Meet Jiwann Dixon of VisionFuel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jiwann Dixon.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jiwann. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Our company, VisionFuel Entertainment, now known as VisionFuel Enterprises with multiple divisions and services, was conceived in 2008. The company “vision” was first conceived when I was a junior at Morehouse College, where I wanted to create an entertainment company/record label…

Growing up in Winston-Salem, NC I had a passion for the arts, particularly in music production. I attended the North Carolina School of the Arts to learn ear composition training while being a vital part of my church’s “sound ministry”. Learning how to compose melodies and learning sound recording techniques in church allowed me to fuse those skills. One day at church, someone gave me a cracked music production software called Fruity Loops, and I officially became a music producer lol. in 2005 I was motivated to attend Morehouse College because of it being in Atlanta (a mecca for music), and to obtain a degree in business.

My girlfriend, now wife, and a student at Spelman College was just as passionate about music growing up too. She was an expert drummer, played in church and was an avid fan of Hip Hop like me. Since music was a major commonality for us in our relationship we decided to co-found a record label in 2008. When deciding on a name for the company, I was adamant about using the word “Vision” in it. My mom preached the power of Vision to me my whole life and that word carried so much meaning for me personally. She gave me a book written by Dr. Myles Munroe called “The Principles and Power of Vision” and I looked through it for motivation. I needed a word to attach to “Vision” for the full company name and in the first chapter of the book he has a powerful quote that says “Vision is the foundation of courage and the fuel of persistence”.

While my girlfriend and I were at my apartment in Atlanta discussing the company name, I said to her, “Bae, what about Fuel… Like VisionFuel”… She said “Hmm, I think I like that! That has a ring to it, but what does it really mean?” I said to her that I’ve always liked the scripture James 2:26 that says Faith without works is dead. I believe that a person should believe and have faith, but should also hustle and work hard too! So, for me, the name VisionFuel was likened to that scripture. You need work to supplement your Faith AND you need Fuel (hustle) to supplement your Vision (dreams, ideas, goals, etc.).

Our company name represents the combination of what’s needed for an idea to come to fruition; a Vision and the Fuel to bring it to life. Initially, our company was built as an Independent record label to focus on the “musical visions” of artists. After we formed the idea in 2008, we became an official LLC Entertainment company in 2010 and released our first artist project in 2011. In 2012, we released my first instrumental album on iTunes titled “The Composition by Wann D”.

That year, I obtained my MBA while working in corporate America and thought about other ways to expand our company beyond music and in 2016 we finally launched a division that focused on fueling the visions of all entrepreneurs and creatives. Since 2016, we have continued to build the independent record label division with securing 3 artists on the label, and releasing more projects on streaming platforms Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal.

Also, since 2016, we’ve helped 30+ entrepreneurs with brand development, content creation, and content marketing and this year we launched our “Vision Coaching” division that solely focuses on coaching clients through vision inception and achievement with our services for them. Now, VisionFuel Enterprises houses our Vision Coaching department for entrepreneurs, VisionFuel Entertainment solely focuses on music/film production, and our indie artist projects and “The Fuel Shop” is our online clothing store (streetwear for visionaries).

As a creative enterprise company today, spanning through both the creative arts (music & film), brand development, content creation, & content marketing, VisionFuel looks to move the culture forward in many ways. We started with a small vision in college (no pun intended), and today it has blossomed into something that has helped creative visionaries worldwide. As for me, I am no longer in corporate America, and solely focusing on VisionFuel with my wife.

Today, she is an Entertainment Attorney for creatives and is a photographer. I am a full-time Music Producer/Composer, Filmmaker/Director and a self-proclaimed “Vision Coach” lol. Follow VisionFuel on IG @VisionFuel, follow my personal brand @WannD, and follow my wife @Shadeesq. You can visit our website at www.VisionFuelEnt.com and www.WannD.com. Our slogan is #FuelYourVision. You have to do it daily…

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?
Nope! It was definitely not a smooth road building a company. First off, being an entrepreneur was not preached to us growing up as it is for today’s youth. I am 31 now and growing up, we were pushed strongly to go to college, get a degree and get a job. I did exactly that upon graduating from college but felt unfulfilled. After working in corporate America with the security of a paycheck every 2 weeks, I took the leap of Faith of full-time entrepreneurship. In doing so, my eyes were set on the freedom of entrepreneurship versus the confinement of a “9-5”, BUT, little did I know, the struggles that were headed my way.

I quickly learned that when you follow your passion and live your purpose as an entrepreneur, you will have quite a few adjustments and struggles to endure. Since “9-5’s” are normally established companies with structures and a culture, you as an entrepreneur have to build your own structure from the ground up. You are responsible for your how your company operates, the culture that is established, manage your time, budget, and generate sales week after week. The struggles I’ve had along the way primarily had to do with adjusting from a corporate structure (with so many working parts) to developing my own from scratch.

Luckily, I was able to use what I learned in the corporate world to create the fabric of our company AND endure countless obstacles with my wife/business partner. So, it doesn’t matter if you start a business straight out of school OR after leaving a job, the road with be tough nonetheless. You have to use your resources and everything you’ve learned from work-related experience along the way. Also, mental toughness is probably the greatest trait of an entrepreneur from my experience. The storms and struggles are inevitable but what is a success without it?

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about VisionFuel – what should we know?
VisionFuel is a creative enterprise company specializing in fueling the visions of entrepreneurs and creatives worldwide. We started as an independent record label which we still have today. Currently, our independent label division houses 3 artists and one producer (myself). Every year, we record and release sound recordings on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Tidal and Spotify. Music is our greatest love and it is the passion that started it all BUT since the power of Vision extends to everyone (not just musicians/entertainers), we decided to help entrepreneurs with their visions too.

We started something called “Vision Coaching” which offers brand development, content creation, and content marketing services to entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur can come to us with a raw idea, and through our program, we can develop their brand from them, but with a HUGE emphasis on coaching them every step of the way. Hence the term, “Vision Coaching”. This is what truly sets us apart from similar companies- our coaching aspect. For our “coaching clients”, we do things for them such as brand/website development, create dope content for them such as professional photos/commercials, and market it on social media.

Today, we have a huge focus on content creation in terms of film/videography. Our niche and most exciting product is Cinematic Commercials. After developing the brand of a client, we can film and produce a commercial for them using Hollywood-style color grading and effects. Since I am a music producer/composer I can score their commercial with custom-music. The final product renders an amazing commercial that looks professional and cinematic WITH music to match it. Additionally, since I score it or produce a beat for it, the client owns the rights to not only the visual content but the music as well. This prevents music licensing headaches that occur with YouTube smh.

Our clients love this product, and we are able to help them market it and fuel their vision further with this type of content marketing. VisionFuel is known for hearing someones Vision and doing whatever it takes to bring it to life from an artistic. It’s a plus that we are also experts in branding and marketing and can help our clients push their vision out into the marketplace. We are proud of everything we do for visionaries; the many brands/websites we developed, and the photos we’ve taken, but for us, we are the MOST proud of our artistic projects in music and film.

After doing the “business” stuff for clients, we encourage them to invest in lively marketing stuff that utilizes film and music production… Again, that is our passion and creativity is woven into everything we deliver.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
MENTAL… TOUGHNESS. I cannot stress this enough to those we’ve mentored. Everyone has dreams, everyone has ideas and everyone has visions. God gave that to each and every one of us and those is natural parts of being Human. BUT, what separates those that are mediocre from those that are great and successful is how tough they can be when storms arise. Having the most brilliant business idea does not matter if you fold up when someone says, “your idea is trash” lol.

Maintaining a spirit of resilience, with diligence and persistence to keep going despite whatever happens along the way, the most important trait for any entrepreneur and they are the traits that fuel us towards success and beyond. If you want to be great at anything, you better have a tough mind because discouragement will come your way, things won’t go as planned, and everything won’t be “peaches and cream”.

If you stick through the storms though, you’ll reap the reward if being tough. Thankfully, mental toughness is like a muscle, over time it can be strengthened when it is stressed and challenged. Don’t fear your storms… accept them and welcome them as a natural part of your growth…

Contact Info:

• Website: www.VisionFuelEnt.com
• Phone: 678-922-0525
• Email: WannD@VisionFuelEnt.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visionfuel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisionFuel/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/visionfuelent
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/Visionfuelent

Image Credit:
Shade’ Dixon (@ShadeESQ); Zach Toth (@ZTothPhoto)

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