Today we’d like to introduce you to Cartiear Madlock.
Cartiear, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The vision for my company came from a class that I took in college (Oakland Community College) called “How to Start and Operate a Small Business.” We basically had to start a business from scratch, business plan and all. I’ve always had the idea to create a cell phone app that would help people locate black-owned businesses and I wanted to call it “Black Business Finder.”
We were instructed to research other companies that had similar business models, then come up with ways to differentiate our ideas. I then decided that I wanted each business within the app to have a one-minute interview of their respective owner describing their motivation behind starting each business. Today it is affectionately known as your “Why.”
I decided to be proactive and start the interview process since I didn’t know the first thing about creating a mobile app. I bought a cheap camera and started reaching out to local entrepreneurs on social media to ask them to be interviewed. As I got more people to agree and my audience grew, I got better and better at editing video. I have always had an eye for what looks good on film because of my love for movies since a child. Today, you would be hard-pressed to find a better visual storyteller than me.
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?
The struggles are countless and ever-present. Perhaps ‘path’ isn’t the right term… I think “obstacle course” would be more accurate lol. I started out having absolutely no idea what I was doing in business. A huge motivation for starting to interview entrepreneurs was that, at the very least, I would undergo a crash course in entrepreneurship. I knew that I would learn things from them that no college could ever teach me. They were sharing their EXPERIENCES with me, and you can’t put a price on that.
I did free video work for about two out of the three years I’ve been in business and that became really stressful. I was barely making ends meet at my 9-5, a new father, moving from place to place and had car trouble once a month. Every ounce of free time went into creating, filming and editing. I was exhausted ALL OF THE TIME… until I started charging and working with people who saw the value in my work.
We’d love to hear more about Black Business Finder.
Black Business Finder is a visual storytelling agency for black artists and entrepreneurs, primarily within the city of Detroit. I help business owners share their stories of triumph, tragedy and perseverance with people who are actually looking to support them. I started my business with the belief that people aren’t actually purchasing your product or service; they are buying into you and the things you stand for. We all want to feel like we are a part of something bigger than us and once we have established some common ground, it becomes a lot easier to support one another.
I would have to say that I am most commonly known for my elaborate visuals, sophisticated musical selections and the web series that I have created (EntrepreNoir & Mystro). Black Business Finder is helping to transform the way that we market and I am most proud of that. Tell your story rather than “sell your product/service.” I am not ashamed to admit that I am more of an artist than a businessman. My visuals are black and beautiful. The effort and attention to detail are evident as soon as the video begins. I am the best at what I do. I’m just waiting on the rest of the world to realize it… Then tell a friend.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My thirst for knowledge and constant improvement is most important to my success. I am always looking for new editing tactics and techniques. Putting my mental and physical health first is also at the top of that list. I recently went vegan and lost 125lbs… I feel better than I ever have!
My desire to make small but continuous improvements has helped me to remain positive when things get rough. I know that I can’t go wrong if I’m consistently trending in the right direction. One of my favorite terms is “Excelsior” -Ever upward.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bbfdetroit.com
- Phone: 2486628787
- Email: blackbusinessfinder@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/theblackbusinessfinder
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/blackbusinessfinder
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5R3hcIOuOS242kfvSALNfA?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Tyler Moncrief, Morgan McDonald
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