Deciding to work for yourself is often cited as the best decision folks in our community have made. Hearing the same response over and over led us to ask them about the next best decision folks have made and we’ve shared their responses with you below.

Dwight Coach D” Braswell | Founder

My number one goal with both Complete Sales Academy and Flag Football with Coach D is to build confidence and provide specific tools EXACTLY when the customer needs them. Most of the coaches of flag football I work with are first-timers and have no idea what to expect. They are not only lost, but freaking out. When I’m able to provide them playbooks, practices schedules, drill packs, and templates they are able to walk out on that field for the first time with confidence. They are free to be present and make an impact. Which is pretty cool. With the Complete Sales Academy (CSA), it’s all about customization. Any sales trainer can provide templates and scripts, but the reason why I started CSA was because I believe no one can customize the exact sales, leadership, and motivation resources startups need to hit their aggressive growth goals like I can. Read more>>

Willie Ripple

I love to learn and when I decided on a career path of hospitality with a focus on event planning, I was committed to learning as much as I could. I recall sitting in the cafeteria my senior year of high school and classmates were talking about their SAT and ACT scores. My scores were average, but classmates told me I couldn’t go to college with those scores and would have to get a “job” or get married and become a mother. It’s amazing how words can affect someone for their entire life. I went to cosmetology school (following in the steps of most of my family), after my high school graduation and became a lead stylist, booked for six weeks out. I also did get married and had children. I knew when I walked out of the cafeteria that day that no matter what I did I would commit to being very good at it. Read More>>

Chloe Brown | DJ & entrepreneur

I think the single most important decision we, Vinyl and Patties, did to contribute to our businesses success is to remember that DJ is often seen as a hobby or a brand, at best, but we decided early on to focus on seeing this as a business. Full monetizing not only our skills and time, but also sound equipment sales, offering classes and being a record store. As a result, we’ve found a niche and are in high demand and nurturing a number of business relationships. Read more>>

Addie Pecord | Interior Designer

Other than deciding to work for myself, I made a very big step and decided after two and a half years on my own with interior design to open a home decor store front. We are so excited to open and celebrate in January of 2024. Read more>>