Hidden Gems: Meet Kevin B Banks Jr of Just The Right Amount

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin B Banks Jr.

Hi Kevin B, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Just The Right Amount, LLC (JTRA), started as a simple concept to help black and brown students successfully apply for scholarships while I was in college. I attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) for undergrad and I found myself volunteering my time with prospective students to assist them with funding college through scholarships. After taking two entrepreneurship courses, I realized that there was a market for scholarship coaching, especially within the black and brown communities. In December 2019, I officially launched with my very first student from Chicago who was a family friend. Before COVID, we would meet at coffee shops to discuss various scholarship opportunities and then craft the best application(s) to receive funding.

When COVID started, the business shifted all of its coaching operations to a virtual format via zoom. Since the pandemic, JTRA has been able to assist students across the US with finding and successfully applying for scholarships to college. To date, we have worked exclusively with eight (8) students. Of those eight, seven (7) have earned some form of external scholarship money ranging in value from $1,000 to $150,000. Of those seven, we are proud to say that three (3) are on full-rides to colleges such as DePaul University in Chicago, Howard University, and Georgia State University respectively.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey to this point for JTRA has been far from smooth. I believe Entrepreneurship by nature is a difficult, grueling process that requires grit and determination to make it through. One of the earliest struggles that the business faced was getting off the ground. While a high school student, I remember a presenter in my senior seminar saying, “you should never have to pay someone for access to scholarship opportunities. If you do, run the other way.” So for much of 2019 when the passion to start was there, the aforementioned words held me back. The reason being was that I thought of this work as something other than a service/coaching business. Similar to how one would pay for their clothes to be dry cleaned or to receive executive coaching, it is a service that is to make the customers’ life easier rather than exploiting them. Once I fully embraced that mentality, then it was much easier to get started.

Another struggle that the business had was properly valuing the work that we were doing. In the early going, the cost associated was so marginal that it was hard to maintain the operations of the business with costs for Zoom, Adobe, and other platforms needed to ensure that customers received a quality experience. Then factoring in that at the height of the global pandemic, many families that needed this service took hits to their household income, it made it difficult to grow and expand our client base. Through consistency, staying true to the written vision of the business, and serving our students in excellence, we have been able to see the tangible value that our business provides. We are humbled that three (3) of our students are at the school of choice on full-ride scholarships. That is a testament to the work that we do and the work that the students are putting in each day!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Just The Right Amount, LLC (JTRA) is a scholarship coaching and consulting firm specifically helping black and brown students leverage their academic and extracurricular profiles to receive scholarship dollars for college. The goal is to ensure that each student we support can minimize or negate the need for student loans to fund the college of their choice. Currently, we target high school juniors and seniors to teach them dynamic skills and principles to help them submit comprehensive scholarship applications. We help students with all aspects of the scholarship process from finding scholarships, writing quality essays, submitting polished resumes, and even preparing for the interview. We take a holistic approach to the scholarship process because we have been through it, with our CEO having 6+ years of experience applying for and receiving scholarships.

JTRA is committed to advancing the educational career of black and brown students across the country. By the time coaching sessions have concluded, our students feel confident and self-sufficient to apply for scholarships on their own throughout their collegiate careers. To date, our students have earned a minimum of $1000 in non-institutional scholarship money with one student receiving $150,000. We are proud to say that through our coaching services, three (3) of our students have earned full-ride scholarships to the schools of their choice.

If you would like to speak with our staff about how we can help your student receive scholarships for college, please contact us via email at [email protected] or via phone at (224) 419-7435. Additionally, our website is www.therightamount.org, where you can book a FREE 30-minute consultation directly on the site.

What makes you happy?
Being able to help students receive scholarship money is extremely gratifying and it truly makes me happy. Seeing the look on students’ faces when they receive the acceptance email and the amount of relief in the voice of their parents is humbling. It lets me and the staff know that the work we are doing is meaningful and that is changing the lives of the students we are working with.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.therightamount.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therightamount1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therightamount1