I am a co - founder and managing partner at Five Diamond Capital where I focus on business development and community engagement. In addition, I am a founding teacher and school leader at a charter school in Brooklyn, NY. I am a Harlem native and I intend to create social impact and change that will affect my neighborhood for years to come. Five Diamond Capital was born out of necessity. I knew many people who had budding ventures, and some who only had ideas. What they lacked were access to seed capital, strategy and a system to help them get to the next level. With the help of a close friend and mentor I formed a team with unique skill sets that could help launch and manage these new ventures. With a focus on minority founders we are able to help change the landscape of entrepreneurship and level the playing field. My two closest friends had two very different businesses, a juice bar and a sneaker store. While these are two unique ideas their needs were similar. More structure, more access to capital and social media strategy. We helped fill those voids and knew that these problems existed all throughout our community. From there Five Diamond Capital was born
What were the biggest initial hurdles to building your business and how did you overcome them?
The only hurdle I have encountered is time and knowledge. Being successful is all about learning, and implementing the knowledge that you gain along the way. I wish there was more time in the day.
Did you ever deal with contention from your family and friends concerning your entrepreneurial pursuits? How did you handle it? What would you do differently in hindsight?
My family and friends have always supported me, if someone doesn’t support your dreams can you really call them family?
What would you say was the single most influential factor in your business success?
The most influential factor is trust. I make it a duty to always do good business and give my best effort. When people trust you business is easy.
What do you know today that you wish you would have known when you first got started as an entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship has always been apart of my life; the only change I would make is being more active as an undergraduate student. While I made many life long connections there is always a way to be more involved?
What advice would you give to an upcoming entrepreneur locally and international?
My only advice is: Start now rather than later. Time doesn’t wait, so why should you?
