Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jerome Gumbs, founder and CEO of Empower ME Academy, located in San Francisco, CA, USA.

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

My company is the youth basketball social enterprise Empower ME Academy (EMA). I founded EMA in 2013 in San Francisco to provide a holistic training experience to children from all backgrounds and communities. EMA offers them a place to belong so they can break through, achieve excellence, and make an impact by teaching them high-quality basketball and leadership skills, unlocking each of their leadership potential for a lifetime of achievement and meaningful impact—in sports and life.

Tell us about yourself

Since when I was very young, at 9, I knew my deepest passion would be to inspire other people. I grew up in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and I learned everything about human service with my mom, who worked in the hospitality industry for 40 years. Among other important lessons, this taught me not only to meet expectations but to exceed them, especially as a man of color. And that’s the commitment we have for our student-athletes.

When I started playing basketball professionally, I had the opportunity to travel to 20+ countries, and I noticed the disparity between athletes who had a chance to work with a mentor and those who didn’t. This enormous gap sparked my mission at EMA and kept motivating me to be not only a great coach but an even better person and example to our students who come from all walks of life.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Even though graduating from USF with a business degree helped me a lot, it didn't prevent my journey as the founder of a social enterprise to not be thrilling and challenging. Besides everything I've learned at school and during my years as a professional player, there was a lot of reading, studying, connecting with people, and researching to inform decisions in the best direction.

My biggest accomplishment would be starting and running my own company as a single dad in San Francisco, one of the toughest cities to thrive in. As time passed, I had the opportunity to connect with like-hearted people who empowered me with their belief in my vision.

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

When I first started EMA, I made it by myself, as I mentioned. I had a mission and a problem to solve that was invisible to most unless they or their child experienced toxic coaching in youth sports. This was very clear to me. But setbacks were inevitable during my journey, and they still happen to this day. I learned to see every setback as an opportunity to make a comeback and a chance to grow and improve, which helped me build resilience as a social entrepreneur. There’s a proverb that I always like to mention “If I knew what I know about mistakes today, I would have made more.” We teach this to our students from a young because that’s how it is in business and sports - every shot that is missed creates the opportunity to make the next one.

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

Leading a social enterprise, here are a few tips that I can offer based on my own experience:

  1. Have a powerful mission that people from any background can understand.
  2. Surround your company with meaningful partners to make even more impact.
  3. Have a great team and create a diverse board to support your strategy.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.empowermeacademy.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpowerMEAcademy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowermeacademy/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/empwermeacademy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empower-me-academy/

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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