(Photo Credit: Billy Montgomery)
Pongee Barnes, Founder and CEO of Little Owners, a children’s education brand that focuses on exposing and educating children about money and business at an early age, first embarked on her real estate career while still in college. Her passion for real estate, and inspiring millennials to invest in real estate, galvanized her to publish her first book “Real Estate and Chill” in 2018, co-authored with her two children. Together they have created a series of children’s books, Little Owners, focusing on entrepreneurship, financial literacy. and community leadership.
What does “entrepreneurship” mean to you?
Pongee Barnes: Entrepreneurship means ownership and freedom and generational wealth for my children.
How did your company come to be?
PB: I was invited to speak about entrepreneurship at an “Entrepreneurship Day” event at an elementary school on the south-side of Chicago. Many of the students had never met entrepreneurs that looked like them. I was so inspired by these middle-schoolers that I wanted to ensure that these kids could be exposed to entrepreneurs that look like them and the basics of financial literacy.
How has your business changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
PB: Our business was launched 3 months before the pandemic, so we definitely had to pivot our business quite swiftly. We made the transition from visiting schools for live book readings to conducting online readings and workshops.
What is your proudest and darkest moment so far? Share a key high and a key low from your journey if you can.
PB: My proudest moment in my business is becoming an official Chicago Public School vendor. Since the inception of my business, I wanted our books in the public and private school systems across the nation, so to get one school district felt like a small victory towards our goal.
The darkest moment in our business is some of the online marketing challenges we have experienced recently with Facebook. Since the algorithm updates and IOS updates, we have struggled to target our audiences unlike our previous experience. However, it has challenged us to venture into other forms of media that has been beneficial for our business.
How is your company changing the landscape?
PB: Our company is changing the landscape by using our books to allow children of color to see themselves as successful investors and owners of million or billion dollar companies. Our books introduce different entrepreneurship careers that many children are unaware of and we weave financial literacy Into our books. Each book has a glossary to introduce financial language at an early age to kids.
What do you wish you knew when you started? Is there anything you would do differently?
PB: I wish I was more familiar with e-commerce, my background is in real estate so navigating e-commerce was challenging in the beginning. The thing I would have done differently is consulted with successful entrepreneurs in the e-commerce space to really grasp the nuances of marketing and selling online.
What advice/credo do you live by as you grow the business / what is your professional and personal mission statement?
PB: Its cliché but “Rome wasn’t built in a day” is a mantra I recite daily; I remind myself that nothing great or sustainable is built overnight. In this microwave society, it’s very easy to compare your business to others and feel you should be farther ahead than you are, but I choose gratitude for the success we have had experienced.
Where do you find inspiration when faced with challenges?
PB: My inspiration when faced with difficulties comes from the children that inspired this company. Also, the parents that email or post a testimonial online that express how the books have changed their children’s lives. The teachers that let us know how much our books are needed, keep us going.
What does “success” look like for you? What do you think will help you achieve it?
PB: Success is getting our books into the hands of students across the country especially those most disenfranchised. I think staying committed to the vision, networking, and perseverance will help me succeed.
What’s it like to work alone or with your partners? What advice do you have for fellow entrepreneurs about building and leading teams?
PB: It’s definitely lonely to work alone and it can become an overwhelming responsibility however there is a level of empowerment with being the sole owner of the business because you’re the final decision maker good or bad. The wins and losses are also yours to bear whereas with partners, there’s a sounding board and less stress with regards to the workload. I would encourage fellow entrepreneurs to build teams early avoid waiting until you grow to start hiring staff.
Many entrepreneurs continue to perfect their daily routines to support their work and greater vision; would you mind sharing your morning routine or a regular ritual that grounds your work each day? How has it changed in recent months?
PB: Prayer and meditation, then I check my emails before I have breakfast and get dressed.
What keeps you motivated during this time?
PB: I’m motivated by what this pandemic economy has birthed which is more entrepreneurs.
What kind of an entrepreneur do you want to be known as, as in, what do you want your legacy to be?
PB: Our company slogan is “we educate the next generation of entrepreneurs” that’s our legacy.
What is a quote or some words of wisdom that help get you through the tough days?
PB: “Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.” – John C Maxwell
Have you experienced mentorship in your career? Do you feel it was easily available to you?
PB: I did receive mentorship for the book publishing department of my company. It was definitely challenging to get the mentorship, which is why our company seeks to develop a mentoring program for the youth because its can be positively life changing.
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