We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ameenah Carroll a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ameenah, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
Taking risks can be fun and scary. For me, life changed for the better when I took the risk of starting my own business. Before starting my business in 2022, I had a six-figure income working at one of the world’s top semiconductor companies, Intel. I was comfortable in my position but yearned for experiences that provided my life with more purpose. When the unexpected happened, and company policies of working at home changed, I found myself caught in the middle of two important decisions. Did I want to continue working for corporate America by relocating 4,000 miles to go back to the office site? Or did I want to explore what career options were available and take a risk? Ultimately, I decided to take the risk! In May 2022, I graduated with my master’s degree and moved home to the Midwest to give back to my community. In November 2022, I founded ACD Consulting Coalition, an educational consulting practice specializing in STEM education for K-12 and adult learners. It’s been 3 years of following my passion by bridging the education gap in underserved communities through my company. I couldn’t be happier with the risk I took years ago of following this dream and improving educational experiences as my life’s purpose.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Here is a little bit about me. I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, which I still consider home. As an artist, that’s where I started my craft. I began to explore my love for art as I got older by trying various artistic expressions. However, it wasn’t until my mid-20s that I decided to master my craft as an artist. In 2022, I earned my Master of Arts from Pacific Northwest College of Art, and this educational background has instilled the disciplines of UX design into my work of creating educational products and services through my design consulting practice. Some past educational service work has involved creating and facilitating various STEM workshops, including horticulture, chemistry, electrical engineering, video game design, coding, and more. Past products have been resource guides, surveys, research publications, various STEM curricula, logos, operational structures, resume-building/ career resources, and logo/brand creation, all of which were created to help people improve in education. The problems I am addressing for my clients through my work are filling in educational resource gaps that limit BIPOC communities from successfully competing on high-level STEM platforms. I am most proud of the many clients who have accomplished their learning goals while working with me, and I am proud of myself for not being afraid of making a positive difference in the educational field.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
The story of how my business was initially funded is an interesting one. In November 2022, I launched my business, ACD Consulting Coalition LLC, after initially being approached by my very first client. I was so excited to have such a high-end client as my first client, especially because the capital gained from that first consulting project was what helped fund the launch of my company. To this day, many clients later, I am still very grateful for the capital my company earned in the first year and for the blessings that have followed since.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
My social media accounts have been continuously growing since the launch of ACD Consulting Coalition in 2022. I began sharing my journey of starting the company as my primary posts. This helped me communicate with my audience the purpose and why behind the mission at my company. With beautiful images and engaging descriptions, the mission of providing meaningful and fun STEM educational experiences has been shared since the start of building my audience on social media. I am thankful for the followers and supporters gained over the years who understand the mission behind ACD. To see what work is being accomplished in the community, for free resources, and learning opportunities, visit our IG at @acdcc_.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @acdcc_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/ACD-Consulting-Coalition-LLC-100093986935152/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/acd-consulting-coalition-columbus?osq=ACD+Consulting+Coalition
