Overcoming Challenges to Success
Aroundabout Local Media values our partnership with the Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED). We enjoy sharing their content, because their mission is so similar to ours: supporting small local businesses.
The COED shared profiles of local Black business owners during August, which was Black-Owned Business Month in America. Because this is a timeless and important commemoration, we wanted to share those interviews with you.
These inspiring stories will shed a well-deserved light on their incredible leadership and resilience. You can see the interviews in their entirety at cherokeega.org, or on the COED social media outlets.
Shalakay Gibbs
SuiteSciens
www.suitesciens.com
Gibbs grew up in Jamaica with parents who were small-business owners. After moving to New York as a student at age 22, she overcame challenges, taught herself NetSuite services, and worked hard for years. Now, living in Woodstock, she is the founder of a growing online company, SuiteSciens.
How did you become an entrepreneur? What is SuiteSciens?
I grew up in Jamaica with parents who were small-business owners, observing firsthand the level of freedom that owning a business provides. Early in my career, I worked as a NetSuite administrator, configuring and maintaining a company’s software applications to maximize their workflow to achieve organizational objectives and business goals. Using NetSuite, I specialize in helping an organization automate their financial software and accounting procedures, while also helping them connect their financial activities to their general business activities. I later became a NetSuite consultant, and then leveraged my experience into forming a small consulting firm, providing NetSuite Implementation and Development Services.
How have you overcome obstacles you’ve faced?
One of the biggest challenges that I have had to overcome was moving to New York as a student at 22. As a foreign student, there are many restrictions in terms of being able to work. It is a very expensive process, and not being able to work makes it very challenging. Luckily, I had an entrepreneurial spirit and was very frugal. I purchased in-demand items that would sell easily on my return trips to Jamaica, and lived sparingly on the funds.
Has COVID-19 caused you or your business to adapt?
2020 is an opportunity to rethink our business structure, and the way we service our clients. Although our business operates 100% in the cloud, our business model included a heavy travel schedule to client sites. The pandemic has forced us to re-evaluate our travel, and discover new ways to demonstrate value to our clients without being physically present.
How did you stay positive in the midst of challenges?
Sometimes it helps to take a micro view of life when the macro view becomes overwhelming. At times, when I feel overly challenged, I focus on a single problem that I can solve. There is a certain satisfaction that comes with completing a task that makes it easier to have a positive outlook.
How are you working to stay competitive?
We have extended our partnership network, to include more vendors within the NetSuite ecosystem, and have enhanced our services, to include integration with various platforms via our new partner, Celigo. Our consultants are also engaging in additional training, and developing more skills to better service our clients.
What lessons have you learned about yourself or your business?
We are getting to know our customers better; surveying them to better understand what delights them and where we can improve.
Jerry King
J. King Images
www.jkingimages.com
King specializes in headshots and professional portrait photography. His goal is to provide clients with all the images they need to successfully market themselves. He enjoys teaching and helping people look their best in front of the lens.
How did you become an entrepreneur? What is J. King Images?
I am originally from Corinth, Mississippi, a fairly small city in the northeast corner of the state. I joined the military after high school, and spent 1988 to 1998 as a forward observer in the U.S. Army. My last three years were spent at Fort Bragg, N.C. After leaving the Army, I joined the DeKalb County Police Department. During my 17 years as an officer, I spent 11 of those on the SWAT team. It was during this time that I picked up a camera and fell in love with photography. Actually, I completely geeked out on it, and started devoting all my free time to photography. Eventually, with the encouragement of my fiancée, Tabitha, I resigned from law enforcement to pursue photography full time.
How have you overcome obstacles you’ve faced?
When I first moved to Woodstock, I was not quite sure how I would be perceived in the community. I was concerned the color of my skin might influence my opportunities, when it came to the new business venture. I initially used my fiancée’s or daughter’s photo as the business avatars. I soon decided to use my own photo. I figured, if someone was going to take issue with my race, I did not want them as a client anyway. I personally feel that my work should speak for me, and hopefully open dialogue, so people can see we are not all that different.
Has COVID-19 caused you or your business to adapt?
It has caused me to reflect and take a hard look at myself and J. King Images. I value my work more now than I did prior to the pandemic. It is funny how that worked, but it is true. I did not turtle up and wait for the sky to fall. I just kept looking for new opportunities, without being tone-deaf to what is going on in the world.
How did you stay positive in the midst of challenges?
I always look at the positive. Negativity will get you nowhere. If you are reading this, you are a survivor. It is easy to blame others for our present situations. If we take an honest look at ourselves, and realize we are our biggest obstacle, we can navigate around it and move forward, grow, and achieve.
How are you working to stay competitive?
I try to stay visible by just being out in the community any way I safely can. Social media is hot right now. Hotter than it has been in a while. If you are an entrepreneur, you can find your audience easier, because people are tired of the doom and gloom in their feeds. Give them something to feel good about.
What lessons have you learned about yourself or your business?
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a quitter. I take it day by day, and I do not lose sight of why I started this venture. I have faith.
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