“My business started over 20 years ago … in my head,” chuckles Harriott M, a clinical dietitian and nutritionist who has been working for hospitals and healthcare companies since 2004. With two kids heading off to college, Harriott was ready to turn her dreams into reality and start a business that would leverage her experience in—and passion for—public health and nutrition.
Once Harriott decided to pursue her dream she knew where to turn: she has been following the organization and John Hope Bryant’s journey since 2016 so it felt like fate when he announced the launch of Operation HOPE’s One Million Black Businesses (1MBB) initiative with Shopify.
Through this initiative, Harriott was matched with Operation HOPE Small Business Coach LaQuita Carrington. She divulged her goals to LaQuita that were two decades in the making: to build a clinic for patient visits, create a course for online nutrition coaching, and the “Big, Hairy Audacious Goal” to consult with governments around the world on how food and nutrition could support their constituents’ health. As a small business owner herself, LaQuita encouraged Harriott to learn business fundamentals first that would give her the foundation to achieve these goals.
“The fact that LaQuita had been a business owner herself kept me engaged. I need handholding, and someone who has gone through it to be able to guide me,” said Harriott. LaQuita’s advice to Harriott—and all entrepreneurs—is to “be patient. Remember that big dreams are not achieved all at once. They are achieved day by day and step by step.”
Harriott also gives Operation HOPE top marks for “street cred,” noting that the organization has earned her trust because, “no matter whether it’s a coach or John Hope Bryant sharing on his LinkedIn page, they’re on the same page and sending the same message [about what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur].”
The business fundamentals that resonated deeply with Harriott included motivation and discipline to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. “I get up every day feeling like I’m an entrepreneur. I get up at 6:00 a.m. like I’m going to work for somebody, but I’m really working for myself. I’m breaking my day into two parts. I’m eating lunch. I’m finishing my day to spend time with my family in the evenings. Before, I didn’t do that. Even though I’m in the beginning stages, I feel like I’m getting good business hygiene through Operation HOPE,” she said.
Having a structured routine and hours dedicated each day to her venture means Harriott is able to chip away at business practices like setting up a corporate bank account and meeting with an accountant to discuss projections and taxes. She’s also spending time engaging with prospects and marketing her services, which have yielded three clients in the past week alone through word-of-mouth.
“Going through the course with LaQuita and her associate, Nicole Escalera, allowed me to put one foot in front of the other. Just one day at a time. That’s what I’ve been doing since I started the program and I’ve made the most progress in 20 years,” Harriott said.
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