My name is Atima Lui, and I am a rising sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis. I became a D.R.E. Junior Leader just one month ago in May of 2009 and can already attest to how being a part of this network of driven black entrepreneurs can bring you support in your entrepreneurial endeavors in ways you never imagined, no matter where you are in the country.
I recently purchased a sunless tanning salon located on the campus of Washington University along with two other black female students. It is our goal to convert the tanning salon into a full service beauty salon that offers hair and nail services to people of all races by late August 2009, and to become the face of beauty and skincare at Wash. U.
Two weeks ago I made a trip from my hometown in Topeka, Kansas to the city of Chicago, Illinois to visit my older sister. When the CEO of D.R.E., Charles Fyffe, heard I was going to Chicago, he immediately put me in contact with another D.R.E. Junior Leader in the city named Morgan Smith. I was very appreciative and was struck not only by Mr. Fyffe’s dedication to bringing D.R.E. members together, but also by the national scope of the D.R.E. Network. Morgan and I were able to have dinner together, and I will never forget how awesome our meeting was. We had both expected that our meeting would be a nice get-together lasting just a few hours where we would be introduced to each other’s entrepreneurial goals. However, it ended up being much more. In the middle of learning about Morgan’s many accomplishments as a budding music artist, composer, and property owner in the city of Chicago, she mentioned how she is the co-manager of her mother’s beauty salon! She immediately invited me to her home after dinner to speak with her mother about salon ownership.
Morgan’s mother greeted me like an old friend, and proceeded to answer all of my questions, give me invaluable advice, and let me in on some of her competitive tricks in the salon industry. She even gave me a copy of her salon policy book and a few copies of her favorite promotional coupons for implementation at my own salon. Before we knew it, it was twelve in the morning, and I had been talking with Morgan and her mother for five hours! I left the Smith home with a new friend in Morgan, with a new mentor in Mrs. Smith, and with new business tools to be the best salon owner I can be; none of this would have been possible without D.R.E.
