Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in professional development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Cardozie Jones, Founder and Principal of True North EDI, located in New Orleans, LA, USA.

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

True North EDI is a consulting and professional development firm that operates within the diversity, equity, and inclusion space. We were founded on the belief that organizational and institutional change can only happen through deep and informed reflection on the ways in which identity, history, and power intersect and impact our lives.

We thrive in spaces where commitment and curiosity are present but where the skill to give life and actions to those commitments requires development. Most of our clients are from the nonprofit, philanthropic, and corporate sectors. Our work involves engaging workshops, coaching, and ongoing consulting partnerships that lead to lasting and meaningful change.

Tell us about yourself

I began my career as an educator. I taught theater at a high school in Brooklyn, New York. While fresh out of college and somewhat directionless, it wasn't long before I developed a specific philosophy that made it my responsibility to students to make the invisible visible.

As the owner of True North EDI, that's what our work is all about. It's about illuminating the narratives, systems, and beliefs that have been passed down to us that tell us certain people are more valuable than others. These "inheritances" are deeply pervasive and show up in our interactions with others as well as the practices and policies we navigate in our professional communities.

The beauty of what I get to do is not to tell people what I think is right or wrong, it's to allow them to decide whether or not their actions align with who they say they want to be. If not, we help them bridge that gap through a process that feels meaningful, balanced, and human-centered.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Because the nature of our work is an undoing of centuries-old systems of oppression, progress can feel slow-moving. Still, there are moments where our impact is pulled into focus in such a way that allows us to simply celebrate what's been accomplished. One of our clients is an organization that was founded over 100 years ago, and during the 1930s, they participated in truly horrific actions that had lasting impacts on the American population. While no one who currently works there now was alive when this happened, the organization inherited this legacy and has never taken responsibility for the part it played.

After a year-long consulting partnership with True North EDI, the organization released a formal acknowledgment and apology for its actions during that time. More importantly, they identified their obligation to action that would work to repair the harm that has been passed down through generations. 90 years go by, and True North EDI helps shepherd a new era for this organization. While it was an enormous and inclusive effort on the part of their team and ours, it is definitely an accomplishment we feel honored to be a part of.

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

I try to focus everything on the mission of our company. That means that the hardest thing about being a business owner is abandoning some of the so-called best practices that have been passed down to business owners like myself. One pervasive philosophy that comes to mind is that ‘people are only as valuable as what they can produce.’ Practicing what I preach means relating to the people on my team as valuable, complex, and passionate contributions without whom the company does not exist.

That means that processes that could, in theory, be fast get slowed down to ensure there's time for inclusive decision-making that’s checked against our core values. But I am pulled every day by the allure of values of urgency, more equals better, and capitalism. I know the latter is inextricably linked to what it means to own a business, but my team and I strive every day to consider what it means to operate within those parameters in ways that honor our humanity.

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

  1. Talk about it, talk about it, talk about it. Action is obviously necessary for anything to be created, but words create things too. They are the outline of our dreams. Because I was committed to sharing my dream as much as possible, other people shared them as well, and that led to clients and referrals that would never have happened otherwise.
  2. Don't believe the hype around scarcity. One of those inheritances I try to make visible is that we are taught there isn't enough to go around. That's false, and when we operate through scarcity, we are far from the best version of ourselves— we can become paranoid and opportunistic. When people ask us at True North EDI to tell them how we're better than our competitors, I let them know that we don't consider those in our field doing the work that we do as competitors. We are part of a larger tapestry of committed groups and individuals trying to make the world better. We do have a philosophy and approach that has, for many of our clients, resonated as distinct and meaningful. That approach isn't for everyone, nor does it have to be.
  3. Only grow when growth is tied to something meaningful and real. Obviously, we all want more money, but that's a given, and if it's the only reason, it leads to growth that has no anchor, no values that underpin it. I can think of a great many examples where this kind of growth ultimately led to the downfall of a company or organization.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

As the world changes—which it has so much in the past two years—it doesn't serve business owners to dig their heels in and commit to outdated ways of being and practices that have them miss out on talented and committed people. The so-called great recession is the result of individuals having been present with what’s possible when the old ways are disrupted. Business owners will have to either adjust, or they won't survive.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.truenorthedi.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/true-north-edi/

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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