Dedicated to providing flair to his customers’ wardrobes, Travis Shuler is the visionary entrepreneur who designed Columbia, South Carolina-based Suit Yourself Menswear. As the owner of this stylish haberdashery, he caters to what he describes as “the complete man,” offering a curated selection of men’s clothing services. 

Shuler’s journey into entrepreneurship is as unique as his store. With a background in software development spanning 17 years, he took a remarkable leap into the fashion industry. Combining his proficiency in tech with a passion for clothing, Shuler initially launched his apparel retail operation as an e-commerce platform. 

His transition from a corporate professional to a full-time entrepreneur was a byproduct of his development of that online side business. It eventually emerged into a full-fledged venture when he gained store space through attending a local Black Pages conference and then a major apparel industry conference in Las Vegas. Through his research, he discovered that operating a brick-and-mortar store was the logical next step, and he opened Suit Yourself Menswear in March 2011. 

The venture would also serve as a critical wealth-building and financial education vehicle. 

Shuler was challenged in the early days of entrepreneurship with learning the ebbs and flows of the industry, especially as he tackled the holiday season during the store’s inception. However, with a focus on marketing and experimental strategies, he overcame the hurdles of the first year. In its 14^th year in business, he proved Suit Yourself had staying power.

His lifelong focus on learning about money management strategies is vital to his success. Just as his mother, who had a love for fashion, inspired him, in part, to start his business, she also taught him about the value of financial planning at an early age. He discovered the value of such expert counsel when he shifted from a salaried employee to a business owner who took close to a 50% pay cut and was forced to fund his own paycheck and that of his employees. 

He says: “I reinvested the money back into the business for a long time. The irony is I just gave myself a raise four years ago from the time when I quit my job. I’m in year 14, so I worked 10 years without a raise.” 

During the same period, he began taking a diversified wealth-building approach: seeking out experts, devouring personal finance information, setting up an investment plan for retirement, and developing multiple streams of income. The Gen X entrepreneur has also been driven by creating generational wealth for his wife and two sons, aged 19 and 21.

“In terms of wealth-building, I encountered different terminologies that were unfamiliar to me in the corporate world. This sparked my interest and led me to explore various avenues, including insurance as a form of wealth building and management,” he says.

The exploration of these options set the foundation for his strategies. He adopted an asset allocation plan that included real estate, investments in stocks and cash. This mix has served as a part of his financial blueprint. 

He explains: “My approach to wealth building has changed from the perspective of when you work for someone, you’re getting a check, and you’re taking a percentage of your check, and you’re saying, ‘OK, I’m going to put this in my 401(K).’ I did actually sit down with a financial planner about a year before I actually quit my job, and he talked about a couple of different avenues for entrepreneurs like self-employment pension plans.”

Such practices are important as he also pursues the other planks of Suit Yourself’s mission, he asserts, extending beyond apparel sales, revenue growth, and personal enrichment. He seeks to continue to use his store to positively impact the community, partnering with organizations such as Men of Hope, a prison ministry. It donates a substantial amount of clothing to individuals transitioning out of prison to provide them with the attire needed for job interviews and boost their self-esteem.

“We’re not just about transactions; we’re about relationships. Over the 14 years of Suit Yourself, we’ve served at least 10,000 individuals, emphasizing the importance of relationships over monetary gains. Life is about connections, and I firmly believe relationships are 10 levels above money. If you have the relationship, you’ll have the resources,” he says.

Shuler maintains that he is not just selling clothes: He’s in “the business of empowerment, compassion, and building lasting connections within the community.” Suit Yourself Menswear is a testament to his ability to leverage technology with style, creating a unique space where men can express their individuality through clothing and where community impact is as significant as the threads on the racks.

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Call her “The Wig Doctor.” 

Dr. Erica Gamble is the founder and owner of The Wig Dr. Wig Boutique Hair Loss and Mastectomy Center. Based in Georgia with locations in Marietta and Fayetteville, The Wig Dr. is a unique venture by any measure. Founded in 2014 to provide women on the go with quality, fashionable wigs for professional settings and elegant evenings, the company quickly occupied an unexpected market niche.

“I started The Wig Dr. because I thought we would sell to women who just wanted to wear wigs, change up, be cute, and look different,” Dr. Gamble said. “The trajectory changed when I realized that there was a medical space for what we were doing – that we could help people receiving chemotherapy treatments or who’ve been diagnosed with alopecia and autoimmune diseases that cause hair loss.”

Hair loss can be traumatizing, but life’s responsibilities don’t end with an unwelcome medical diagnosis – nor does the desire to engage the world positively by looking one’s best and exuding self-confidence. For many, The Wig Dr. provides the correct prescription with a range of hair loss solutions, including human, synthetic, and blended hair wigs and hairpieces. 

“We look at the specific conditions that a client may have, whether its patchiness or thinning, and conduct a full scalp analysis to determine what’s going on and how we can help,” says Gamble, who has a doctorate in health sciences with a concentration in trichology (the study of the hair and scalp). The Wig Dr. staff often can identify undiagnosed medical conditions in the early stages and recommend that the client seek appropriate medical attention.

Dr. Gamble’s vision for her company has grown beyond simply providing wigs and hairpieces as cosmetic accessories, an evolution that, in many ways, mirrors her own journey.

Born and raised in Cleveland, she spent 25 years of her professional life in corporate America, working in human resources while teaching college. Her corporate experience as a Black woman inspired The Wig Dr. concept and set the stage for her eventual shift to business ownership. 

“In my work, I would often find myself in professional situations where there wasn’t anyone else who looked like me,” she explains. “I was tasked with traveling all over the world, heading from Atlanta to Seatle and on to the next city, sometimes within a space of days. When the climate changes, your hair changes. So, when I showed up for meetings, sometimes my hair didn’t measure up to my professional attire and knowledge; I just started wearing wigs. It was easier because I looked the same, my hair wouldn’t be a topic of conversation, and I felt like I was always presentable.”

Gamble knew other professional women likely shared her experience and frustrations and that there was a viable market for The Wig Dr. Entrepreneurs will tell you that a strong concept is half the battle. Still, lots of ventures fail for lack of attention to the other half of the equation—preparation.

“There was no preparation,” Gamble confessed. “I started this business completely bootstrapping. I did not belong to any business groups or women entrepreneur organizations. You could say that I jumped in ‘feet first’ without a lot of knowledge of business.”

What Gamble lacked in business knowledge was balanced by her passion for the concept and a talent for applying her teaching experience to the venture’s success: “When our clients come through the door, we educate. It’s not always about the sale; it’s about people understanding the product. They are more apt to purchase when they know exactly what they’re buying, why they’re buying it, and what the product can do for them.”

Of course, the Gen X entrepreneur had to upgrade her business skills for the venture to survive, beginning with readjusting her financial goals and expectations.

She asserts: “When you’re an entrepreneur, sometimes payday just doesn’t come. In corporate America, I was used to that regular salary. With entrepreneurship, sometimes circumstances get a little dark because of the typical ebbs and flows. One month, we may hit $30,000 to $40,000 in revenues; the next, we may make $5,000, so then you have to pivot.” 

Gamble assembled a strong financial team throughout The Wig Dr.’s decade-long growth to help navigate market uncertainty and keep the business in the black.

“I have an accountant, of course, who keeps me on track with taxes. And insurance planning has been very important from very early in the process. I’ve maintained my professional relationship with my insurance agent for the last nine and a half years,” she said, noting that liability coverage is especially important for a company that consults with clients with varying health issues. 

 “As we’ve grown and incorporated trichology and mastectomy services into the businesses, we’ve had to make sure we were supported in the liability space. We meet quarterly with our insurance agent to ensure that the company is protected and updated with proper coverage.”

With The Wig Dr. financially solid footing, Gamble’s focus has expanded to include legacy. Her husband and two sons, ages 30 and 32, are part of her company and involved in planning and decision-making. Building and passing on general wealth is a shared responsibility.

“I would like to leave a legacy so that our children and their children don’t have to struggle and perhaps work as hard as we did,” she said. “I’ve made certain investments, and [I’m] working to ensure that I remain in a good place financially, so whether I eventually decide to sell the business or hand the business down to my children, I’d be set.”

In the meantime, she is confident in the future of The Wig Dr. and hopes to open additional locations in underserved communities, starting with her hometown of Cleveland, which, coincidently, is home to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, a leading academic medical research and care facility.

“A great many cancer patients go to the Cleveland Clinic for their medical care. I would love to have a boutique in that market to serve men, women, and children who could benefit from what we do.”

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Thereasa Black holds numerous positions. She’s a reservist in the U.S. Navy who has piloted aircraft carriers, an attorney, having passed the Maryland bar in 2019, and also a devoted single mom, a role she would undoubtedly describe as her most personal and important.

These distinct aspects of Thereasa’s life journey factored into her current focus as a successful, self-made entrepreneur. Her company, Bon AppéSweet, specializes in what she calls “better-for-you” desserts—a line of plant-based, dairy-free chocolates and other delectables sweetened with dates and made with simple organic ingredients.  

How did a Navy reservist with a law degree find her purpose as an unconventional chocolatier?

Her story boils down to her dedication to building wealth for her daughter.

“I left active duty to go to law school and had my daughter, Bella, while I was there,” Thereasa explains. “A week after I took the bar exam, the Navy called me up and said, ‘We’re mobilizing you out of the reserves, and you’re going to Japan for a year.’”

The sudden and unexpected call to duty meant extended time away from Bella, who hadn’t yet turned two. While the new mom met her obligation to the Navy, she knew it had to be her final deployment. Once she returned home to her daughter, transitioning to a high-stress, all-consuming job was no longer an option. Fortunately, she used her deployment time to consume books on finance and business. Back in the States, she decided to start her own company.

“When I lived in Japan, I started making cheesecakes for my sailors,” she reflects. “They loved them, and they started sharing them with other people, and the orders started to come in. I loved baking. I knew I wanted to go there.” 

Her daughter inspired the focus on no-sugar, non-dairy desserts. During Thereasa’s deployment in Japan, relatives hooked Bella on sugary treats. Rather than make her give up the desserts she loved, Thereasa figured out how to prepare them with healthier ingredients. That personal triumph led to making and selling her date-sweetened gelato under Amore Congelato (or “Frozen Love”). 

The response was strong out of the gate, but then came COVID.

“When COVID happened, FedEx and UPS couldn’t guarantee their delivery times, so all my product was melting in transit. I would have to ship it again and again. I was losing so much money.”

A quick pivot from frozen desserts to Thereasa’s unique dairy-free chocolates put the venture back on track. Renamed Bon AppéSweet, the company has paced a steady climb ever since. A constant in Thereasa’s evolution as an entrepreneur has been an extraordinary sense of discipline regarding finances, a habit she formed, in part, as a response to the spending habits of the adults around her.

“I was raised by my mom, and we didn’t have conversations about how to save money. I saw how my family members spent money and decided to be different.” 

Since this driven millennial entrepreneur came of age—starting with her first job as a babysitter at 10 to well into her college years at Temple University, where she worked as many as three jobs to support herself—Thereasa learned how to become “strategic” about saving and spending. “I did not want to be in debt like all the adults and parents I knew. I paid off all my college loans by my third year out of college. I went into adult life essentially debt-free.”

Starting one’s adult life with zero debt is a great advantage, but it’s not enough to get a venture off the ground, especially with a young child to support. “As a single mom, I knew my daughter was financially dependent upon me,” Thereasa asserts. “I knew that if I failed, she would fail. We would lose our house; we would lose everything,” 

Fortunately, the Navy provided an income safety net while she worked to establish the company. More importantly, she had that foundation of fiscal discipline and self-reliance to draw upon. Citing the experience of more affluent entrepreneurs, she says: “When I started, I couldn’t go to my family and say, ‘Hey, can I borrow a small loan of $1 million.’ They didn’t have money to give me. I had to start my company with what I managed to earn.”

Thereasa benefited from some savvy money moves while still very young. For one thing, she determined that paying a mortgage would be cheaper than renting and was able to purchase a home before her deployment. When the time was right to sell, the property provided rental income and served as a ready cash source that enabled her to self-finance the new venture.

In addition, she made ample use of her deployment time overseas to hone her baking skills and devour books on business and finance, which she now realizes was a luxury. “I feel like most people don’t have an opportunity to sit down and just think about the next step, but that’s what I did for that year. I just figured out what I wanted and made plans for it to happen.” 

She put the knowledge she gained during her deployment to good use when building the company. “Much of my research showed me that pricing was the biggest thing people did wrong. They are looking at their competitors, trying to match what they’re doing, and going out of business. I set our prices based on how much my products cost to make and ship.” 

Positive consumer response and realistic pricing meant early profits and more money to invest in growth and improvement. Today, Bon AppéSweet enjoys robust online sales. At the same time, its selection of premium sweets is a growing presence on retail shelves nationally, from big chains like Walmart and Whole Foods to your neighborhood specialty grocer.

As in the beginning, her young daughter remains the primary inspiration for Thereasa and her enterprise. For starters, every product that goes to market must pass “The Bella Taste Test” first. On a more personal level, Thereasa’s motivation for growing Bon AppéSweet into long-term success is to provide for her daughter.  

“I’m a single mom,” she explained. “If something happens to me, my daughter has nothing except what I’ve managed to build. That’s why I work as hard as I do because I need to build her future.”

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When Mason Wright decided to become an entrepreneur, he made hot dogs his prime product line because they represented “year-round food.” Operating his venture at such an early age, Wright also believed his business move would serve his long-term wealth-building agenda. 

His zeal grew stronger after a trip to New York City, known for such prominent offerings. However, the budding entrepreneur was unimpressed after sinking his teeth into his first hot dog there. “It did not taste the best,“ Wright says. “The hype was not lived up to, but I knew I could take that business concept back to Atlanta…and I did.”

Today, Wright owns Mason’s Super Dogs, a takeout restaurant in Stonecrest, Georgia. He opened the eatery at 14 in October 2020, reportedly making him the state’s youngest restaurant owner.

Now, the 17-year-old Wright has achieved a goal pursued by many twice his age as a successful business owner and full-time student. Mason’s Super Dogs offers beef and vegan hot dogs with multiple toppings. In fact, its vegan hot dog ranked No. 5 on a list of the nation’s 10 best by the animal rights group PETA, lending credibility to its healthy offering.

Wright, who also serves as a motivational speaker, has been prominently featured by Good Morning America (GMA), Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CBS News, and Newsweek, among other national news programs, periodicals, and websites. The ambitious entrepreneur has even developed strategies to scale his operation and included franchising in his plans. “I want to have restaurants all over the place like McDonald’s,” Wright beams. 

Wright is currently taking action to position the expansion of his enterprise. Hot dog ventures have been considered thriving money makers given the strong demand from millions of consumers salivating over such fare. The average industry profit margin is about 36%—some three times greater than the profit of most small businesses. Moreover, the hot dog market is projected to climb roughly 6% over the next few years.

His drive to become an entrepreneur came from growing up in a community that respected serial entrepreneurs. “They had more than one business [and] were super rich. I wanted to be like them.” To get on that track, Wright worked odd jobs, including walking dogs, washing cars, and mowing lawns.

He eventually saved enough money to buy a New York-style hot dog cart, a concept he developed after his trip. Family members funded shipping and handling costs after realizing he was serious about the venture. “I was so excited. I was even able to go to Morehouse College campus and try out for the Shark Tank, but I got really nervous because I was the only kid entrepreneur there, so they just told me to leave.”

Wright continued to pursue his dream, especially after gaining approval from the president of Morehouse to sell his hot dogs on campus. When the pandemic struck, Wright was forced to pivot. He eventually operated out of a brick-and-mortar location with the help of a silent business partner and family member. “I was able to paint the building, get my menu out there, and I had a great grand opening. I sold out twice in one day, and that was interesting. But as an entrepreneur, I learned how to grow that day, and that’s how we got to this awesome building.”

His family has been a major source of his financial and business support system. For instance, his parents supplied 20% of the startup costs. His mother helps fill out paperwork, his father delivers supplies, and his sister, who runs her own entrepreneurial venture, shares the lease and helps with daily operations. He also reportedly gained a $1,200 loan from his grandfather early on.

To build exposure for sizzling sales, Wright placed his restaurant’s logo on apparel such as his T-shirt and hat – and even a pair of Mason’s Super Dog shoes. He also ramped up social media engagement and offered discounts and coupons. An avid comic book collector, Wright’s restaurant features a superhero theme.

To balance business and school, Wright rises at 6 a.m. to complete homework assignments. By 10 a.m., he’s at the restaurant handling tasks like maintaining inventory. Wright has also been adept at building his team by hiring a full-time restaurant manager and identifying workers who share his passion for cooking, entrepreneurship, and customer service. For instance, he has realized business benefits when his store engages in a toy drive or offers free food to those in need. “If you get just 10 good loyal customers that will come back by here every day or every week, they’ll keep you open.” 

Mason’s Hot Dogs has also provided Wright with the discipline and financial education to develop his long-term wealth plan. He discovered that running his business required more than spreading mustard on a bun, so he faced several financial challenges. Despite the lack of resources for young entrepreneurs, Wright found mentors who shared information on managing money and legal matters. Moreover, he systematically tracks and allocates dollars and plows profits back into the business for every dollar he earns. “So, how do I manage my earnings? Everything I make, I put directly back into the business. In case one of our air fryers or one of our microwaves goes out, we don’t get to stress or worry about it. We can just take five minutes out of the day [and] go get a new one.”

Wright’s long-term plans for Mason’s Super Dogs include producing his own ketchup and mustards and distributing them in stores like Walmart and Sam’s Club to create another revenue stream for his business. He is also working with his father to secure a second location. Other potential options for Wright include ownership of nine vending machines as a side business while attending Morehouse College. Ultimately, these goals and achievements will fuel his future long-term wealth plan. The key is financial education: “I tell everybody, if you’re going to be in business, keep an open mind. Always be willing to learn.”

“My name is Mahisha Dellinger, and I’m a mother, an author, a daughter, an entrepreneur, a mogul. I am all things Black excellence. I’m a mentor, a sister, and a friend. I am a beautiful Black woman owning my destiny.”

No one can accuse Mahisha Dellinger of not knowing herself or her worth. The former marketing manager of one of the nation’s largest corporations founded CURLS, her natural haircare brand, 20 years ago. Frustrated by the paucity of natural hair products for Black consumers at that time (and increasingly disenchanted by her experiences in corporate America), Dellinger made a tentative but determined move toward becoming an entrepreneur.

What started as a small ecommerce venture has since blossomed into a formidable retail force with more than 200 products and accessories stocking shelves at Target, Walmart, and other top outlets nationwide. It’s a journey that has seen its share of challenges for Dellinger, but she has persevered, and CURLS, her baby, continues to thrive in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Much of the credit for the early success of CURLS, not to mention the brand’s subsequent dominance of the natural hair and beauty space, belongs to Dellinger’s money sense and her deliberate approach to making financial decisions. Her entrepreneurial experience helped her become more adept at securing her family’s future and establishing a solid long-term wealth-building foundation.

“My transition from being a full-time corporate employee to a full-time business owner was methodical and strategic,” she explains. “I did not have the luxury of falling back on rich parents. Despite having great credit and a strong business plan, I didn’t have any business loans or funding, so I had to really be intentional about what I did.”

For Dellinger, “intentional” meant holding on to that J.O.B. while working hard to get her company up and running.

“When I turned on the switch on the website on April 26, 2002, I got eight orders that first day, and I was so excited,” Dellinger says. “Still, I kept my day job because I wanted to be able to invest every penny made from the brand back into the brand. My salary from my corporate career went back to my family. I did that for about four years.”

Her prudent financial strategy, as well as moonlighting, proved successful. CURLS was one of the first Black hair brands to break wide into the mainstream. Strong online sales funded a more expansive product line that served a broader, more diverse customer base. Dellinger’s pitches to big box retailers met resistance at first, but a decline in sales of relaxers and other harsh products traditionally marketed to Black women consumers prompted one retailer to investigate a growing “underground” haircare economy driven by small Black-owned companies like CURLS.

“I got a call from Target. They wanted to know where their sales were going, so they brought a group of (haircare business owners) in for a meeting, myself included. I presented my products, and within 10 minutes of meeting me, they said, ‘We’ll take all of it.” It was the easiest sale of my life.”

Target’s investment was a smart one. CURLS went from 100 Target stores to 300 to 1,800 nationwide. The other big box retailers promptly followed Target’s lead.

Even with CURLS’ rapid rise in the marketplace, Dellinger remained cautious about pulling the trigger on embracing full-time business ownership. “It was important for me to experience the lows and highs of the business so it was progressing in an upward trajectory. I could not leave a solid company paycheck without knowing for sure that CURLS was sustainable.”

Eventually, the decision to leave her position at a global pharmaceutical company was made for her. She explained: “I remember writing out a note to myself saying, ‘I’m going to leave this job in December.’ Then, in September, we got word that there were layoffs coming. I was, like, ‘Please!’ And they did, and I put that severance package back into CURLS. That was my last month in corporate America.”

In the two decades since Dellinger left behind the corporate environment and that weekly paycheck, she’s had to rely on her money management prowess and lessons learned in the trenches to sustain and grow her business. She’s open about talking about how her relationship with money evolved from a not-so-positive place.

“I’ve grown a lot. As a young woman, I would use money to make myself happy, buying things I didn’t need. There was no reason I should have had a luxury convertible while living in an apartment. It took some time for me to realize that it’s better for us to utilize what we earn to invest in ourselves versus spending on frivolous things and building someone else’s brand. Yes, I was that girl.”

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for “that girl” to embrace “grown” goals and responsibilities. She credits her early struggles launching CURLS with honing her money sense and providing the proper perspective. In 2002, despite excellent credit, Dellinger couldn’t secure a small business loan or line of credit, forcing her to bootstrap the business with her modest personal savings. A shortage of cash meant launching CURLS at a much smaller scale than she’d hoped.

“That turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” she said. “I was a young, first-time entrepreneur, and I needed to be scrappy with that money. If I had more resources to work with at the beginning, I wouldn’t have been so intentional. I might have spent in areas that didn’t have good return-on-investment potential.”

Once CURLS showed its profitability, banks started to line up with credit line offers, something Dellinger used to her advantage. Rather than fall into the debt trap, she used lines of credit to finance expenditures that produced short-term returns. “I would pay down the amount as I got paid, which increased my creditworthiness with lenders while I grew my business.”  

CURLS and the Dellinger brand have reached a level of success that allows for reflection and planning for the future. Today, she’s focused on being a “generational wealth builder,” including investing in real estate and other assets she can pass on to her children. To assist with this responsibility and to help manage her growing business portfolio, Dellinger leans on a trusted team of financial professionals and advisers.

“It’s important to build your support as you grow,” she said. “I didn’t start with a tax attorney. I didn’t start with a full 16 financial team. I didn’t start with a CPA; I started with the bookkeeper. As your portfolio grows, as your money grows, you add to your team to help protect your income and navigate a higher tax bracket. You need good advice and guidance to help create an estate plan to provide for your family and ensure that generational wealth is passed on.”

Dellinger is enjoying a level of financial success she couldn’t have envisioned when she launched CURLS and felt the thrill of those eight orders the day her online venture went live. No matter. She has maintained her perspective on idle spending and what matters most. “I’ve been in the same house for almost two decades. I drive the same car I’ve had for seven years, and I plan to keep it until the wheels fall off. I shifted my mindset because I realized how I could use my money wisely.”

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