We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jymm Adams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jymm, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I have family in all parts of the United States and during Covid we would have regular Zoom get togethers. On one of our meetings we came up with the idea of starting a family investment club. In the meantime GOD put it on our hearts to try and help those who might be struggling to get food for their children and families during the crisis. Many people may not realize that a large percentage of American children get the majority of their daily food from the meals supplied at school. Since we were on lockdown a great deal of children we experiencing food insecurity.

We decided to turn our goal of making money for the family into a foundation that would reach food insecure homes with children. That is how Cornerstone Faith Foundation was formed.

Jymm, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a marketing and advertising consultant based in Southern California. I began my career at Paramount Studios working for Entertainment Tonight. I then moved on to a regional sports network in Los Angeles as a Marketing Director in charge of promoting The Los Angeles Dodgers, The Los Angeles Angels, and The Los Angeles Clippers.

I joined KTLA-TV as Marketing Manager and moved up in the organization to Chief Marketing Director. He, along with his team, won several awards, including the Golden Mike, Promax/BDA,Telly, and numerous Emmy awards. I was able to be an integral part in launching the WB and CW networks, and in the rebranding of KTLA-TV in Los Angeles.

I lead the team that produced the award-winning documentary Planet LA, and the hit series, The Audition. I’ve also produced numerous television shows and pilots including: The Los Angeles Clippers pre-season special, Empire Pink & Blue, 2nd Unit, and The American Garage, to name a few.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Every team has a leader and it is every leader’s responsibility to put their team in the best position to win. As a leader you must understand the team feeds off of your energy. It’s critical that you show up everyday with the goal of making it the best day you possibly can. The team does not work for you, the team works for the mission and you work for the team.

Collaboration is an often over-used and misunderstood concept. Many people think everyone sits around “pitches” ideas to the team leader or follow the idea the team leader instructs them to execute. Successful collaboration is the best idea wins.

When people know that their ideas have value, and they will be heard, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to be the best version of themselves.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I love reading and listening to audio books. There are several books that have significantly impacted my management and entrepreneurial thinking.

* The Bible – there are countless examples of how to manage and not manage as well as the importance of faith
* Napoleon Hill’s Secret – Hill’s user’s guide to success principles
* Shut and Listen! – principles for entrepreneurs and leaders
* The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to fuel your life
* One Word That Will Change Your Life: one word explains how to simplify your life and business

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cornerstonefaithfoundation.org
• Instagram: cornerstone_faith_foundation
• Facebook: Cornerstone Faith Foundation
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jymm-adams-7b576b5
• Twitter: @jymma

Image Credits
Jymm Adams, Fred Womack