Life & Work with Antress Witt of Athens, Ga

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antress Witt.

Hi Antress, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I’ve always dreamed of owning a my own Business. While living with my grandmother, I would always ask questions on how things work. In 1990, my grandmother purchased me a book called “How in the World”. The book was just published that year and she stated that it would help me understand. Needless to say, I learned alot from this book. I was very smart in school and always helped others when needed. I didn’t come from a family with alot of money, instead, I was surrounded by a village of Love. I wanted to become a Millionaire so I could help my parents and my grandmother. My dream career was to be a lawyer. I held on to that dream through high school. I enrolled in college majoring in Paralegal Studies.
At the age of 19, my daughter was born. I had to quit school and work full time to take care of her. I returned to school, this time majoring in Criminal Justice, because now I wanted to be a detective. At the age of 22, I got married and my son was born at the the age of 23. So again, school got put on hold, but I never gave up. I returned off and on and finished with my Associates degree in Business Administration, and at the age of 30, I finished with my Bachelors in Business Management. That same year, my father passed away months before I received my degree. After that, my focus was to start a Business. But what kind of Business? I explored many options, which included opening a restaurant. I worked in plants for the most part of my life and I was always in shipping and receiving. The more trucks and truck drivers I seen, the more I thought about the Business I wanted to start. A trucking company. I was persistent, even through tough times in my marriage, working full time and raising two kids. My priority was my kids finishing school and pursuing their dreams with my support.
Fast Forward, I begin working on my business plan. For years, I took notes and asked alot of questions. In 2017, I started Witt Transport, LLC. I bought a courier van, hired a driver and began making deliveries while still working full time. My son would finish high school in 2019 and go to play college football. My goal was to quit my full time job so I could be flexible. In 2019, my husband and I stepped out on faith and walked away from our full time job and went full time with Witt Transport LLC.
We purchased a box truck and began making deliveries. We began to network and eventually by 2021, Witt Transport had turned into something big… A Trucking Company. The first year we grossed $800,000. We secured contracts from major companies like Amazon, JB Hunt, & others. We contracted on owner operators, at one point managing up to 19 drivers.
During this time, I experienced alot of death in my family. In 2020, my grandmother passed. In 2021, my nephew who was like a son to me, was killed in a car wreck. I couldn’t grieve because I had to be strong for everyone else. I also experienced backlash & betrayal from family members. As I continued to run my business, I began coaching most of the drivers who worked for me into their own Businesses. I leveraged the Business back to the courier side. During this time I also started creating content on TikTok and looking into being a content creator. Creating content was a way of expressing my feelings and coping with grief.
In 2021, I experienced some life-changing things. This motivated me to start a podcast, The Hype One. In this podcast, I began to express what it was like to be the black sheep of the family & grief. After months into it, I began to interview guests and educate people on finance, becoming entrepreneurs & self development. I came up with the name “The Hype One” because I’m always trying to Hype people up in a Positive way, while my life was sometimes falling apart. I took a break from Podcasting for awhile. When I would return, I turned it into a Brand. We are now The Hype One, LLC.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it. The challenges and struggles with running a business is people. Finding dependable employees is a struggle. There were also financial struggles along the way. It costs to run a business, of course. Getting people to support you is also challenging. Many challenges were faced, but I never gave up and never stopped.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am known for being a creative human who makes people laugh with my content and helping others thrive through their life journey.

I do a little bit of everything.

My main gig is Witt Transport which is the courier side of my Business. Similar to a smaller version of UPS and Fed Ex, we deliver goods to Businesses and residents. I have helped many people start their own Businesses.

I am a Social Media influencer. I create funny relateable content on all platforms. I have grown my Facebook following to over 56,000. I am also an Amazon & TikTok affiliate, where I earn a commission for products purchased through my affiliate links.

I recently started Podcasting again, this time I am including a Media Blog. I share insights and stories relateable to everyday life as well as writing blogs on Personal Development. I am excited about building this platform into something more structured like a talk show.

I do a little bit of acting as well. In March, I was a cast in my very first Theatrical Play “Wake Up, Hell is Real”
Looking forward to booking more roles.

And last but not least, I am a School Bus Driver. My goal is to show up for the kids everyday and make a Positive impact in their lives.

I am proud of the woman I have become. A positive Influencer. Despite the challenges I have faced in life, the setbacks, the roadblocks, and the losses, I’ve still managed to be successful and achieve the goals I’ve set while maintaining a positive image and spirit.

What sets me apart from others is that I’m authentic. My Spiritual Gifts from God are used to benefit others. I am very passionate about what I do and helping others.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
The advice I have for those starting out is for you to set clear and achievable goals. Keep God first, pray about everything and do not tell others your plans. Stay persistent and consistent. Build your own audience.

The one thing I wished I knew when starting out was how to secure grants for starting a business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thehypeone.store
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehypeone
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/Witt.AntressC

Image Credits
Redemption Studios