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During the Pandemic Entrepreneur Starts Foundation to Empower Black ParentPreneurs

kokou adzo

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James Oliver, Jr WeMontage

We talked to James Oliver, Jr of WeMontage about its ParentPreneur foundation and the COVID-19 pandemic.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times? 

James Oliver, Jr: We are doing ok. Virtual schooling my 7-year-old twins has been hard, though. But we are healthy, and I’m thankful for that. 

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded WeMontage.

James Oliver, Jr: I started my journey as an entrepreneur almost eight years ago when my twins were born three months prematurely and weighed only two pounds each. They were born two days before I started the gener8tor tech accelerator to launch my business, WeMontage. 

How does WeMontage innovate? 

James Oliver, Jr: WeMontage is the world’s only website that lets you turn your digital images into removable wallpaper. But right now, I’m more focused on the ParentPreneur Foundation, which I started during the pandemic to empower Black parents who are entrepreneurs to be the best parent and entrepreneur possible so that they can leave a legacy for their beautiful Black children.

I started the foundation with a $50,000 seed grant from tach VC Brad Feld, and in three months turned that into $200,000 of value for the members of our online community. We paid for therapy, gave away a total of $20,000 to 20 people, gave $60,000 in AWS, and so much more. 

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?

James Oliver, Jr: I am thriving with the foundation. As I mentioned, I started it during the pandemic. 

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

James Oliver, Jr: The hardest thing is taking care of myself mentally. I do this by being mindful, relaxing when I can, and staying connected to God. 

How do you deal with stress and anxiety? How do you project yourself and WeMontage in the future?

James Oliver, Jr: I simply trust God. My new mantra is, “Everything is fine,” because I trust God to handle any would-be problems. I expect the foundation will annually give away $1 million in grants to Black ParentPreneurs around the world. 

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

James Oliver, Jr: There are tons of entrepreneurship and Facebook communities, but none of them focus on Black parents who are entrepreneurs. If I execute against our value proposition, everything will be fine. 

Your final thoughts?

James Oliver, Jr: Thanks for reaching out. 

Your website?

www.parentpreneurfoundation.org 

Kokou Adzo is the editor and author of Startup.info. He is passionate about business and tech, and brings you the latest Startup news and information. He graduated from university of Siena (Italy) and Rennes (France) in Communications and Political Science with a Master's Degree. He manages the editorial operations at Startup.info.

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