Too often we hear about all of the wins, but never the losses. The glamour we see posted on social media and the highlights reveled in articles, are only a snippet of what it takes to build a business. But, as Beyonce so eloquently stated, “we keepin’ it real with these people right?”
We decided to take a deep dive into the workings of entrepreneurship, and provide the keys to success from the root. This Charlotte-based entrepreneur reveals some of the “oh shi*t” moments that happened along her journey to building successful businesses.
Meet Vernisha Crawford, founder and CEO of Bringing You Excellence LLC (B.Y.E.).
B.Y.E provides consulting, training, and youth and family engagement for community-focused initiatives. The brand also serves as an umbrella for three other businesses that Crawford manages: The Community Resilience Project, The Miss All Natural Pageant, and Office of Entrepreneurship. She has worked with Charlotte’s largest organizations including Foundation For The Carolinas, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, and Atrium Health.
Crawford recalls the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey.
“The reason why I decided to pursue entrepreneurship was actually motherhood,” Vernisha Crawford told The Block. “Becoming a mom was the motivation to start my journey, because I wanted more time with my daughter. I wanted to provide a life for her that did not consist of me not having control of my life and schedule. After missing her first laugh and first steps, I refused to miss out on any more pivotal moments in her life.”
Crawford established B.Y.E. in 2016 and as she approaches her four-year celebration of being in business, she reflects on what she has learned and the advice that her mother gave her.
“You have to remember that no one has your vision, and unfortunately failure is going to happen at some point. My mother always taught me that a good way to push through failure when it comes in a business, is to simply plan for it. We plan for everything else, so make failure a part of your plan too.”
Crawford has incorporated failure into her business model and has learned to quickly assess and identify the next steps to move forward.
One of her biggest learning experiences and “oh sh*t” moments since being in business, happened when she decided to take on a business partner.
“It was a strategic move to allow me to produce more and manage the work load,” Crawford explains. “But, it was a decision that was premature because I didn’t understand the true definition of partnership. Talking about failures is not easy, but it’s necessary. My original vision of going into a partnership was to follow the old proverb, “if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together.””
Unfortunately, a lack of experience and mentorship led Crawford down a bumpy road, which led to a stressful split of the partnership just a year and a half later.
“It sucked! It was hard and painful, and made me angry and disappointed. Here I am trying to grow, but now I could potentially lose everything. Thankfully, the one good decision we made as partners was to consult and hire a lawyer.”
According to Crawford, lawyers can step in to make decisions based on the best interest of a business.
Another great decision that Crawford and her business parter made was hiring an accountant. Not only did Crawford experience challenges in the partnership, but also in the business itself. Her accountant told her that at the rate she was going, her business wouldn’t make it through that year.
“It shook me.” she said. “I knew immediately that things needed to change and I needed to understand my expenses and revenue. Working with my accountant made all the difference.”
So how does one rebuild after dissolving a partnership and dealing with the discomfort of things not going as envisioned?
“You assess and take responsibility for your part in the failure.” Crawford explained. “I will not go around saying that the partnership was ruined solely because of my previous partner. That’s not how business works. I assessed my role and realized that I failed in planning for something like this to occur. If I had planned accordingly, there would have been contracts in place that protected me, my curriculum and other intellectual property —in addition to saving me a load of stress, time and money. “
Hence the passion and purpose behind Office of Entrepreneurship, one of Crawford’s businesses under the B.Y.E umbrella. Office of Entrepreneurship focuses on assisting entrepreneurs and providing templates that help bypass a plethora of situations that many face along their journey to building a business.
Crawford believes that in the first years of building a business, entrepreneurs experience a huge learning curve on figuring out how to do certain things. She wanted to provide them with templates that would assist them in excelling.
“I’ve been there, so I know first-hand what is needed to help along the way. This platform allows me to talk about business and share what I’ve learned, without limiting my engagement to a coaching role in the lives of business owners.”
As a proud entrepreneur, Crawford is always evolving and always learning. She wanted to leave fellow entrepreneurs with these gems that have helped her:
- Change your mindset about things that defeat you, break you, or knock you down. You must learn how to deal with failure because it will make you a stronger business owner.
- Know the difference in what you want to do, versus what you need to do.
- You don’t have to have a business partner for every business you own. Again, no one has your vision but you.
- Pay attention to your numbers and work to understand them. Don’t be ashamed if you don’t. Start by asking questions and learning systems that will help you scale your business better.
- Everything isn’t about monetary gain. Some people may just need help with direction and knowing where to begin. You don’t have to charge everyone for every little thing you do. Some things, hopefully, will simply come from a place of wanting to help someone get to where you are and beyond.
To learn more about Vernisha Crawford or to speak with her further about the things she’s learned as an entrepreneur, you can visit her website: www.bringingyouexcellence.com.
