About Black Success Institute

The idea for the Black Success Institute was born out of a simple but life-changing realization: mentorship transforms lives.

One day, while pulling into the gym, I noticed a young man standing outside his car. He looked to be in his mid-20s, head bobbing to the heavy beat of rap music that glorified violence and destruction. The smell of marijuana filled the air, his shorts sagged low, and his entire presence seemed to echo what society might dismiss as a “suspect” rather than a “prospect.”

But as I walked past him, the words of my mentor, Les Brown, echoed in my mind: “Some people look more like suspects rather than prospects.” And in that moment, I realized something powerful — that young man was me.

I remembered being his age: lost, without purpose, no goals, no direction, no hope. Life felt empty, and I didn’t know where to turn. What changed the course of my life was not luck or chance — it was mentorship.

That very day, while working out, I listened to Tony Robbins share how he had been broke and hopeless at 25 until he found his mentor, Jim Rohn. Then I heard Jim Rohn’s story about meeting his mentor, Earl Shoaff, and transforming his life into one of abundance and purpose. A pattern emerged that I could no longer ignore: every truly successful person I studied had mentors.

It hit me — my own life began to change only after I found mentors. Mentorship was the common thread that lifted ordinary people into extraordinary success.

That was the spark. I knew what I had to do.

I created the Black Success Institute as a platform to connect Black men and women with mentors who could guide them, inspire them, and show them what’s possible. This Institute is a place where the world’s most successful Black leaders, experts, and trailblazers share not just their triumphs, but also their struggles — so that others can see themselves in those stories and realize their own potential.

Because potential means nothing without direction. And talent means nothing without guidance.

The Black Success Institute exists to bridge that gap. To ensure that mentorship, access, and wisdom are no longer luxuries, but standard pathways to success. To help our community transform “suspects” into “prospects” — and prospects into leaders.

This is why the Black Success Institute was created.