MEMPHIS SMALL BUSINESS QUARTERLY
EMERGING AND ENTERPRISING
ENTREPRENEURS
PAULA ANDERSON Paula Anderson is a freelance journalist and the founder of Memphis Small Business Quarterly. She writes stories that uplift, inspire and motivate others. She is a graduate of LeMoyne-Owen College and is pursuing a master's degree at the University of Memphis. She is a member of Memphis Association of Black Journalists (MABJ).
JURNEE TAYLOR Jurnee Taylor is a graduate of the University of Memphis and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism. She currently works as a news content specialist for a local TV station. During her matriculation, she interned with Leadership Memphis and served as the president of the University of Memphis chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
ANTHONY HICKS Anthony Hicks, APR, serves as the editorial consultant for MSBO. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Arkansas State University and a master's degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. Anthony is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
LAUREN BROWN Lauren Brown is the owner of LRB Global Consulting Services and she has a juris doctorate (JD) and a master's in business administration (MBA). She specializes in compliance, intellectual property and business law. She also conducts workshops for the Tennessee Small Business Development Center.
CHRISTOPHER FULTON
Christopher Fulton is a freelance journalist. He is studying journalism at the University of Memphis.
NAIM HAKEEM Naim Hakeem is a freelance graphic designer. He graduated from the University of Memphis in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. Memphis Small Business Quarterly is a quarterly publication that features emerging and enterprising entrepreneurs in the Memphis area. To advertise, contact us:
msbqsales@gmail.com
Š 2019 - Writing by Design PR
New location brings new vision for Phillip Ashley Chocolates By Jurnee Taylor Beale street, blues and barbeque, are arguably the most notable things about Memphis. But, one man who's been dubbed the "Real Life Willy Wonka" by Forbes and "Memphis' King of Chocolate" by Local Palate's is changing the Memphis experience one chocolate at a time. Chocolatier, Chef Phillip Ashley Rix, has made his mark on the Memphis community for the last five years with his unbelievable designed chocolates and his vision is to give others a different "perspective." This spring, Rix has been able to bring more to his vision through a relocation and reopening of his Chocolate boutique in Midtown Memphis on April 19. This larger location on the corner of Madison and Bellevue allows him to get a fresh start and more importantly support other vendors. "I don' t look like your typical chocolatier, so therefore we' re not going to make your typical chocolate. I learned the foundation and then I put my spin on things, my vision and voice... that's when the rule breaking came in," Rix said. The fictional Willy Wonka was known for making anyone's dreams come true, and Rix doesn't fall short of that. He is a "big fan" of e ntre pre ne urs especially "founders of color" and other than the energetic green and the scripted font of Phillip Ashley on the wall, guests will see items from multiple local ven dors. From paintings that are available for purchase, guests can even indulge in popcorn, gelato, coffee and more. "This demonstrates when we are intentional about building black businesses, it works. The spirit that he has to make the chocolate is his secret sauce, that's what makes him the Real Willy Wonka," said Roquita Williams. "Obviously we are going to have the chocolate... but being able to find products that don' t cannibalize what we do, they just acce ntuate us being here. We have the space, we have the shelf space, we have the real estate to be able to showcase others in order to give people another reason to come," Rix said. Coming into this new location, Rix has a new-found appre ciation, a vision for something bigger and a desire to use his platform to showcase creatives here in the Mid-south. His idea of "chocolate cafes" are soon to be the talk of the town. Phillip Ashley Chocolates "tell stories that taste like chocolate" and with a vision like his, this story is only beginning.
Photo Credits: Jurnee Taylor
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2019 2018 BETA Leadership Lecture and BETA Economic Impact Awards
Amy Cathey, PhD Executive Director UT Knoxville Haslam College of Business
SM
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Deidre Malone President/CEO The Carter Malone Group, LLC
Donald Grayer Founder / President BETA
www.lexusofmemphis.com
To register email betagoal2020@gmail.com Strategic Planning Financial Planning Risk Manangement
BUSINESS ECONOMIC TRADE ASSOCIATION
Highbar Trading raises the bar on e-commerce industry in memphis By Chris Fulton On a December afternoon in 2015, cousins Justin Miller and Todd Miller made the decision to form a new local company that would cater to supplying Memphis businesses with everything from lab supplies to furniture. Highbar Trading was created in 2016. The four founders left their jobs to start the company at the end of January 2017. By March, the business at 5406 Republic Drive, was swamped with orders. Two years later, the company is shipping to 23 states and has 130 clients.
Todd Miller and Justin Miller
Courtesy Photos of Highbar Trading
Justin Miller, co-founder stated, he is overwhelmed with the success and wanted to create something that will leave its mark on Memphis, and Highbar is doing that.
Amazon alone makes up most of these sales. As of 2017, Amazon roughly makes up 49 percent of the e-commerce industry. Amazon also has plans to roll out a similar service to Highbar Trading called Amazon Logistics in which Amazon will begin its own warehouse and delivery service similar to FedEx or the Postal Service.
"We're not getting any younger here," Justin Miller said. "We didn't want to be in a position where we're 50 and we have nothing to show. We wanted to 100 percent direct where our lives and our careers were going."
"We aren't looking to compete with Amazon." Jason Miller said. "We're only focused on servicing local customers. We aren't the cheapest, but we make sure to stress that less is more to our custom ers."
T he business also includes Justin's brother, Ben Miller, and their close family friend, Mark Light, Highbar Trading focuses on providing monthly goods to customers by offering next day shipping to any location in the local Memphis area. T he idea is to reduce the cost of storage for the customers by providing immediate delivery of things such as janitorial supplies, power tools and office supplies.
"Less is more" is the motto for the company. Ac counts with Highbar range from $4000 to enter prise level accounts or high paying accounts that can top out at $1 million. Both cousins have a sales strategy of weaning their clients off bulk sales. Instead of buying 30 markers, the cousins would rather have their clients buy only what is needed and spend the saved money on more important things. Justin Miller said that this allows him to break into other divisions at larger companies.
Businesses ranging from laboratories and hospitals to high schools like Briarcrest High School rely on Highbars next day shipping to stay properly stocked on crucial items. T he company has entered a competitive and in creasingly expanding market. Statista reports that business to business e-commerce is seeing a boom. In 2017 sales reached $7.7 trillion globally with business to business sales surpassing retail sales by 234.78 percent. In the United States, businesses spent $340 billion on online purchases for their stores.
Justin Miller said that this style of sales has earned the cousin's loyal customers who continue to buy from them even if they are not the cheapest seller in town. "It takes a village to get a business going," Todd Miller said. "I think we're all grateful for all of the support from our friends and community." Christopher Fulton is a freelance journalist. He can be reached at cefulton@memphis.edu.
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Intellectual Property
by Lauren Brown, J.D., MBA
Intellectual property(IP) is a fundamental right in the U.S. It is the key to the success of all businesses! Basically, intellectual property is: • the creations of the mind or intellect • used in commerce, and • an application, right, or registration relating to intellectual property as a way of protecting your IP Some examples include inventions, literary and artistic works, designs and symbols, names and images.
Original ideas are all around us, but there are very few NEW ideas. You have an idea, a brand, a tagline, and a logo for your business. Now what? You cannot protect an idea, only the expression or manifestation of that idea. Just think, if you could protect an idea, there would be no Mc Donalds or other fast food restaurants. Why? Because Sonic pre-dates them all. Chew on that! If you do not protect the expression of your idea, someone else can use it, protect it and you may not be able to continue using YOUR expression! Protect your expression, or risk LOSING THE MOST VALUABLE ASSET OF YOUR BUSINESS!
Four of the most common types of intellectual property are trade marks or service marks, copyrights, patents and trade secrets. We'll start with trademarks in this article. A trademark(product) or service mark(service) is a unique mark, word, logo, phrase, melody or symbol used in commerce. Trade marks(™) and service marks( 5M) protect consumers from confusion about the source of products or services. Although these have some protection under common law without taking formal steps, it is better to register your trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at https://www.uspto.gov/. The registration process is lengthy and can be complicated. Once you successfully register your trademark, you can then use the symbol (®}, which provides the greatest protection.
Before you start using the expression of your idea and devoting resources to using the idea in commerce as a trademark, copyright, patent, or other intellectual property, you MUST DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE! You should also see an IP attorney to apply for protection as soon as possible and to fully protect your rights.
Lauren Brown is the owner of LRB Global Consulting Services. She can be reached @ lauren2freedom@gmail.com.
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Are millennials ready to start their own business? By Paula Anderson
Owning a business has been defined as a pathway to financial independence and a way to cre ate wea Ith. According to a recent study conducted by the Small Busine ss Development Cente r, 61 per cent of Millennials said, they would start a small business if they knew where to get help." The study results show that Millennials are faced with challenges such as a lack of training, access to capital and not knowing how to run a business. Mike Hoffme ye r, Crews Center for Entrepre neurship director said, "Many studies show that the two greatest barriers to entrepreneur ship are access to networks and access to capital. When a millennial doesn't even know where to start, those obstacles are even more overwhelming.
Alexa Kintantar, Christian Brothers University gradu ate and entrepreneur said, "As a millennial, I believe that passion drives everything I do. Most millennials no longer want a job for the sake of the salary, but they want to find fulfillment and purpose in their career. Entrepreneurship embodies a spirit of build ing your dream from the ground up because it's ulti mately your product, your customers, and entirely your business. Yes, it's a long journey, but as a millen nial, I can attest that it is worth balancing other ele ments of life to make your dream work. Of course, balancing or juggling these other elements of life-school, part-time jobs, internships, and a social life, come into play. However, asking for help and be friending peers that support your dream are key re sources for myself. Finding a mentor in the most un expected places was also key to directing my entre preneurial experiences. "Much of our education and society encourages and supports conformity-and conformity is the bane of innovation. Being successful as an entrepreneur re quires a mindset that embraces challenging the status quo, one that is unafraid to try to be or do something different. In my experience, when millen nials are symbolically "given permission" to do things the way entrepreneurs do, it is both empower ing and potentially life-changing for them," added Hoffmeyer. SCORE is another resource for aspiring entrepre neurs. The offer mentoring and workshops to small business owners and entrepreneurs at no cost.
However, resources and support do exist in Memphis to help overcome those issues. Fundamentally, though, and what is not men tioned in the study is that most people are not equipped with an entrepreneurial mind set." Hoffmeyer works with student entrepreneurs and prepares them to understand what it means to be an entrepreneur.
f!I MEi'WiH1S. Crews Center for Entrepreneurship
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Memphis
Although starting a business does present challenges, many Millennials are not in a financial position to start a business. Gary Robinson, vice-chairman of the Memphis chapter of SCORE, a nonprofit arm of the Small Business Administration (SBA) said, "Our data shows that 30 percent of Millennials have at least two sources of debts and 81 percent of college-educated Millennials have at least one source of debt. Having that debt may be keeping some Millennials from starting a business.
To learn more about the entrepreneurial resources, contact Epicenter Memphis@ epicentermem phis.org.
LITE Pitch Night
"Based on our data, only 4 percent of Millen nials at age 30 were self-employed, compared with 6.8 percent of Boomers and 5.3 percent for Gen-X at the same age," Robinson said. "I think this comes from the need to pay off their college expenses." According to the study, "43 percent of Ameri cans say that money is a barrier when starting a business." Anthony Young, executive capital-in-residence said, "Traditionally, entrepreneurs have started businesses with conventional means of capital, such as bank loans (often using home as collateral), 401 (k) rollovers, personal savings, etc. Due to a variety of economic factors, millennials may face challenges obtain ing bank loans and may not have adequate savings to fund their business."
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"As a result, I've seen some millennial-owned companies turn to merchant advances (Paypal ®) and online lenders (Kabbage, OnDeck, etc) to get capital. Merchant advances and online lending can fund the loans relatively quickly, but the cost of capital can be ex tremely expensive. In fact, I've seen APRs as high as 48%. Some alternative capital sources millennials may consider exploring include crowdfunding, KIVA or CDFls (Community De velopment Financial Institutions)," added Young.
Courtesy Photos of LITE Memphis
Let's Innovate Through Education (LITE) has an entre preneurial program designed to teach students how to start businesses. Students from local high schools competed on May 2 at the annual Pitch Night com petition held at the Fogelman Innovation Center on the campus of the UofM.
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Millennial entrepreneurship an answer to debt? by Jill Coleman
Autumn Richard, founder of Geeks & Treats, was one of the businesses set-up on the pitch floor. Geeks & Treats is a bakery that offers quality cakes and delectable delights at a frac tion of the cost. The objective is to bring your wildest imaginations to a living and edible reality. Richard attends Germantown High School.
A CNBC online article captioned, "1 in 5 millennials with debt expect to die without ever paying it off," highlights the the growing debt crisis millennials are facing. Some sources quantify the actual debt of those between the ages of 18-34 to be around $36,000. This number does not ac count for home mortgage loans. The figures and supporting research paint a grim financial future for millennials. But, this does not have to be the case. Millennials are generally considered to be the most tech savvy and innovative generation in recent history. Of course, this is not a slight to previous generations, espe cially those of my comrades in Gen X.
David Long III, founder of Serene Scene, is a safe space for Memphis teens to come and safely express their emotions about one another. Students share their experiences on mental health issues and how it has impacted their lives with their peers. They focus on tools to improve mental health and self-esteem with healthy conversation, meditation, mental exercises and more. David hosted the first meeting with 13 attendees in April at BellTower Artisans, a local business on the High land strip. Long is a student at Harding Academy. Courtesy Photos of LITE Memphis
To break the cycle of debt, millennials are encouraged to capitalize upon and monetize their core skills, creativity, and ingenuity. Perhaps turn a hobby into a profitable busi ness. Entrepreneurship provides opportunities to establish your expertise in a field. Expertise allows one to command higher fees per project and an option to work on multiple assignments with multiple clients. Memphis has an abundance of resources to support new businesses and existing business ventures. Jiljuana J. Coleman, PMP is the owner and principal consultant for Jamerson Strategic Consulting, LLC. She is a certified project manager and can be reached at (901) 290-7517 or via email at jcoleman@jscstrategycom.
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Millennial entrepreneurship strategy: Networking laterally by Justin Key What are Millennial entrepreneurs and professionals doing to cultivate their brands, grow their businesses and truly advance the culture? They are starting businesses with their classmates and friends, spreading the wealth of knowl edge they receive to the masses through innovative technology and ensuring that diversity and inclusion are more than just a catchy phrase on their websites. Networking is the key to building rela tionships with new connects. The only way to establish your brand is to con nect and sell yourself to others. Brian Wong writes in Inc. magazine about an interview with Issa Rae, who is an "actress, writer, director and producer of the HBO hit show Insecure. According to the NewsOne interview, Rae says instead of trying to network with people who are miles ahead of you in your career, consider: "Who's next to you? Who's struggling? Who's in the trenches with you? Who's just as hungry as you are? And those are the people that you need to build with." As Millennials find their place in soci ety, most are choosing entrepreneur ship as a pathway instead of traditional jobs in corporate America. "Millennials are anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 38 in 2019)," according to the Pew Research Center. And, they are going a step fur ther to define how far they go and with whom, especially as entrepreneurs. This generation has received a lot of criticism from previous generations as being lazy and entitled, and it under-
TRAINING
WORKGROUP stands that pressure is needed to break the glass ceiling. Working smarter, not harder is the New Motto. Entrepre neurship has been the saving grace for a lot of Millennials. Creating companies where they are the boss, paying em ployees top range salaries and always having a social impact component to their work. Who better to understand the plight and dreams of Millennials than other Millennials? This mindset is said to have been formed by watching Gen X parents complain about the rigidness of the corporate structure, elongated work hours, meager benefits, the low glass ceilings, and the slim pay they experienced. Children watched as their parents came home day after day unhap py, unfulfilled and tired beyond belief. The promise made was that they would not endure the same adulthood as their parents. This is why more Millennials are college edu cated and become serial entrepreneurs. A better life and future await those who create their own blueprint and have the mindset to know they cannot do it alone. There are several amazing organizations in the city of Mem phis that help cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit of net working. A few are Startup Grind Memphis, Memphis Urban League Young Professionals, Choose901, Leadership Memphis, and New Memphis Institute. To find more groups specializing in entrepreneurship in the city, visit Meet Up. Network, engage and grow! An African Proverb gave us the foundation for networking: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Justin Key is a contributing writer for Memphis Small Business Quarterly. He can be reached at info.justinkey@gmail.com.
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