Today we’d like to introduce you to Darlisa Diltz.
Hi Darlisa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The magical question, where did it all start? If I am being honest, it feels like a blur at times because so much has happened in-between. However, St. Louis Missouri is where I initially got my induction. I, like many, wanted to climb the corporate ladder and live the American dream, but shortly realized that the dream was literally just that…….a dream. From corporate black-balling to work-place nepotism, the reality of being a C-Suite Executive became less and less attractive.
In retrospect, I was blessed with the opportunity to take a try at Entrepreneurship. Knowing nothing about this topic or that someone like myself could even achieve such a thing. Because of my innate pattern of helping people with things like strategic visioning, training or overall development, in 2010, I was given the opportunity to work with a signature Non-profit company out of Chicago to assist with their board development and strategic plan. They were so impressed with the information I provided, they began to refer others to me for paid opportunities. Not knowing ANYTHING about entrepreneurship and never imagining myself as one, I began to research and study the components of being an Entrepreneur, and realized that it was in fact within my reach, and this is what started my journey to entrepreneurship. I started my very first company as djd. InDepth Marketing and Consulting Services.
From there, I had the opportunity to provide contract work to various organizations to include: The St. Louis Small Business Development Center, Americas SBDC, the Women’s Business Center, Cortex Innovation District and many more. In 2016, my family and I made the big move to Texas to pursue what we felt were “bigger and better” opportunities for not only us, but for our children.
With the move to Texas came so many additional options, from working with the SBDC in a developing County to leading programs with a prominent ecosystem contributor, my early years in DFW made for a great foundation of establishing the framework for the work I do today.
In November of 2018, I opened the first, for-profit black-woman owned Business Resource Center in DFW with a focus on entrepreneur education. The primary goal of this center was educating and training Entrepreneurs from any stage in their business on the fundamentals of foundational growth and scalability, especially in the under-served and micro-enterprise capacity. The initial years were extremely difficult to penetrate the DFW market, however, because of consistency, dedication and lots of faith, in 2020, during the pandemic, we secured a contract with Texas Women’s University Center for Women Entrepreneurs to provide technical assistance to distressed businesses and those looking to utilize PPP and EIDL loans. This contract was literally our saving grace.
Post pandemic, we were able to expand our operations from operating solely in Dallas Fort Worth to a national footprint, working with organizations in Missouri, Georgia and California.
In 2022, I became the lead organizer for Global Entrepreneurship Week, expanding it from Fort Worth to 4 counties within North Texas. Through this initiative, I was able to expand my business operations globally, thus changing the name of the company from North Texas Entrepreneur Education and Training, LLC., to Foundations Entrepreneur Development Company in 2023.
Because of the exceptional work done in the entrepreneur education consultancy industry, I was brought in as part of the Vista Bank, South Dallas Project where I opened the SDFP Innovation Center in partnership with Southern Dallas Progress CDC in May 2024.
To date, through the various ventures and business initiatives, (we) have served over 4000 entrepreneurs, hosted over 25 cohorts, worked with various international brands and hold one of the largest GEW campaigns in the US.
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?
If there is a smooth road to Entrepreneurship, I have been traveling wrong for a long time! 🙂
Unfortunately the road has not been smooth, however, it has been rewarding. Some of the struggles I have faced are:
– the imposter syndrome
– saturated industry
– being a for-profit entity in a primarily non-profit space
– duplicated efforts from larger companies
– missed funding opportunities
Eventhough the list of struggles could continue for ever, it is important to note that these “struggles” are an integrual part of my growth and success.
We’ve been impressed with Foundations Entrepreneur Development Company, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Foundations Entrepreneur Development Company, a consultative advocacy company with a focus on community revitalization through entrepreneur education and economic development. Originally formed in the state of Texas in 2017 as North Texas Entrepreneur Education and Training Center, LLC, we were the first for-profit, black woman owned, business service organization in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with a distinct focus on entrepreneur education.
Over the past several years, we have served as a programming partner to several organizations, governmental entities, ISD’s and lending institutions across the globe to provide a structured framework of supporting their evolving community of small business owners through education and resource engineering. In 2024, we rebranded our company name to reflect the heart of the work we do in communities around the globe. Through our interpersonal approach to program development, we aim to be the catalyst for fabricating sustainable developments of entrepreneurship through community impact.
Foundations EDC believes in the principle: “The only place you find success before work is in the dictionary.”
Our approach to enhance the process of small business sustainability is simple. Many communities already have the resources they need to provide efficient support, what they don’t have are the intersections that render results. That’s where we come in!
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I was pretty much the same, energetic, out-going and ready for action. LOL I have always been an outspoken person that likes to take risk. I remember several times getting into trouble for trying things that I should not have and or not taking certain things as seriously as they should be.
One thing about me, I love to laugh! This has been a part of who I am since I can remember. As a child, I was always the “friendly” one, I loved making new friends and trying to make them happy. In terms of interest, I enjoyed performing, whether that was singing, dancing, talking of some sort or just having fun at a family function. I also grew up in church, so I spent a lot of time in that setting.
So to sum it up, growing up for me was all about Faith, Family and Fun!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.foundationsedc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foundationsedc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoundationsEDC
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/foundationsedc/
- Twitter: https://x.com/foundationsedc
