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dELANO whITE F ormer NsBE National Chair Delano White teamed up with a friend who’d been laid off from Chrysler to form phoenix group Consultants, in 2007. “My buddy funded the business with his buyout,” says White, a chemical engineer. today the Detroit, Mich.-based construction management, architecture design, urban planning, real estate finance, accounting and asset management company is a million-dollar-a-year enterprise with five employees and 50 contractors, he says. “Most of our work is residential (in Detroit), but we also do a lot of work in toledo, ohio,” says White. Before forming phoenix group, the 30-something university of Michigan graduate worked in hazardous waste materials at pE/phillips Engineering and as an environmental consultant for EKs, an AfricanAmerican-owned environmental consulting and general contracting firm. “But i’ve been an entrepreneur since undergrad,” says White, who is the author of “Diary of a Mad Businessman: A Layman’s guide to starting a Business From the ground up” (otherside press, 2007). “And i opened my cyber cafe, Beans and Bytes, when i was working for EKs. it’s still going strong.” he attributes his success to savvy marketing, including lots of word-of-mouth and newspaper advertising, as well as sheer drive. to be an entrepreneur, “you really have to be a leader,” White emphasizes. “And you have to have a sink or swim mentality. to launch and maintain a successful small business, you have to manage your phoenix Group consultants, inc. www.phoenixdevgrp.com assets, manage your credit wisely so you can leverage it, and keep your skills current.” White suggests that undergraduate engineering students take advantage of web design and accounting classes and that those already in the profession pursue these courses at community colleges. his long-term plans are to continue to grow his company. “right now, our financials are oK, our bids are in order, and our clients are happy,” White says. “i’m really happy i took the entrepreneurial leap, but i’m aware that i have to be on the top of my game to make it work.” ■ — S.L. ARvIN pOOLE Shaarp Ventures www.shaarpventures.com E arly on, Arvin poole knew he liked to build things. And his childhood enthusiasm for planes convinced him he wanted to be a pilot. “But electrical engineering was an emerging trend, and i realized it offered more,” says poole, a NsBE member who graduated from the university of Alabama in huntsville with a EE degree in 1998 and worked for iBM Corporation for 10 years. “My training in marketing and emerging markets at iBM was invaluable,” he says. “When i left the company in January, i was prepared to go out on my own.” his company, shAArp Ventures, advises business start-ups. “We help technology start-ups get on their feet, with a special focus on helping underserved constituencies. to succeed, you really have to know your business from a technical standpoint,” he stresses. “i advise all my clients to work for Corporate America for five years and to treat the company as if it’s their own. Because the truth is, no one will give you money if you don’t have tech experience.” poole says budding entrepreneurs need to begin with not only a five-year plan but a life plan. “You need to start stowing away your savings now. the burn rate for tech companies goes into the millions of dollars,” he notes. Although he believes entrepreneurship is the perfect route for those who are passionate about their independence and want to excel faster than they would in a corporate environment, he says it’s not for everyone. “You’re going to have to do a lot of bootstrapping to get the money to fund your dream,” he says. “of the approximately 10,000 business plan applications submitted to venture capital firms each year, only 1 percent get funded. “You’ll only realize your dream if you think it can happen,” poole says. “if 99 percent of the people doubt you, you must be doing something right.” ■ — S.L. CoNtiNuEd oN pagE 132 www.nsbe.org • march/april 2009 • 131

NSBE - March/April 2009

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