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Meet Barbara Jones-Brown of Freeing Returns in Cumberland

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Jones.

Barbara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As the first person in my family to graduate from College, I have always been an avid learner. As a kid, I loved to read and would spend most summer vacations reading books. I was a nerd girl, as I was called throughout school and was good at Math and English. I loved Science as well but hated gym class. In High School, I took my first computer programming class. This was in 1987, computers were new, and I fell in love with computer programming. I had just learned how to type; I was excited to use my typing skills. I was also an introvert; well, I still am but a recovering one now. I was happy that I could sit behind a computer all day and NOT have to talk to anyone!

I went home and told my mom and my family that I wanted to be a computer programmer? They were confused because, until that time, I was going to be an Engineer. I came from a poor family and was the one in the family that was “going to make it.” My family knew what an Engineering degree could do for me but did not know much about Computer programming. Therefore, I put my dream of being a Computer Programmer on hold and went to college for Electrical Engineering or EE.

I remember taking my first few Engineering courses and I hated it. I was on my hands and knees underneath equipment or getting burned by the soldering gun – I decided to investigate the College of Computer Science. I took another Computer Programming class, LOVED IT and switched my major to Computer Science.

I have been coding since then and have had many successes in my life, tons of struggles and still have many things I want to do. With my computer science degree, I have been able to become a Serial Entrepreneur and have been part of the founding team for 2 Tech startups that exited for close to $100M each. I have traveled throughout the US and Internationally to Singapore. I have pitched my business on large stages like Venture Atlanta, Money2020 Asia and the Inaugural Singapore FinTech Conference.

What I noticed throughout my career was the lack of other women who looked like me in the Computer Science arena. I was often one of the only women on the team but ALWAYS I was the only Black Woman coder on the team. My goal was and still is – to change that!

Seven years ago, I founded Lillii RNB Inc which is an acronym for “Lets Imagine Life with Ladies In IT,” and my company specializes in custom software development, IT Staffing and Staff Augmentation and emerging technologies like Robotics, AI/ML, Data Science, Cloud Computing, Fraud, Blockchain and Retail Technology at the Point of Sale. We are a very diverse team with a mission to be one of the top Technology companies in Georgia and beyond.

We are fully immersed in the Atlanta startup ecosystem and have been a part of many Accelerator and Incubators like EnrichHER’s Inaugural “All Rise Factory,” Morehouse/Chase Ascend2020, the Minority Business Development Agency, Launchpad2x, Atlanta Tech Village’s Inaugural It Takes a Village cohort and Pitch Atlanta; just to name a few. We are working on several innovative technology products including Freeing Returns – the first B2B Marketplace for Store Returns, CASanDRA – a shopping and curbside delivery robotic assistant, RTW Solutions Group – whose mission is to help cities and businesses “Return to Work” with accountability, safety and in compliance with the CDCs cleaning requirements. We are very busy, as you can see.

Lastly, with my goal of bringing more Women into Tech – my company has created an Online training course that will help these women learn how to code so that they can work from home. With so many people affected by this COVID-19 pandemic, those of us who were working from home before COVID-19 have not had the financial struggles of those of us who were not. I have had so many black women who have reached out to me to learn how to have a career where they can work from home to be there for their children. This course is designed to train people who have little or NO experience in programming for entry-level computer programming careers. Most of these are remote positions.

Despite all of my successes, I’ve had many challenges. Due to COVID-19, we have seen 50% of our clients having to cancel projects or put them on hold. Our primary business was in Retail, which has been hit very hard by COVID-19. We have tried raising capital but have been unsuccessful. More MUST be done to save small businesses and we applaud all the efforts that are being marketed nationwide. The sad truth is that those monies are not finding their way to companies like mine.

My favorite Bible verse is Phil 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and I fully believe this. I believe in Retail. I believe in Women in Tech. I believe in Small Businesses. I believe that the New Normal will be heavily reliant on Tech. I am looking to connect with those of you who believe like I believe.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest struggle has been and still is with funding for my business. As a Black Woman Veteran-owned small business, we have struggled with raising capital for the business. I have pitched to investors, only to be ignored and dismissed. We have secured predatory lending, which almost bankrupted my business. We recently connected with organizations like the EnrichHER, which provides access to capital for Women-led businesses. They have been a saving grace for us. Also, there have been many obstacles with system racism as my business is focused in a market that doesn’t have a lot of diversity. Here a few examples of bias I have faced as a Black Woman in Technology:

1. The YOU factor. This is YOUR company? Let me share an interesting story with you.
My company won a prestigious award for one of the world’s largest Retail Conferences. Towards the end, a block of time was carved out, just for the Winners can be introduced to Major Retail Execs. As I stood by my booth, a tall white executive man approaches. Hello, he says as we exchanged introductions. He was fascinated by hearing about my company’s product, “Freeing Returns.” He engaged me in the process to the point where I felt strong about moving forward. Then he drops the bomb on me and says, “What is your role in the company?” I confidently told him that I was the Founder/CEO, and he looked at me in disbelief and said the infamous, “YOU own this company?” Needless to say, he moved on after taking my card and I never heard from him again. As hard as that was to digest and as disrespected as I felt, I needed to hear that. Still today, I get the ‘YOU CREATED THIS? blues.

2. Then there’s the blatant attempt to solicit my best consultants. On occasion, you hear about recruiters discreetly trying to steal consultants, knowing it’s a clear industry violation. This type of thing happens all of the time in the IT Staffing industry. The difference in my case is that I have had recruiters and clients tell me that they are going to directly recruit my consultants, even when they know it’s a clear violation of the non-compete and non-solicitation clauses in the contract. Rarely does this happen but with me, the Black Women who owns her own company, it happens ALL THE TIME! And recruiters don’t even give me the curtesy of being discreet – they blatantly try to steal my consultants. The loyalty of my Consultants inspires me. The majority of recruiters in this business know that Lillii RNB has polished and professional consultants who are very loyal to the company and to what we are building…period!

Lillii RNB – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Lillii RNB is a leading IT consulting firm that helps Fortune 500 companies and government agencies increase their revenue while improving the IT experience. We provide world-class subject matter experts in the areas of POS, Data Analytics, Fraud Prevention and IT Staffing.

I’m most proud of our seven years in business and the work we have done for so many Fortune 500 Retailers. We are pivoting into Non-Retail companies and Government Contracting but our Retail business has been the core for the last seven years.

We are very excited about the Government Contracting space and have fostered strategic partnerships with companies who are already in this space. We have the opportunity to work on Robotics and Blockchain projects and products, which is cutting edge technology. We are very excited about a new Entry-level programming course that be launched in October. The goal is to start training people who want careers in IT and the ability to work from home. We also will be kicking of a blog on Women In Tech as well as speaking on various platforms to bring awareness to women about Technology and how to get their foot in the door.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Optimism, hardwork, I believe in my team, altruisim, faith and stubbornness – Entrepreneurship is not easy. Sometimes you must be stubborn in order to keep going and to not give up.

Pricing:

  • $1000 for 4 weeks of immersive training for the Intro to Computer Programming Course

Contact Info:

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