The Fall Edition features emerging and enterprising entrepreneurs. Rico Andrews - Always Best Care of Memphis ® Lameka Ivy - Ivy Mediation and Consulting, LLC Eric Ryan Brinson - A &R Properties, LLC Sharolyn Payton - Payton Place ™ Paula Anderson I am excited to present the first edition of Memphis Small Business Quarterly. This newsletter is designed to provide information and resources to small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and college students pursuing business management majors. Each quarter, we will focus on articles that relate to financial management, legal matters, business growth and small businesses. For more information about the publication, send email to writingbydesignpr@gmail.com. Like us on Facebook® @ memphissmallbusinessquarterly Joe Anne Nicholson Joe Anne Nicholson is a freelance editor and writer. She received an MBA degree earlier this year from the University of Phoenix. Her passion is using words to uplift and encourage others. Jennifer Sharp is a PR professional and social media specialist. She serves as the secretary for the Memphis Association of Black Journalists (MABJ). She also works with local nonprofit organizations to share their stories. Layout Design: Writing by Design PR Photography: Angie and Ike Photography
Jennifer Sharp
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HR professional uses past job experience to establish her own brand by Paula Anderson
As we work in corporate America, we find ourselves reaching a certain plateau with no other avenues of growth. We acquire years of experience and then say, “What now?” After working 19 years at the U.S. Postal Service, Lameka Ivy decided to pursue entrepreneurship. Her husband, Stan Ivy, encouraged her to apply all the knowledge and expertise she acquired in Human Resources (HR) and Labor Relations.
Lameka Ivy
She operates a home-based business and provides mediation and consulting services.
Her HR and employee relations experience allows her to work with small business owners who cannot afford to hire a full-time employee. She made connections with two clients at a local event and has been working to address their HR needs.
Ivy says, “I make sure my clients are compliant with employee and labor laws, like sexual harassment and employee vs. contractor relationships.”
She has worked with catering services, a transportation company and physician practices. Her extensive knowledge in HR and employee laws allows her to develop policy and procedures that help clients know the Do’s and Don’ts of employment rules and regulations.
Monica Holley, director of public relations and marketing with Blues City Tours, says “I met Ms. Ivy at (a) Memphis Chamber event.” She was very professional and I loved the uniqueness of her business. I didn’t think I would need her service until she explained how updating your employee handbook was important in my industry.”
“I am thankful that I met her because after she completed our employee handbook. We had our audit from (the) Department of Transportation. The first thing he did was look to see when our handbook was updated,” adds Holley. Ivy works with local businesses as well as an international client from the Netherlands.
Sebastiaan de Kok, client, says “I met Lameka during a Chamber of Commerce event and learned about her HR consulting and mediation business and immediately knew that she would be a great fit for HealthLink.
She is personable, understands our needs, and always goes the extra mile. She has been very helpful in getting us (HealthLink International Inc.) better organized in our HR department,” adds de Kok.
The other aspect of her business is mediation services. She acts as a third party to assist individuals with resolving their differences.
She focuses on three areas: 1) family matters 2) civil issues 3) domestic violence and 4) workplace challenges.
She says, “I bring parties together to have a conversation. I don’t give any advice.” To learn more about Ivy Mediation and Consulting, LLC, visit her website www.lamekaivymediation.com.
Local millennial makes strides as an emerging entrepreneur By Jennifer L. Sharp Statistics show that 67 percent of millennials are getting into the entrepreneurial spirit and starting their own businesses. Eric Ryan Brinson became a part of that percent when he formed his own t-shirt company Uniquely Custom while attending Middle Tennessee State University. After collaborating with another company and realizing that he wants to focus solely on being an entrepreneur, the recent graduate is now focused on real estate investment and has started a real estate business with his partner and lifelong friend and supporter Tremell Thomas. With that, Brinson has taken the necessary steps in becoming a successful entrepreneur. “Seeing and being around entrepreneurs such as my mom and dad was what inspired me to become an entrepreneur at such an early age,” said Brinson. But being an entrepreneur comes with its challenges, especially for millennials. Similar to genXers and baby boomers,millennials have challenges with proving themselves to previous generations.
Eric Ryan Brinson “Older adults are not open to change and accepting of ideas from millennials, which makes being an entrepreneur more challenging as a millennial, said Thomas. “It is important to find balance in every day life being a millennial entrepreneur,” said Brinson. Eric’s personal and business banker, Travis Hughes, who is a member of Generation X also known as the “Latchkey” or “MTV” Generation, became an entrepreneur after growing tired of his bosses who have less experience and education telling him what to do.
“I wanted to be the deciding voice of my own career,” said Hughes. As a member of Generation X, Hughes knows first-hand about facing challenges as an entrepreneur and how to overcome those challenges. “There’s going to be challenges and threats out there,” said Hughes. “That’s why an entrepreneur should always be prepared, complete a thorough SWOT analysis, know his or her competition, establish strategic partnerships, have the necessary funding and find and train the RIGHT employees.” No matter the challenges, being an entrepreneur is a rewarding and fulfilling career to have because of the independence, dedication and benefits that it brings to someone. However, it takes a strong person to have that winning attitude, which is something that Brinson exemplifies through his work and tenacity. “The excitement of winning should overpower the fear of losing,” said Brinson. Hughes also has a bit of advice for millennials who desire to become entrepreneurs.
“Don’t rush to jump into business for yourself. Learn a trade or become a subject matter expert in something that you’re passionate about and try to monetize or incorporate a business around that,” said Hughes. It’s safe to say that “entrepreneur is the new employee.”
Eric Ryan Brinson can be reached at 901-201-9554 or visit his website @ www.buysalerenttn.com.
Coach Payton brings awareness to her clients When it comes to coaching, it is about helping people find solutions to their own problems. Whether you are a football, basketball or life coach, your job is to help people move to the next level on the field, on the court or in life. Sharolyn Payton, life coach and consultant, is the woman who can get you to the level. Payton says, “At a former job, I was talking to a client and my manager noticed how engaging the conversation was. We discussed how comfortable people generally felt sharing their lives and concerns with me and the idea of coaching was planted.” As a life coach and consultant, she spends her days helping people move beyond barriers and by asking creative questions. Her clients range from church leaders, teachers, entrepreneurs, politicians, behavioral therapists and corporate executives. Payton says, “Coaching is about helping people find a way to resolve their own life issues.” Her coaching practice is ministry-driven and focuses on helping individuals deepen their self-awareness. Most of her coaching clients are millennials. She says, “They are risk takers. Their greatest desire is to connect with someone who they deem authentic, who they can trust and who will offer them elements of truth and wisdom, which most often only come with experience and time.” Markeenya Gunn, artist and educator, says “I met Sharolyn at a SisterReach conference in October of 2016. I’d just gotten my lunch and was scanning the room looking for a friendly face.” “I immediately felt welcomed by her warm and caring energy. Our conversation naturally drifted from the superficial to the spiritual, and before it was all said and done, I was wiping away tears and taking notes on the gems that she’d shared with me.” “She reminded me that I am enough and that I am ready for the life that I’ve been inspired to build for myself,” adds Gunn. Payton also works with baby boomers who have a more traditional view of life, but they are also in need of direction and coaching services too. Therolyn E. Gathings, client, says “One of my challenges was goal-setting. I knew the importance of goal-setting, but the “how to” of goal-setting was challenging for me.”
Sharolyn Payton
“Tools provided through Ms. Payton’s 90 Days of Excellence workshop and especially our one-on-one sessions guided me through the goal-setting process, adds Gathings.” Payton says, “My primary passion and purpose is to help my clients tap into their ability to dream, believe, achieve, and ultimately create the life they want.” To learn more about Payton Place ™, visit her website at www.sharolynpayton.com.
Millennial entrepreneur finds his niche in the healthcare market by Paula Anderson Millennial entrepreneur taps healthcare industry to establish his brand and is on a mission to grow his business to the next level. Rico Andrews, owner of Always Best Care, ® researched the healthcare market extensively and realized that due to the economic growth and aging population this industry had a lot of market potential. Andrews attended the University of Memphis and received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration Management.
Rico Andrews
After his due diligence, he invested in a franchise operation that offers non-medical in home care to senior adults.
Andrews says, “The regulations were the most challenging to get things running.”
“There is a process when dealing with provider contracting, government rules and regulations and administrative processes. You cannot skip any process because it will only take longer to complete,” states Andrews.
His company offers in-home medical care to seniors and it allows families to have a peace of mind about their loved ones.
Due to the escalating costs of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, this is an affordable option for family members who have limited financial resources.
As an employer, Andrews says “I welcome feedback and have an open communication policy with my staff.” Currently, he has four full-time employees, two independent contractors (nursing staff) and 74 in-home care workers on his team. His staff consists of millennials, baby boomers and Generation Xer’s.
When asked about his leadership style, he says my employees described me as “fair, transparent, encouraging and rewarding.”
As an employer, “I want to give employees the opportunity to share new ideas and different methods to achieve the same results.” Sharolyn Payton With his success and economic growth, Andrews does not take the sole credit for his accomplishments. He says, “I had the vision for the organization”, but a lot of people helped me – my wife, mentors and business coaches.”
Shenikah Andrews, spouse, says “Since I have known Rico, he has always wanted to own his own company. He attained his MBA in graduate school and served in many managerial roles while deciding exactly what he wanted to pursue.”
to see what he would need to do to enter into the industry,” adds S. Andrews.
“As a spouse of someone pursuing their entrepreneur dream you can offer support in many forms; i.e. financial, emotional, or just being their biggest cheerleader. I found that just having that support person meant a great deal to him,” adds S. Andrews.
“Before deciding to venture into senior services he did research for almost a year to make sure there was a need and also
“When he came to me with the idea to open Always Best Care in Memphis; my response was “Go for it”.
William Adler, Score volunteer, says “I was Rico’s career coach. I tried to listen and understand what he wanted to accomplish for himself and his family and help guide him to make sure he selected the right franchise or organization to accomplish his career goals.”
According the website, The SCORE association (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is a nonprofit association with 389 chapters in locations throughout the United States. Local chapters provide free counseling and low- cost workshops in their communities.
The volunteers serve as mentors and help entrepreneurs move their dreams to reality.
For new entrepreneurs, Andrews advises to “formulate a plan and stick to the plan.” One of the things he learned from a former business coach is to continue to work your plan even when obstacles occur.
To learn more about Rico Andrews, visit his website at www.abcmemphis.com.
“It took time, but Rico was willing to listen and to do the work/research. Also, I assisted in helping him secure financing once Rico decided to join the Always Best Care adds,” Adler.
“Never give up but recognize that persistence can pay off.”
Harold E. Smith *Auto *Home *Life *Business Insurance and Financial Services Agent 6655 Quince Road, Suite 115 Memphis, Tennessee 38119 P: 901.308.2662 F: 901.308.2592 hsmith@farmersagent.com
Registered Representative, Farmers Financial Solutions, LLC 30801 Agoura Road, Building 1 Agoura Hills, California 91301-2054 P: 818.584.0200 Member FINRA & SIPC
“A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children; and the wealth of the sinners is laid up for the just.” Proverbs 13: 22 KJV
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