Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Smith.
Daniel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The desire to start my own enterprise was always a desire of mine growing up. My family does not have a background in business ownership and the communities I was raised in were not reflective of the type of foundation I would want to create a legacy within. I was motivated to be a pillar of change in my community and one of the many ways I believe I can achieve that is by becoming a business owner.
As a first-generation college student, I studied business, joined a multitude of leadership organizations, and most importantly started developing relationships with business industry leaders who are successful in this realm. Those relationships granted me significant opportunities in the corporate space in Sales, project management, consulting, and negotiation which expanded my knowledge of business.
After a few years of experience and reading over 50 financial and business books; I decided to take a step out on faith to start leveraging these experiences to serve my community through entrepreneurship.
I started my entrepreneurship journey in December 2019 when I started a branding and consulting business for small business entrepreneurs. The idea of ownership was always a desire of mine growing up considering the circumstances I was raised in. The wealth transfer of ownership was not prevalent in my family unit and I wanted to be able to set a new foundation for how I wanted to build my family legacy.
Today, I’ve evolved my skill sets from my first entrepreneurship endeavor and scaled into the sales/marketing space running a six-figure online marketing business. I also coach and mentor professionals in career development for their corporate and business careers as young as 16 years old up to 40 years old. My mission is rooted in my faith to serve others, help people become the best version of themselves, and add value to the community.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Much of the struggle of entrepreneurship has most to do with believing in yourself and taking intentional action towards your goals and aspirations. Faith is a huge trait that is stretched in any entrepreneurial journey. I struggled in the beginning with believing in myself, dealing with rejection, and overcoming the opinions of others in choosing a non-traditional path to building my future.
While it has not been a smooth road and I am nowhere near where I want to be; the character development process that accompanies struggles has made me a more effective leader in all areas of my life and the fruits of my labor is already paying dividends towards the legacy I aspire to build.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In my corporate career, I work as a Strategic Technology Manager for a large Information Technology company. Through this role, I manage over 30 start-up companies with a staffing portfolio of about a 65-million-dollar program. I’m able to lead emerging technology roll-out strategies that shape the ever-evolving society that we see today. Most importantly, I’m able to lead corporate responsibility efforts on a global level as co-president of our African-American Resource Group. This gives me the opportunity to restore educational institutions through scholarships & mentorship, pour resources into food shortage-stricken areas in the DFW, and pour thousands of dollars into small businesses and non-profits to advance our local communities.
In business, I operate a six-figure online marketing company scaled across a number of industries in my target market. I also enjoy coaching and mentoring professionals in business and branding toward their corporate or business goals. I believe what separates me from others is the mission and vision I lead my life with through my faith. My mission through every platform I have is to equip and elevate people to help them become the best versions of themselves and to help them discover their purpose. With this mission, I’m most proud to be able to help people in every aspect of their lives beyond just financial gain. There are many things and values that makeup individuals and it’s great to see people become better people not just in their finances but in their relationships, health, family, and faith.
What matters most to you? Why?
All that matters to me is carrying out the purpose that God put on my heart to do. I am not measured by the amount of money I have or the things I possess. My measurement is based on the number of people I’ve been able to impact through the gifts and talents that I’ve been blessed. True success for me is not what you’ve accomplished yourself but what you’ve helped others do.
Image Credits
Melville Family Foundation
Ericsson North America
