Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Swindell.
Hi Jonathan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
As I went into my last year of high school, I was already committed to play D1 Football at Tulsa University. Going into my first game as a senior I tore my ACL, and this went the dream of playing D1 football.
My dads told me that if I lose my scholarship I’m going to Grambling State University, an HBCU! Being from California going to school down south it was a huge culture shock. But once I got settled in I realized how much my professors cared for me, how Black people truly do come in all shades but most importantly I saw how much knowledge you gain by going to an HBCU.
So, while working at IBM Grambling asked what can be done to help the community? I asked myself, why is there so much knowledge on Yale, Stanford, and UCLA? But it’s hard to find quality information on Jackson State, Clark Atlanta, and even Grambling.
That’s where HBCU HUB was started, out of a dorm room with the purpose of building technology that closes the opportunity gap!
Alright, 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?
This journey hasn’t been easy at all. For starters building something out of nothing is it own hurdle but once you get past the first few stages of business, then you have to build the right team.
That’s sometimes the hardest but yet most important thing to do, you have to build a team based on your own weaknesses.
Once you have a solid team, something unexpected such as COVID can put your whole business to the test. COVID actually highlighted the important of our app in today’s world and grew awareness of what we have to offer. But we have to get creative on how we bring in revenue. That was the biggest test to date and I’m glad that with the right books, mentorship, and resilience, we found light at the end of the tunnel.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an app developer by trade but what sets me apart is the ability to build proper teams. I was a computer information systems major, so we learned not only the technical side, but the soft skills needed to grow a business as well.
To date, I’m most proud of us surviving COVID to be honest. As a business I think that’s something we took for granted, among raising funds, releasing the new version of our app, and so on, we forgot to see how many other small businesses had to call it quits. That is what I’m most proud of, how our team came together in surviving a tough couple of years
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Life in general makes me happy, I’m able body, I have air in my lungs, and I have the hope of a better tomorrow.
We started the business in 2017, I’ve seen the ups and downs of it all to understand Jo matter what the sun will rise tomorrow.
The journey of all makes me happy, I don’t have any children now, but I can’t wait to tell them the wisdom they came along with the risk of grieving a business.
Contact Info:
- Website: hbcuhub.us
- Instagram: @hbcuhub
- Twitter: @hbcuhub
- Youtube: Hbcuhub
