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

Hi Darius, thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I can’t lie to you, I think about this at least once a week lol. I’ve spent all of my working life as employee, so everyday I’m charting new territory as a business owner. I remember thinking not too long ago that life and work would be so much “easier” as an entrepreneur. Jokes on me, that is far from the truth. I work twice as hard, if not more than when I did with a full-time gig. Am I happier as a business owner? What a question! I’d have to say yes. Not only do I get to do impactful work, but I also have the flexibility to be more present with my family. Family is everything to me, and it was a high priority to make sure whatever I do in my work, it allows for family to be first.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m from a very small town called Jena, Louisiana, where I lived most of my life upon moving to Dallas about 4 years ago. My hometown has influenced so much of who I have grown to become, but also in why I do the work I do. Jena is probably a solid 5-6 square miles. Although we lacked many amenities and resources that larger cities had, what took most pride in was a large close-knit community of family, friends and neighbors that looked out for each other. This is where I learned the value of community care, which has become the model of service for my business- Your Special Helper. I started my career in Jena, LA as a Special Education teacher, where I also served as a coach for youth basketball, baseball and football on the side. I received a great opportunity to pair my passion for special needs populations and recreation, and received a job offer to move to the Dallas area where I served in various program roles within Parks & Recreation.

Dallas, is where I cultivated my gift of service to people who are often underserved and forgotten about. I’m referring to the senior without a support system at home, and even the parent and/or caregiver to a child with unique/special needs. I would come home almost every day telling my wife how heavy my heart was on hearing the unmet needs of people in our community- from the senior who stopped showing up for social activities due to illness and immobility. I knew how hard that loss of community connection would be on this person(s). Even for the kid without a male figure in his life, experiencing some behavioral challenges, as well as seeing the exhaustion from the caregiver simply trying to be and do it all, with no relief in sight.

So, this is the part of the story that I firmly believe was nothing shy of divine intervention. I unexpectedly lost my job and was faced with the question- what do I do now??!! I’ll be honest. I was pretty discouraged. My wife encouraged me to see the benefit in this situation. She reminded me how challenging my demanding work schedule was and how I wished I had more time to help at home with our two small daughters. She also reminded me of the unmet needs that I talked about each day for seniors, youth and caregivers; and how I was a solution to this problem. It was this moment, where we spent time in prayer and got the idea to create the work that we wish existed, and work that could not only serve our family well but the community who needed us the most. And that’s when Your Special Helper was created.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

How did I meet my business partner? Whelp, I swiped right on a dating app and that’s how I met my now wife/life & business partner. She’s the visionary and operational brains behind the business. There wouldn’t be a Your Special Helper without her.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’d like to think that our social media channels serve as a space to share our story; from the inception of announcing we were launching, and all the steps in between about getting out into the community to build relationships and sharing highlights of the work we do. I’m not much of a sales guy, and never want our audience to get that impression through our platforms. My best advice to those starting is that yes it’s great if you tell people what you do in your business, but it’s better if you show them. Prioritize video of you in action. Our audience has been very receptive to that approach.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yourspecialhelper.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourspecialhelper/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourspecialhelper
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yourspecialhelper1507