Below is an excerpt which speaks to the origins of E3 from the upcoming book, "E3 - A Philosophy for Business Success"
"...In
1991 I experienced two life changing experiences; the ending of a young
marriage and the loss of my job as a defense contractor. Returning to
my home in Baltimore, MD
I was faced with the challenges of making a living and refocusing my
life. A product of the inner city, growing up in a single parent
household; I was all too familiar with the career opportunities in the
street. Fortunately, I had been raised by a strong mother and guided by a
wise grandmother. After spending time on unemployment and having no
luck with finding a job as a young twenty something without a college
degree, the options began to narrow. My life reached a crossroad one
Friday evening when I received an envelope with $5000 dollars and an
offer to make more if I designed a database for a local "street
business". Tempted, tired, and tested I went to the only person I could
fully trust, my grandmother.
Grandmother
Johnson gave me a piece of wisdom which changed my life. After hearing
my plight she asked a question. "Why do you feel you have to deal with
people who aren't your friends?" "Because they are all that I know." I
replied. "Well then, you need to find out what is important to you and
find people who believe in the same thing." Just like that... everything
changed.
I
spent two days locked away from everyone. After hours of self pity,
self assessment, and finally, self awareness I wrote down those
statements as the three most important beliefs needed to reach my full
potential. I decided that in order to create this reality I would have
to surround myself with people who would help foster this mindset and
embrace the philosophy as theirs. The next 6 weeks were amazing. I went
through each day with copies of the philosophy in my pocket, on flyers
and on the tip of my tongue. I would share E3 with everyone I met.
People sitting next to me on the bus, a person changing a tire in a
parking lot, guys in the barber shop or on the basketball court, women
in the mall. Each time, I would share E3 and speak of my dream to create
my own business and join with a group of like minded entrepreneurs.
Some
people thought I was stupid. Some thought I was disillusioned, but
some... some thought it made sense. Each time I ran into an individual
who could see what I saw I invited them to my home for a meeting. Two
months later, in a Westside Baltimore apartment, 15 individuals sat in a
small living room with a couch, TV, and 55 gallon fish tank listening
to a young man speak about a vision. There was an aspiring high school
graduate seeking to be a caterer, a radio station secretary with skills
as a graphic designer, a promising model, a printer repairman, a young
man who made African American themed greeting cards as a fundraiser for
inner city youth, even a street hustler just looking for a free dinner.
They all listened. They all stayed. That was the beginning of E3...."
To pre-order "E3 - A Philosophy for Success" send your request to e3book@e3businessgroup.us.