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James Sampson is the Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of One Day Came Inc., a Black-owned construction company in Florida. He has over ten years of construction industry experience managing projects ranging from $500,000 to $50 million. He has been in business at One Day Came, Inc since 2007. Holding an Electrical Engineering degree, James has been able to master his craft and make the transition to successful businessman. Take a moment to enjoy this episode!

Alex Merritt is the creator and host of Dessert & Discussion who is affectionately known as The LOVE Engineer --- Dessert and Discussion is an engaging unscripted discussion between men and women about love, sex, and relationships. Ms. Merritt earned her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). In 2010, Missouri S&T and the Sacramento Observer named her one of “30 Future Leaders under 30.” As an author and speaker, Ms. Merritt has been featured in several leading publications such as the NSBE magazine, Sparkman, and St. Louis American.

Felecia Hatcher is on a mission to rid our communities of innovation deserts by working with community leaders and government officials to create inclusive and diverse startup ecosystems as the Co-Founder of Code Fever and Black Tech Week. Code Fever work is at the intersection of economic development and inclusive innovation. As an Author, Social Entrepreneur and the Chief Popsicle of Feverish Ice Cream, Hatcher was named one of the Empact 100 Top 100 Entrepreneurs under the age of 30 by the White House and Kauffman Foundation in 2011, a 2014 White House Champion of Change for STEM Access and Diversity, a Black Enterprise Innovator of the Week, Essence Magazine Tech Master, and featured on the NBC Today Show, The Cooking Channel, & Grio’s 100 African American’s Making History. Listen to some of her creative and insightful experiences in entrepreneurship in this episode!

A technologist at heart, Angela connects people with technology in a humorous and non-intimidating manner. Angela is Founder and CEO of LiveWire Collaborative, a social media consultancy. Their services includes Social Media Training for corporations or organizations, one-on-one Executive Coaching, Social Media Analysis, as well as Strategy Development and Implementation for mid-size businesses. Additionally, Angela has trained several hundred professionals on hot topics such as “How to” Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and There’s an App for That! Prior to LiveWire Collaborative, Angela spent the past 20 years in high-tech and brings extensive experience leading global teams and products to market. Angela has spoken at the Massachusetts Conference for Women and was featured on the TV series, Our World. Listen in on some of the value she has to share from her experience; here on the podcast!

Melerick “Mel” Mitchell believes we all have the power and obligation to influence the world for the better. In 2009, Mel founded Drive Influence to serve current executives as well as their rising talent, teams, and organizations in a wide range of industries including start-us, NGOs governments, and corporations to accelerate performance through his Kinetic philosophies. He also has a wide range of volunteer and leadership experience including serving as the 2014-2015 National Professionals Chair of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Listen to him share his story about how he began to Drive Influence of his own!

Dr. Maria T. Earle is CEO and Founder of IntelliFunda.  Intellifunda designs motivational practice tutoring apps.  IntelliFunda’s vision is to become known as a world-class Tech-Ed company offering superb customer-facing products at an affordable price. The first offering is called MathFunda; a math practice app that helps middle school students with math proficiency. Listen to this episode and find out how her previous experiences in entrepreneurship led her to this exciting new venture!

Khalia Braswell has been a User Experience professional for several years creating responsive web user interfaces for enterprise solutions and startups. She applies User Centered Design concepts to technology solutions, which she has learned through experience as a User Experience Engineer at Apple, as well as, in the classroom while obtaining her Masters in Information Technology with a Concentration in Human Computer Interaction at UNC Charlotte. Khalia also founded the INTech Foundation, an organization that targets girls of color ages 10-13 to inform and inspire them to innovation in the technology industry. Check out her story!

Richard Z. White has over 20 years as SAP certified Basis Consultant,  and  over 25 years designing, delivering and developing integrated solutions.  His development expertise includes delivering database, Internet, and imaging solutions to a variety of industries. He has served as technical lead on numerous Large scale implementations, partnering with  the likes of Black & Decker ,  Discovery Channel, Grainger, PepsiCo, Coca Cola Bottling, and many more. In addition, Richard is national board member for the National Society of Black Engineers and has worked with major educational institutions and to develop technologies and programs to increase the representation of minorities in engineering. You gotta listen to this Interview!

Dr. Thomas R. Easley is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. He has held positions with the US Forest Service and other non-profits. Easley serves as CEO of his business The Easley Branch, LLC and the Director of Community for Diversity in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University from 2004 to now. Easley earned his undergraduate degree in forest science from Alabama A&M University and his master’s degree in Forest Genetics from Iowa State University, and his doctorate in Adult Education from NC State University, where his research focus was STEM Faculty Perceptions of Matters of Diversity. In his role as the Diversity Director he teaches courses, counsels students, consults with faculty and staff on programming ensuring they are inclusive to all populations. With his background in forestry and diversity he has co-taught courses in Sweden on forest practices, and Landscapes in Ecotourism in Ghana, West Africa. Lastly, Dr. Easley is also a musician and is known by RaShad in the world of music. Listen and Enjoy!

Brit Fitzpatrick is founder & CEO of MentorMe - a SaaS mentoring platform.  Brit is a 2014 FOCUS100 Fellow and a member of the Fall 2014 Points of Light Civic Accelerator. She's been named one of the top 50 under 40 emerging leaders in social enterprise by American Express, and Inc. Magazine recognized her one of "8 Awesome Black Women Tech Founders to Watch." In 2015, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Brit a "Woman Entrepreneur to Watch."  Brit serves on the Advisory Board for 100 Girls of Code and as an ambassador for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

This NSBEpreneur podcast episode is one on the topic of finding the right business idea. Our host, Nehemiah Mabry discusses the acronym F.A.S.T. and uses it as a rubric to provide some insight on how to determine where your effort should be focused when looking to start a new venture. Hopefully you'll find this content practical and useful for where you are on your journey!

Vivian H. Blade works with ambitious professionals who want to win in their careers and in their everyday work lives. She works with organizations and individuals to Build Leaders and Develop Excellence so that they can achieve their vision of success.  In 2009, Vivian founded Experts in Growth Leadership Consulting, LLC.  She has worked with many global organizations, such as Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, Brown-Forman and GE. Vivian delivers an energetic, power-packed program that empowers and inspires. Take a moment and listen to her story!

KJ Scriven is an entrepreneur, singer, and prolific songwriter hailing out of North Carolina. K.J. brings an anticipated freshness and excitement to the gospel music industry. One of his most noteworthy achievements was that of penning the song "What Can I Do" which was featured on Tye Tribbett's grammy award-winning album entitled Greater Than. K.J.'s blend of soul, contemporary worship, hip hop, and alternative rock has listeners buzzing at the originality and authenticity of his sound. On this episode of the NSBEpreneur Podcast KJ shares how his academic background in business prepared him for an career as an independent musician. He also gives priceless advice based on lessons he learned along the way. Take a listen!

 Our Final Podcast Episode of 2015 will feature a collection of the best "gifts" (i.e. Advice) provided in our first seven interviews. Each guest shared lessons that they would give themselves, back before starting their business and reaching their current level of success. Listen to the great quotes from each episode and find nuggets of wisdom are good for us all. PLUS, we have among these gifts another Top 7 list that you might also enjoy... Let us know which one of our Top 7 "Must-Play" Christmas songs is your favorite and what others you would add. Please leave your thoughts below in the comments section. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Keith Sylvester’s entrepreneurial pursuits began shortly after he graduated from college.  He owns a franchise with LegalShield, a company that provides high quality legal and identity theft services. The legal plan gives members access to over 6900 attorneys for situations ranging from the trivial to the traumatic, and the identity theft plan provides industry leading monitoring, consultation, and restoration. Keith is the CEO and founder of eBook Solutions which is a book publishing company that provides digital and physical book publishing services, provides online and offline book promotion services, and help authors develop/expand their author platform. Keith’s main goal is to provide the best customer service to his clients by listening to their needs and providing the best solutions to their problems. He is also an active member of the NSBE Professionals national board.

Jay Veal is the Founder and CEO of INC Tutoring, a private, prescriptive tutoring company specializing in individual one-on-one tutoring that achieves RESULTS. Serving clients at all academic levels in math, science and standardized test preparation, their tutors are passionate about providing a collaborative learning environment specifically tailored to the student’s learning style. The curriculum is not a “one size fits all” cookie cutter template but a holistic one that includes input from parents teachers and the student to develop lessons that foster accelerated learning/ which equals lower customer cost. INC Tutoring is one of the most sought after tutoring organizations and the only minority owned, private, prescriptive tutoring company in the Dallas area. 

Stephanie Lampkin is the founder and CEO of Blendoor - a mobile job matching app that facilitates diversity recruiting in tech companies by circumventing unconscious bias. Despite very humble beginnings, Stephanie first learned to code at 14 through BDPA, by 15 she was a full stack web developer and by 16 a network admin. Fast forward 17 years, Stephanie has worked in tech for companies like Northrop Grumman, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Deloitte and TripAdvisor, but is now focused full time on changing how people, organizations and companies connect in a way that fosters diversity. Stephanie graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Management Science & Engineering and MIT Sloan with a MBA.

Michael Garvin is co-founder of REDtro Habitat, a sneaker restoration and consignment apparel store. The business provides restoration of old or new sneakers, redesigning custom or exclusive sneakers, and consignment apparel. The initial restoring and repairing sneakers to a factory look is the primary focus and the base of their work; however retail is the majority of what is done.  REDtro Habitat is located in the downtown area of Fayetteville, North Carolina. The organization is committed to providing the highest quality workmanship and customer service, while supporting the sneaker community with another location to purchase goods and services. To be successful, they implement and maintain the latest, exclusive trends in sneakers and apparel, while training likeminded employees/team members.   

Dr. Maeling Murphy is the creator of NaturalChica.com, a leading natural hair and lifestyle site, which was started in 2009. She is a wife, mom and an avid learner with interests in healthy living, web development, photography and video production. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2015.   On this episode, Maeling shares how, what started out as a personal project while working on her engineering PhD, turned into a lucrative online business.

Jewel Burks is co-founder and CEO of Partpic, an Atlanta based startup designed to streamline the purchase of maintenance and repair parts using computer vision technology. On this episode of the NSBEpreneur podcast we find out how she got her idea for the company and what she did to get the ball rolling. Now,having raised $1.5 million in seed funding, Jewel and her team are moving full speed ahead towards integrating their proprietary technology into mobile apps and websites of parts distributors and retailers.