Today we’d like to introduce you to Curtis Brown, Jr.
Curtis Brown, Jr. is an #EntrepreneurshipEvangelist! He is both the General Manager of Build The Crowd, LLC, and Director of Build The Community, Inc. Both companies were established to inspire and inform entrepreneurs.
After graduating from Morehouse College (BA, Economics) in 2000 he started his career on Wall St. as an Investment Banking Analyst at Morgan Stanley. He analyzed opportunities for corporate mergers and acquisitions for clients in the New York and Houston offices. After the analyst program he started his first company, Novus Mortgage & Finance and was an early adopter of using internet marketing to provide a bundle of real estate and financial management services. Curtis made the hard decision to close Novus and redirect his business prior to the mortgage crisis and subsequent economic downturn.
In 2004, relocated from Houston to Scottsdale, AZ to attend the MBA program at Arizona State University. After completing the program, he accepted a position with Sprint Nextel outside of Kansas City, MO as an Associate in their Finance Management Development Program which was designed to prepare MBA graduates for leadership roles in the company’s finance division. He had the opportunity to work on several important projects that supported strategic partners, reducing costs on the network and reconciling intracompany transactions related to company mergers. In 2009, Curtis decided that entrepreneurship was still a passion. He left Sprint and started another company dedicated to website and app development as small businesses had new opportunities that were emerging with the rise of social media marketing and increased smartphone usage. Like many entrepreneurs, he also took a full-time position with a financial services company based in the Midwest to manage small business banking products and services.
In 2014, he and his wife relocated to LaGrange, GA to pursue his business full time in a location close to the Atlanta metro area. His wife, Shaundre, is a Physician who is originally from Montgomery, AL and LaGrange was a perfect location for their family. The business that Curtis started in Kansas City is now known as Build The Crowd, LLC which creates content for entrepreneurs and monetizes it through business development relationships. In 2017, he started Build The Community, Inc. a Georgia nonprofit that supports civic engagement and “community entrepreneurship.”
Curtis serves on a number of boards focused on community and economic development. Some of these include the LaGrange Development Authority, Three Rivers Regional Commission, Wellstar West Georgia Hospital, LaGrange College and Trustbuilding, Inc. which sponsors a racial trust initiative that has received international recognition and support. He is also a member of the current Leadership Georgia class.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has been “smooth-ish”! I would characterize it more like when your GPS signal gets lost – you know where you want to end up, but the best path to take is unknown.
The biggest struggle is staying true to your purpose. With my background and experience, I would probably command a big, safe and secure salary at a corporate job, but sacrifice my opportunity to help clients through creativity and passion for solving their issues.
Another struggle is working as a “solo entrepreneur” and managing teams of contractors across the globe. Ultimately, I make the promises to my clients, and it’s all on me to produce. Everyone wants to be “The Boss” when things are going well. It’s hard to be that same “boss” when you mess up or have to be held accountable for what you said you could deliver!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Build The Crowd – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Build The Crowd is a holding company of digital media brands that create and curates content for business owners.
Build The Community acts as a fiscal agent for community groups to execute projects under the umbrella of an established 501(c)(3) nonprofit. More information can be found at www.501c3nonprofit.org.
Curtis has a sincere belief that there is something unique in all of us that the world needs, and being an entrepreneur is how one can manifest their creative spirit in the “real life.” There are two things to understand about what Curtis believes when it comes to his work. “First, an entrepreneur is not only defined as a business owner. An entrepreneur is someone who is solving a problem for a market, cause or community. My definition extends to nonprofit and community leaders who have a creative solution to problems they face.”
He adds, “Second, entrepreneurship represents a spiritual process. There are several stories in all holy books about people who had a gift, vision and faith who left the world valuable lessons and stories. The same process that was used to create the world is the same process we use to introduce products, services or events. Entrepreneurship is when the creative spirit works through you.”
A few of the brands that Build The Crowd owns are “Wealth For Entrepreneurs” (www.wealth.xxx) which provides business funding and wealth management information for entrepreneurs and “American Print Services” (www.AmericanPrintServices.com) which provides high-quality print and promotional products.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am currently running for a seat on the LaGrange City Council – election day is November 5th.
In 2020, I would like to launch a platform for candidates who are HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) alumni that are seeking elected office. There are issues, particularly at the state and federal level that impact the sustainability of HBCUs. Also, there is a built-in network of financial support and awareness for candidates that we should be tapping into automatically.
Pricing:
- Discovery Calls for Wealth for Entrepreneurs (1-833-WEALTH-7) – FREE
Contact Info:
- Address: 102 Main Street
Suite 225
LaGrange, GA 30240 - Website: www.BuildTheCrowd.com
- Phone: 706-538-2308
- Instagram: http://Instagram.com/CurtisBrownJr
- Facebook: http://Facebook.com/LIKECurtisBrownJr
- Twitter: http://Twitter.com/CurtisBrownJr
- Other: http://Linkedin.com/in/CurtisBrownJr
Image Credit:
LaGrange Daily News, LaGrange College, Key Moments in Time Photography
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