Today we’d like to introduce you to Marlon Whitfield.
Hi Marlon, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my career working in business to businesses sales for a cellphone company, after graduating with a marketing degree from Avila University. Doing that taught me about being consistent and relentless while searching for creative ways to hit my sales quota. I later became a regional training manager for Microsoft where I traveled the country training wireless sales reps on Microsoft cellular phones, “Windows Phone”. This made me a better public speaker. 8 years ago I decided to step out of corporate and become a full entrepreneur and Started my Marketing company, Hawk Time, market and consulting. Then two years ago I decided to add a give back component to my life work and started a nonprofit called The Whitfield Foundation for Success where our Mission is to encourage and inspire change makers through Innovation, education, and technology with strong emphasis is S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The typical path to success is never a smooth road. First, there is an issue of trying to find the capital that matches your aspirations. One of the biggest hurdles for me was also understanding my value. People will talk to you just to talk and get advice and I gave hours of my time away to people who didn’t have the means to do business with me.
We’ve been impressed with The Whitfield Foundation for Success, 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?
At my foundation, I created it to continue the legacy of my Great Grandfather Rev Owen Whitfield. He lead a sharecroppers boycott in the boot hills of Missouri back in 1939, fighting for economic equality. It lead him to the White House where he met with President Roosevelt to work on reform. Today my programs are designed to give youth exposure into industries that really control the world. These industries are some of the most financially beneficial around. We have Film Camps were we bring in Hollywood celebrities to be mentors and act in the movies with kids, we have camps that teach kids about Coding, Music, Science, and financial literacy. We 2 virtual reality experience rooms to teach kids about that emerging technology. We are working on a robotics program now.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was always competitive growing up. I have an identical twin brother so we always were competitive. I played basketball and would you could always find me and my brother on a basketball court somewhere growing up. I was typically the joker out of us and loved to just make people laugh.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thewhitfieldfoundation.care
- Instagram: Whitfieldfoundation
- Facebook: The whitfield foundation for Success
Image Credits
Videll Philip Jamar Church Pinkston
