HUG AN ENTREPRENEUR

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I was the keynote speaker for an organization I have admired since I was a child. I received an email letting me know that the event was sold out and I was excited to talk about how much my life had been shaped by worthwhile organizations such as theirs. An added bonus was that the event was being held at a community center in my old neighborhood. The event went off without a hitch and I was elated to see people from my past and others I had only seen and read about in media outlets.

Imagine the disappointment I felt when a lady came up to me and had “less than kind words” to say.

?“I am so glad I can talk to you face to face because when I call your office you do not answer. I have to talk to your assistant or another one of your staff members. I guess you have gotten too big for people that you grew up with like me.”

?Ummmm. Excuse me? I did not know who she was, but she was overly excited to let me know in a nice/nasty way that she was not in support of me growing my business.

The simple truth is that when I started KSTB, I was doing everything, and it became apparent that I needed help, or I was going to have a nervous breakdown or fail. Once KSTB started to grow, I received calls from everyone including telemarketers, salespeople, etc. I spent more time fielding phone calls than researching and writing grants. I was making appointments for myself and missing them because another call came in before I could put the meeting on my calendar. Bills were not being paid because I put them in a stack to review later and later never came. Therefore, hiring an assistant, and eventually, a staff, was a necessity. I was proud of my slow but steady progress, but Ms. Ma’am’s attitude indicated that instead, I should continue to work at the kitchen table by myself forever.

At that moment I realized that whether it is family, friends, or acquaintances, not everyone will support your growth. I was truly bothered by her statements because I always try to be friendly and pleasant. Sadly, every so often I am met with rudeness that quickly turns my happy days into sour ones.

Not long after the incident with Ms. Ma’am, a husband-and-wife contacted KSTB to discuss getting a grant. They scheduled a lunch meeting via our website and my team met with them and gave them our pricing plan. Mr. and Ms. told my team that they needed us to take a percentage of the grant.

KSTB has a strict policy against taking a percentage of grants, but we do offer payment plans.

?When they refused the payment plan, my team gave them a referral to another business whose prices may be more in line with their budget. Mr. and Ms. told my team that if I had been there, I would have accepted the percentage. My team reoffered the payment plan option, paid for lunch, and wished Mr. and Ms. well in their future endeavors. Imagine our shock when they posted all over social media that they came to us, and we would not help them because we are all about money.

It is okay for other businesses similar to KSTB whose owners are of a lighter hue to request payment for services, but we cannot. It is okay to pay THREE times as much to other companies but want to haggle and complain about our fees. While I sometimes wish I could give away my research and grant writing for free, I simply cannot, or I would be out of business. I wonder if people really understand how much entrepreneurs have on our shoulders. In addition to having a business to run, many of us also have employees and families that depend on us for their livelihood.

I care about clients and potential clients and train my team members accordingly. One of the fundamentals I teach is that whether a client’s revenue is $25,000 or $25,000,000; treat them the same. ALL are important and we must do our best to ensure that they have a pleasant experience. For the past 3 years, I have provided yearly discounts and 1-year pro-bono services to a nonprofit founded by a native Atlantan. In 2022, I founded the KSTB Enterprises Foundation, Inc. in order to make an even bigger impact on the nonprofit organizations we serve nationwide.

Ms. Ma’am (I still do not know her name) and Mr. and Ms. have no idea of the dues that I have paid and continue to pay. I refuse to let their words and actions discourage me. If only they knew that in the world of business, you are not always stable. There are good quarters, months, and weeks and there are bad ones. Instead of feeling discouraged and stressed out during times of instability, I use the slow times to recharge and generate innovative ideas. It is during these times that I work my hardest to get out of the valley.

Though I enjoy posting the positive news about my business, the negative parts of running a business are there too. I work around the clock and sometimes go without sleep. There have been many nights I went to bed at 3 A.M. or not at all. You see me at check presentations and black-tie affairs, but I have also spent many unglamorous nights lying in bed wondering how I was going to make my company work. It might seem like I built my business overnight, but what people do not know is that I founded my business in 2007.

I am sending a shoutout to my fellow entrepreneurs who may have encountered a Ms. Ma’am or Mr. and Ms.

Keep your head up and keep doing your thing. Most of us have similar characteristics:

• We are resilient.
• We battle through adversity.
• We sacrifice to reach our goals.
• We give MORE than is required.
• We are extremely passionate about what we do.
• When we see a need for something we go ahead and do it. We do not wait for others.

ALL— While entrepreneurs may smile and always have positive words and affirmations on the ready, it is not always as easy as it looks. The next time you see one of us, ask if we would like a hug. Trust me, we probably need it.

Until next time…

-Dr. Kim