My Entrepreneurship Story (3A)

It wasn't until college that I realized that I have been surrounded by entrepreneurship my whole life! Even though both of my parents founded and run their own businesses I have always considered my Mom and Dad to be in the medical field rather than the business field. But, as a I am learning in this class, entrepreneurship is so much more than business! It can apply to any and every area of our lives; which is exactly what my parents have done to solve problems—or as we say, form opportunities—locally and internationally. 

To begin, my father runs a physical therapy clinic in Lakeland, Florida. However, he did not always know he wanted to be a physical therapist. In short, my Dad spent a LONG time in school. First, he graduated from UF with a Bachelor's in Exercise Science and then a Masters in Sports Administration. He thought he wanted to be a PE coach. After less than two weeks in that job, he realized that was not his route. So, with encouragement from my mom, he went back to school at Florida A&M to earn a Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy in 1998. Since then, my family has lived in Lakeland where my Dad founded Leading Edge Physical Therapy in 2002. For the past two years, his clinic has been awarded "The Best of the Best." Way to go Dad! 

My mother, also attracted to the medical field, was a physician assistant in the emergency room for 22 years at Lakeland Regional Hospital. She graduated from UF—where she met my Dad—with two Bachelor's degrees: Exercise Science and Physician Assistant. Although my Mom absolutely loved being a PA, in 2012 she took a trip to Kenya, Africa on a mission trip and her life was completely changed. She could no longer ignore her call to ministry and as a result, quit her job as a PA and founded her own non-profit called Take Heart in 2013. Take Heart focuses on helping widows and aged-out orphans within the village of Nyaduong and surrounding communities. My Mom uses micro finance loans to support students in school (we now support about 60!) and also has artisans she works with to sell fair trade. For about five years, we set up a tent at the downtown farmers market but last April she was able to obtain a downtown storefront where she is open 6 days a week! She travels to Kenya about three to four times a year and hopes to eventually have a team on the ground there. I am so proud of her for her courage! 

Both of my parents stories are so inspiring to me because even though neither of them have business degrees, they are running successful businesses of their own! My Mom’s story in particular encourages me because I can know, no matter what, and no matter how old I am, God always knows what he is doing. He is writing a great story for my life and preparing me to change the world, I just don’t know exactly how...yet. And that is one of the main reasons I am taking this class. 

Graduating high school, I was 75% sure I wanted to pursue some type of Law. My passions have always been rooted outside of math and science realms, aka the Humanities: English and History. Due to this uncertainty, I declared an Exploratory major. However, it was actually my first real job at Starbucks where my dream and passion for this class really came to life! Now, I have a dream to one day start my own coffee house! There is a beauty in coffee that is difficult to articulate because it has such versatility in the roles that it plays in human life and relationships. Personally, many of closest friendships have been nurtured over cups of coffee. For example, my best friend Sophia and I would always meet at Starbucks at least three times a week after school to study, talk, and just enjoy one another’s company. Sometimes we would surprise one another with our favorite orders just to show our love for one another.  

I would love to have the opportunity to create a unique space for anyone and everyone to gather. My coffee house would have many internal affairs focused on youth development and mentorship and most importantly, spreading the gospel. Also, my coffee house will sell fair trade coffee beans and roasts and partner with local bakeries. There’s so many things I can’t wait to dream up! 

I am hoping that from this class I can learn what the path to living out this dream may look like. Even from the few assignments I have completed, I want to continue expanding my definition of entrepreneurship as a vessel for solving problems.