Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Eddie Connor, Founder of Eagles Academy, located in Detroit, MI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

As a business owner who has taken the leap, I empower people to leap into their purpose and overcome obstacles. I have an online community, the “Eagles Academy,” that connects leaders who desire to soar into success and purpose. I equip you to maximize your purpose by enhancing your growth through teaching, developing a structure for success, and our accountability partner community. I give you pragmatic strategies on how to turn your ideas into income, contacts into contracts, and your purpose into profit.

Our “Eagles Academy” is for business owners, entrepreneurs, career professionals, people of faith, ministers, leaders, mothers, mentors, fathers, and any person who desires to maximize their purpose. Visit our website for more information and to register to join our online community.

Tell us about yourself

I’m reminded of a quote by Dr. Myles Munroe, who affirmed, “Vision is purpose in pictures.” For much of my life, I’ve known my purpose, but the vision and picture of my future always seemed to be blurry. As a son of parents who are ministers, I was raised to love God and express love to people. Grappling with their divorce and the absence of my father, I battled with how to become a man when I didn’t interact with one. How do I play the role without the script? To make matters worse, in high school, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

For almost two years, I received chemotherapy and radiation to eradicate an aggressive form of cancer. Battling that disease brought about the dis-ease of depression, dismay, and mental discombobulation. Many people didn’t think I was going to make it, but God healed me, and I persevered. I found the can in cancer. The battles did not stop there. I was told by my guidance counselor that I would never go to college. However, from being told I would never go to college to serving as a professor at a college is one of my victories.

Servant leadership is near and dear to me, which is why I developed the organization “Boys 2 Books.” It’s an after-school program that provides an opportunity to give back as a mentor and empower young males via literacy, leadership, and life skills enrichment. I realize that normal is not behind us; rather, it’s ahead of us. Life as we once knew it will not be life as we now know it. This is not a return to normal; this is an exit from it to forsake the familiar. We are in a unique time of creativity to cultivate what we would like the world to be. If you keep doing the same old things, you will get the same results. If you do something different, you will see something different. Tradition should not be your Achilles heel of tribulation but rather a gateway for inspiration.

I realize that everything you’ve overcome in your history must be used as a bridge to walk by faith into your destiny. I can recall times in my life that were risky, but I persevered anyway. Times like finding the “can’ in cancer to be an overcomer. Forgiving my absent father years before receiving an apology from him. Being told by my guidance counselor that I would never go to college. Found financial resources to stay in college when everything told me to drop out. Gaining the confidence to share my story, write 14 best-selling books, and share on major media outlets was quite risky. Embracing healing, wholeness, and interpersonal success despite imperfections. All of these moments of truth and transparency were risky but brought me to a place of clarity. The most dangerous place in life is not walking on water. It’s when you remain in the boat. You have to feel the fear and do it anyway. The biggest risk is not taking one.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is witnessing the transformation in the lives of my clients. To see the transformation and hear testimonies of growth, healing, and success is what makes this journey so worthwhile. Beyond the countless awards I've received, impacting lives is the greatest reward. My grandfather always lived by the words, "If I can help somebody as I travel along, then my living will not be in vain." I strive to live by those words and empower people to overcome obstacles. I am a servant leader. I believe if serving is below you, then leading is beyond you. It's all about learning, lifting, loving, and leading on new levels. Each day, I am on a mission to transform lives and empower people to realize that challenges create champions.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The saying goes, "An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a cliff and builds a plane on the way down without a parachute." Undoubtedly, it's a big risk to reap the rewards, but you can't reap the rewards without taking the risk. If you want to aspire higher and reach new levels, you have to take a leap of faith. Personally, for me, to shift from full-time educator and professor to full-time entrepreneur was totally risky. Creating something from nothing, betting on myself, and beating the odds were very risky but all the more rewarding. I did not allow my situation to shrink my vision. If you want to aspire higher and reach new levels, you have to take a leap of faith. Knowing your why and discovering how to level up will be the ultimate reward.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Find a mentor. Life teaches you in two ways mistakes and mentors. It's better to learn from the mistakes of a mentor than to make your own. Get around people who have already been where you're trying to go. Mentorship condenses years into hours.
  2. Build intentional relationships. The power of relationships becomes the currency for life. Examine your connections. Are people making more withdrawals than deposits in your life? Let go of the liabilities and retain the assets. Relationships are the currency of life. The good ones will build your business, and the bad ones will put you out of business.
  3. Your mentality is more important than money. We hear a lot about work/life balance. Life is not so much about being balanced as it is about finding a rhythm. You may find your rhythm in reading, working out, drawing, listening to music, journaling, or finding quiet time for yourself. I realize that you can't pour from an empty cup. Take the time to refresh yourself and manage your mental health. Your business will only grow to the extent that you grow. Continue to grow interpersonally. You will see your growth manifest exponentially and entrepreneurially.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.theeaglesacademy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EddieConnorJr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EddieConnorJr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EddieConnorJr

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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