Entrepreneurship isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey, and support shouldn’t be either. Whether a founder is scaling a multi-million-dollar enterprise or testing a concept, Operation HOPE provides tailored guidance at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey.
For Deronta, an entrepreneur based in Richmond, Virginia, that support came at the starting line. After discovering Founder John Hope Bryant’s videos on YouTube, Deronta signed up for the Small Business Development Program and was paired with Coach Marcell Campbell, where they worked together to turn Deronta’s ambition into a structured, executable plan.
That structured evaluation quickly proved essential. He had originally set out to launch a commercial courier service in Richmond, seeing a clear market opportunity in the region’s rapid development. However, he hit an unexpected obstacle when researching startup requirements: excessive insurance costs and regulatory red tape within the transportation sector.
Rather than letting that hurdle derail his goals, Deronta worked with Coach Marcell to run a comprehensive market evaluation—a practical SWOT analysis of various business ideas. Together, they analyzed market voids in Richmond and identified a high-demand alternative with lower overhead and immediate community need: a mobile notary service.
“She helped me take the same approach with the business plan: look at the market, analyze it, see where any voids were…where my company could take advantage of that and leverage it,” Deronta explains. “We saw how much the market was in need of a notary service, especially mobile, and especially here in Richmond where it’s mostly wills, trusts and powers of attorney.”
Navigating those early decisions required an honest sounding board, which is where Coach Marcell’s background became a game-changer. Bringing over 20 years of experience as a business consultant, she offered a pragmatic coaching style that gave Deronta a clear path forward.
“What I loved about her was that she was very direct—she didn’t sugarcoat anything,” said Deronta. “With her experience in business development and helping bigger companies, her directness showed me that she really cared about my success, versus continuing to think I have to do it all by myself.”
Beyond validating the business concept, working with Coach Marcell also helped him understand a common misconception: that loans and business grants are strictly reserved for companies with years of proven revenue, leaving early-stage founders to fund everything out of pocket. Marcell showed Deronta that structured support and startup funding resources exist from day one.
“What stood out was I didn’t know that there were so many programs that will help entrepreneurs when they’re just starting out,” Deronta notes. “You always hear the myth of, ‘Well, your company needs to be open for two years before you get loans,’ or ‘You need to have this type of cash flow.’ Learning that there are grants and loans willing to help startup companies grow was a big misconception dispelled.”
Marcell helped Deronta navigate capital options and build a go-to-market strategy that includes Google Business SEO, local Chamber of Commerce networking, targeted ads and direct outreach to legal professionals.
As Deronta awaits the arrival of his official personalized state notary seals to officially begin operations, getting these structural details right at the starting line isn’t just about business mechanics, it is about creating long-term stability and a lasting legacy.
“What I’m excited about is actually leaving a legacy—that I can actually hire people that are in need of jobs, and leaving something behind for my kid,” Deronta shared. “She’s 16 now and wants to be a pediatrician… a few years from now she’s going to be going to college. This is going to be a way out. This is freedom. If anything happens to me, she has something that I can leave behind.”
Through Operation HOPE, Deronta didn’t just test a business idea; he built the strategic foundation to ensure that whatever comes next, he has a path to financial freedom.
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