an incredible degree of peace of
mind. My goal is to show clients that I’m the best man for the job. That attitude has helped me
land contracts with Remax, Anytime Fitness, and other leading brands.

Never Stop Improving

Even though I’m proud of what I’ve done so far, I never let my past achievements stop me from
growing. I’m not just here to be a young success story, and I think it’s crucial to keep moving
forward regardless of where you are currently.

In the end, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past—what’s important is where you’re
going now. What sets Scope Marketing apart is my dedication to improving my craft and finding
ways to deliver even better results for my clients.

Big goals don’t always come easy, and there are no shortcuts to success in marketing or any
other field. That being said, I always come back to these principles when I think about my own
accomplishments. No matter what you’re working toward, these three ideas will help you stay on
track and achieve your fullest potential.

Blog Post - Stephen Wicks

There is a well known statistic that states that 8 out of 10 businesses that start will eventually fail. 

​Wow.  That's a large number.  There are many reasons why a business may fail but one of the main reasons could be a business owner's lack of planning.

In business there is no way for you to know what may happen from one day to the next.  Perhaps your customers will find other business to fulfill their needs, or maybe a natural disaster will occur and destroy some of your property, records, or client base.  Who knows?  Anything could happen right?  But that's where planning comes into the picture.  You can not only plan for things that you want to go right, you can also plan for when things go wrong.

A proper business plan will also keep a business owner on track with their goals.  Unfortunately, it's very easy to get side-tracked and go into an area of business that was not planned for previously.  Making a pivot in business is fine, but wild, uncontrolled swings in business objectives could cause confusion for you, your employees, and also your customers.  If you don't know where you're going, no one will want to follow you into the unknown.

Even though, it's widely accepted that business owners should have a business plan, there are some "new school" entrepreneurs who say that they start businesses and never have a business plan.  There are some well known success stories of people who just had an idea and hit the ground running without a plan.  I'm sure that may have worked for them, but I don't think that the majority of us should put our resources and livelihood on the line on a whim.  Resources and funding can be hard to come by, especially for minority business owners.  Make sure that if you're gambling on other people's money that you are doing so wisely and cautiously.

As an entrepreneur you should also be aware of your market.  You should know if there are other businesses that are similar to yours.  They may be trying to steal your customers from you. 

Good customers are hard to find and they may feel like they can lure your customers away instead of finding their own.  How will you address sudden new players in the market? 

Remember how badly Blockbuster Video dealt with the threat from Netflix and Redbox?  At one point Blockbuster had over 50,000 U.S. employees and over 9,000 retail locations.  Now, they only have 1 retail location in the United States.  They fell from being one of the largest U.S. businesses to one of the smallest in just 14 short years.  The leadership of Blockbuster Video obviously didn't have a plan in place for observing the competition and keeping up with the needs of their customers.

My advice?  Don't fall victim to poor planning.  Research the internet for business plans and find knowledgeable people in your community that can help you grow your small business the right way.

Remember the old adage, "failing to plan, means planning to fail."

Stephen Wicks
Founder, CEO
BlackBusinessList.Com
swicks@blackbusinesslist.com

Here is a great opportunity for you to get out and network if you're in the Chicago area.  The Black Women's Expo is being held in Chicago during the weekend of April 7-9, 2017.  The event is being put on by MGPG Events, Inc. and it looks like Walgreens is one of their major sponsors. 

Entertainment lined up for the event includes music star, K. Michelle and Sevyn Streeter.  Here's a quote from their website, "Now in our 23rd year, The Black Women’s Expo presents an array of dynamic speakers and celebrities in seminar sessions, top musical artists on our main stage…and a lively marketplace for corporations and small business exhibitors to engage with the powerful and growing African American consumer!"

Learn more about this event by visiting their website:
http://www.TheBlackWomensExpo.com

It has been difficult for small business owners to obtain capital in order to create and maintain viable business enterprises.  For African American business owners, the task has been especially hard.  In June 2016, the National Urban League was invited to attend a strategic dialogue on African American small business lending hosted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Milken Institute.   That meeting revealed many statistics that show that Black business owners are having disproportionate difficulties raising funds for their businesses.

According to The Fundera Ledger, about two-thirds of business survive 2 years in business, half of all businesses will survive 5 years, and one-third will survive 10.  These are very daunting statistics.  Often times, it is a business owners access to additional funds that can make the difference between surviving, thriving, or closing their doors.

Fortunately, there are a few alternative lending companies that have started and offer loans to businesses outside of the traditional bank options.  One of those alternative lending options that i would like to feature today is 5Linx Capital.  This company has been finding loans for business owners who meet certain qualifying conditions. One of those conditions is that a company make at least $10,000 per month in revenue.  Your credit score is looked at, but does not play such a significant role as when applying for traditional loans.  

You can learn more about 5Linx Capital by visiting their website.

5 Linx Capital is just one of the new companies that offer alternative business loans to established businesses.  In future posts I will explore more alternative lending sources and feature companies that give loans to startups as well as established businesses.  

Until then.  Stay positive and keep growing.

Stephen