Black's Entrepreneurs Success Matters

John Michael Thomas was born in 1951 in Washington Court House, Ohio. His experiences throughout his time in the military have greatly impacted his life in the 20-plus years after his retirement. He participated in more than 36 different nonresident correspondence courses and more than 20 formal military schools and traveled to 72 different countries around the world. 

He is also a cancer survivor. He has now spends a lot of his time raising awareness about the struggle’s veterans face related to their health and their adjustment to civilian life after their service.

John Michael continues to work tirelessly to raise awareness about veterans’ issues, and often is featured as a motivational speaker.

He have researched for years, over 35,000 biographies. For the last several years, he has been busy conducting research for and writing a new book called “From All Walks of Life, They Came and Served”. 

Most startup media platforms, conferences, incubators, accelerators and other venture programs lack diversity and cultural competency. Most diversity-focused groups and programs do not offer a pipeline to investment; rather they focus solely on networking and business remediation. Investors and firms are unable to support the early stage financing needs of black due to high transaction costs and limited deal flow.

Our platform is to develop and distribute highly entertaining and insightful talk shows and programming to promote key causes and issues. One of our major focus is to promote and advance black from aspiration to investment. In an effort to increase diversity and inclusion within the global innovation ecosystem, we envision to provide awareness, promotion, support and resources for Black led financially sustainable startups throughout the U.S. and Black Diaspora.

Many black entrepreneurs are facing a double bias due to both their race and gender. This in turn creates difficulties when it comes to obtaining funding, reaching out to potential partners and even networking.

Very often, people of color are often striving alone in industries and businesses dominated by men. As such, they are often talked down to, and have to constantly prove their worth, qualifications and drive.

Networking events attended by very few women of color, if any, can also deter their them from making the right connections. It’s precisely the lack of access to these networks, as well as not having the right tools and resources to navigate them, that can prevent perfectly viable businesses from surviving and thriving.

Black entrepreneurs get offered smaller loans across every product, from the same groups. Black entrepreneurs seeking venture capital do not seem to fare any better. Many research confirms that investors actually prefer entrepreneurial pitches by attractive men.

Another factor that slows growth: a lack of educational resources and mentors to help black women entrepreneurs ramp up their business knowledge

Through this project I will raise the voice and promote for with Black Entrepreneurs on the following solution areas. 

1. I will work on building the capacity and awareness of black entrepreneur, providing educational resources and mentorship to help black entrepreneurs ramp up their business knowledge. I envision for a black people to feel for themselves.

2. Black people looking for business investors should build confidence through a great team and business plan. Through our program, I will work with key champions among black people and improve their business ethics and ultimately to become strong founders. If they have experts on their founding team that can execute the business well, investors will have confidence in their business and they make product-market fit.

3. I will help in building a virtual network black owned businesses and promote to create enabling environment for black people to run their entrepreneurship initiatives. This will even help to get more black investors to support one another. 

4. I will also help in creating awareness campaign for black people in finding the safety nets and best insurance support which can secure their financial assets and as well as give them confidence to maintain financial sustainability. 

The solution is serving marginalized population especially targeting black entrepreneurs inclusively  who are facing challenges in the way of their entrepreneurship journey . They have wonderful ideas and initiatives but lack access toward the investment and venture capitalist due to their minority status, gender biased and lack of confidence. 

This solution will help them first of all to develop their capacity to learn basic business and entrepreneurial ethics, provide them the relevant knowledge resources, link them to the safety nets to insure safety for their investments and financial assets, connect them to the network of interested venture capitalist and firms especially black owned businesses and ultimately help them to run their business successfully. 

This project is proposing to enable these black people to know the way, show the way and go the way toward business success and financial independence.  

As earlier mentioned, most startup media platforms, and other venture programs lack diversity and cultural competency. Most of these entrepreneurs lack the awareness and knowledge about these things.

That is why, the highest affected are Black Founders. There is no full awareness and knowledge support for them to find the proper way to startup their initiative, find the relevant network and how they can secure and ensure safety to get financial sustainability. 

We are living in a world where diversity exists but some of the human are not treating each other based on racial differences, color, creed and minority statuses. Black entrepreneurs are among those highly effected community. They have wonderful ideas and energy but unfortunately they are facing many barrier in the way and they dont get access to the resources as other majority does. 

Myself and my team has witnessed many young leaders with wonderful ideas but poverty, lack of access to proper network, to investors, lack of education resources and guidance and lack of access to proper safety nets, they are unable to achieve what they envision for their future.

This is where It’s Your Call Programming LLC come in and want to give hands to our young back leaders who are marginalized, through our awareness programing and knowledge campaigns, our expertise, our networking skills and seeking relevant funding links to help and support them in their wonderful Endeavour.

I am cancer survivor, veteran retired military and enriched with experienced and diversity of the world. Therefore now it is the time to help those who need our hands. We consider every young leader is country's wonderful asset. We believe these young leaders have the potential to boost the country's economy and especially shoulder the country and the world especially in this COVID-19 crisis. 

We believe, no one should be left behind. Innovation and creativity is God Gifted and equally distributed in young leaders without discrimination by God. We human has now the responsibility to create inclusivity and let everyone access their share and resources equally. Therefore we are here to help those who are marginalized and left behind through my programing. In return these black leader's success will automatically contribute to the humanity and the economy. 

My bio already state my motivation and relevancy of being fit for such type of initiative. As earlier mentioned, we are team of like-minded person and we have witnessed majority of young leaders has passed through the same difficulties through our time which nowadays black leaders are facing therefore we knows, what are the problem and what can be the best possible solution. Therefore we consider well positioned toward this solution.

My own life story is a best example. From the start of my career, after completing the education, things looked very difficult. I faced many naysayers and also witnessed biased and sort of bullying too. But I found, either to focus on negative and live with it, or to ignore things and prove myself. I choose the later one.

Today after serving my country for long years, travelled the world and survivor of cancer disease and still have energy to contribute something to our people, I am happy I have enabled myself to bring like-minded people with me in a team and now on the mission to help those marginalized people who are facing the challenges. We are afraid those young talent should not be wasted, if not supported on time. 

This project and the program my company offers is the best example to showcase to prove my leadership ability. I believe leader is the one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. Exactly the same hurdles I have faced which nowadays the young leaders are facing, especially the young leaders. 

Since I have successfully passed through those hurdles and succeeded, therefore "I KNOW THE WAY AND GOES THE WAY" already. Now for last year I have struggled to get liked minded people in team with a mission "TO SHOWS THE WAY" to the young leaders toward successful entrepreneurship especially targeting marginalized black leaders.   

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This Project is different and innovative. This project aims to promote and raise a bold voice to increase exposure of black founders and their ventures. Founders receive help with business creation and development via our programs, access to investors, insurance and safety of financial investments and more. We are intended to provide critical industry knowledge, mentorship, and business development tools to help fledgling startups succeed. Leaded by diverse team, we understand the cultural issues facing black founders.

Goal/Impact: To raise the awareness for create enabling environment where the rights of black founders are protected and the can become innovative entrepreneurs to boost the contribute in serving the community and ultimately boosting the country's economy. 

Purpose/Outcome: To pave the way for black entrepreneurs through our strong awareness for buildinf their knowledge and capacity, support them in finding the right networks, exploring investment opportunities and connect them to the relevant safety nets and insurance to secure their investments and finances. 

Results/Outputs

Black women are fully aware of market linkages and knows how to connect to the network of investment firms and venture capitalist to showcase their initiatives and find the investment. 

They have built their confidence through secured and insured their investments and financial assets and start their way toward financial sustainability. 

These black entrepreneurs received the relevant virtual trainings, education resources and awareness session to build their business development capacity and start up their initiative properly.

Currently we are advising and providing awareness to more than 500 entrepreneur beneficiaries. 

We are planning is to increase to service 20000 entrepreneur beneficiaries in first year and possibly 100,000 individuals in 5 years. 

We are targeting to provide education services to 20000 black entrepreneurs. This will act as a pilot and with the time we will learn from our business service and will improve things for coming years. The reason it will increase in upcoming years is because our goal for five years is called "Butterfly Replication Approach" which means those black leaders who are served and startup the successful work, they will become our brand ambassadors and volunteer to bring and serve more with us. We want to become a leading awareness platform where not only the paid staff are serving but our strong volunteer network and alumnus will help and serve here with us in return. 

COVID-19 and some unrest due to recent ethnic conflict are among the upcoming burning barriers. Financing such initiative is a barriers since we have started this business on small investment. We have great ideas, initiatives and potentials but biggest barrier so far is funding this initiative. 

For financial challenge, we are optimistic to win this funding, prize and also have started grants and investment research to boost up the financial resources. To overcome pandemic and ethnic crisis, we are engaging digitally and bringing most of our services virtual. At the same time we have started advocating for peace a different platform and advocating for gender equality. 

We are partnered temporarily as well long term partnered with different online forums, platforms and network especially the veterans. Youth and Veterans forums are also one of our key strategic partner. These platform enable me explore most of the black entrepreneurs. This also provide us volunteer support from veterans and can attract their attention toward investing for Black Founders initiatives. Many black minority supporting businesses are our strategic partner. They are sharing resources with which includes but not limited to an unlimited amount of resources to educate my team, my clients and provide expertise in different areas.

The Company will provide an insightful commentary and experience driven talk show that will pique the interest of the more than 18 million US veterans. The initial content will focus heavily on veteran’s sharing their stories, their motivations for joining the military and other content related to military services. Our other services are to enable youth especially the black and marginalize to be prepare for tomorrow challenges.  

The business generates revenues from the sale of advertising (directly to sponsors) as well as per-one-thousand (CPM) impressions when content is streamed from major online platforms (primarily via YouTube, Vimeo, and FaceBook Live). The Company’s website will feature ecommerce functionality for the sale of merchandise carrying the It’s Your Call brand name.

The purpose of this business plan is to raise and examine the allocation of $45,000 of equity capital for the development of a unique streaming content production business that focuses on talk-show based programming. It’s Your Call, LLC (“the Company”) is a Spencer, Tennessee based limited liability company that intends on commencing operations within the next three to six months. The Company was founded by John Michael Thomas. 

It’s Your Call will be a multifaceted online channel that discuss a variety of  topics and social cuases. The business will maintain channels on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, BuzzSumo, SocialCounty, Hootsuite, LinkedIn, and related platforms where content can be uploaded and distributed. 

At this time, the Company is seeking $45,000 of capital. The terms of this investment will be discussed during negotiation. The funds will be used for:

• Cash for maintaining normal business operations.

• Marketing operations.

• Studio equipment 

There is 72% approval rate for military veterans and other youth supportive businesses to support our programs. I currently have memberships with 17 major veteran organizations.

Now I am seeking to raise external fund for this project. 

The expenditure for 2020 is expected to be approximately 62,500 USD in payroll Bill's and miscellaneous expenses. 

I believe The Elevator prize (Solve) is the best and fit platform and prize to bring this solution because no other platform will understand better the issues of marginalized young and black entrepreneurs, other than solve. The Elevator prize will enable us to seed this initiative project and enable to serve the black leaders. 

As the 17th goal of SDGs promote partnership, therefore on this belief, we are intended to expand our partnership network where other partner, who have the same shared goals should come together, share resources and provide expertise we lack and as well provide financial support and assistance.

We would like to involve in partnership with MIT, organizations with same initiatives, CSR Forums, Entrepreneurs Networks and financial advising organizations.