Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Murdock Ii

Hi Anthony, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

i’m a 28 year old Black man from the east side of indianapolis, indiana. grew up in a home from parents who came from poverty and provided financial security to all three of their children. with me being the oldest (i have two younger sisters and my parents did better with every kid), i have always taken pride in being a leader and not a follower. setting a positive example for others who look up to me, depend on me or find inspiration in my story continues to be a priority.

in college (i graduated from butler university), i discovered the power in entrepreneurship. i studied political science and religion (double major) with the intentions of pursuing law school post grad. i was a student leader on campus with several leadership positions, multiple jobs and generally respected among my peers. i had a passion for advocacy and was dedicated to creating space and opportunity for Black students to succeed. my junior year–due to a series of life-changing events–i discovered that entrepreneurship was essential to making that happen. so, i started a brand with my best friend (noah warfield) called #PowerMovesOnly. from selling t shirts and wristbands to developing a scholarship program with corporate sponsors and post-graduation employment opportunities, life after college was a whirlwind.

i graduated a semester early from butler and started law school the following fall (fall 2018). while in law school, i went from building a brand to scaling a business; i became a social emotional learning consultant, empowering students and community colleges across the country with the tools they needed to leverage their story for success. the company grew fast during quarantine, so i decided to start my nonprofit organization (the side hustle economy company) to ensure other Black entrepreneurs could learn how to grow their business just like i did. the nonprofit started and scaled hundreds of companies in two years, and once i graduated from law school (may 2022), i started coaching entrepreneurs one-on-one and teaching in the lacy school of business at butler university.

in the last two years, i was promoted twice: first to faculty director of butler university’s minority owned business initiative and now as a member of the university’s board of trustees. in addition to success on campus, my nonprofit has hosted 9 business bootcamps, produced two documentaries and one award winning, multi-season docu-series, and invested $250,000 into Black entrepreneurs in Indianapolis. my coaching program and consulting practice has served more than 150 Black entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs that have gone one to pursue full-time entrepreneurship, generate more revenue, hire employees and positively contribute to our local economy.

at this moment, i’m living a life i never thought i would and am doing things i didn’t know was possible. God is the reason for it all and i’m thankful to Him for His favor because it really isn’t fair. To God be the glory.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

i built my brand in college.

i built my business ecosystem in law school.

i built my confidence post-grad.

when i was in college, i was overworked, underpaid and too available. i thought this combination equaled “true service”, but it produced a toxic relationship with success, achievement and fulfillment. it also produced hospital visits, burnout and planted the seeds of anxiety, (dare i say it) depression and emotional apathy in my life. i wouldn’t know the extent of these until i got to law school.

law school was a life long dream. literally. since i was in the second grade, i knew i was going to princeton. since i was in the seventh grade, i knew i was going to law school. fast forward to 2018, i didn’t go to princeton but i was going to law school. a dream come true for me–and to be honest–my community. i was getting calls about providing legal advice before my law school textbooks arrived in the mail! when word got out i was accepted and starting classes, it was a moment of true celebration. but following all highs are lows and it go lower than low in less than three months. i was challenged, doubted and dismissed in the classroom, particularly from an academic perspective.

i was no stranger to adversity but this was different. my good friend mike g–serial entrepreneur and marketing guru–has a brand called we don’t run from adversity; the brand is a mantra that has motivated me since its founding. i never ran from adversity, i ran towards it and fought it with all my might. but the adversity i was used to fighting was EXTERNAL; pressure from systems and policies and cultures that didn’t want me or my peers to succeed because of the color of our skin and pride in our community. in law school, however, while i still experienced this kind of adversity, the adversity that i couldn’t manage to escape or overcome was the INTERNAL battle of imposter syndrome. this was unlike anything i’d ever experienced and likely the greatest challenge of my career, to date. eventually, i’d learn the only imposter was the syndrome, but that was not before i disengaged (almost entirely) from my academic pursuits and tripled down on building my business ecosystem. as you read in my story, i saw great success in my business in law school, but most don’t know that only happened because i was ashamed to walk into the law school, and so i often didn’t. i would skip class, i wouldn’t read assignments and give up on the semester before we hit midterms. it was demoralizing.

i ended up graduating and to this day, overcoming the challenge that was law school remains a testimony i share honestly, openly and transparently with so many, but especially incoming Black law students. i wished somebody would have told me certain things before i started my law school journey–in a language that i could receive and understand–and so i make it a point to share them now. my law school journey equipped me for the cost of being a boss in business and prepared me to pay the price for freedom that would come after i graduated. as a community leader in my city and a thought leader in my industry, i find it a privilege to be so deeply respected and revered but am constantly reminded of the real life consequences of being great. the ability to struggle, the space to figure things out and the latitude for vulnerability is limited for leaders. and especially limited for young Black leaders. there is a burden we inherit that accompanies our early + rapid growth and what a struggle it has been to navigate life with that burden. second to my law school journey, my most stressful and emotionally taxing experience (in life) has been living with the loneliness of leadership. success requires solitude but the loneliness of leadership is a different kind of beast. i do not share this to discourage, but to be honest with those who read because if my success story was longer than my struggle, i would be lying and that’s something i vowed to never do to others, even if i do it to myself.

success requires sacrifice and what we choose to sacrifice speaks to our character. my character has grown more in the last five years than it has my entire life. shoot, it may have grown more in the last five months than it has in the last five years. but this is growth and there is nothing greater for a young leader to experience than growth in the very areas where they feel most grim. i am thankful for my obstacles and challenges just as i am thankful for my success and achievement; these things collectively create my story and my story is the asset that will break generational curses, build generational wealth and bridge the racial wealth gap.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Murdock LLC?

Murdock LLC is empowering people, companies and communities that serve Black people to improve their output through storytelling. We empower our clients with the exposure, education and equipment they need to leverage the powerful stories of their employees, customers and stakeholders to fuel efforts for Black liberation. After working with us, our clients have the capability, capacity and congruency to break through, build up and bridge gaps. When Black people are free, everybody can be free; we believe in centering the Black experience in every element of our work and are excited to

What are your plans for the future?

spread my mission beyond central indiana; in the next three years, my primary goal right now is to grow my business ecosystem in the following markets:

chicago
detroit
cincinnati
atlanta
memphis
little rock
boston
new york
washington dc
los angeles
san francisco
oakland

to anybody in those markets who read this story and wants to learn more about my work, please reach out. would love to talk more.

Pricing:

• storytelling journal: $20
• eBooks: $35
• small biz consultations: $100/session
• coaching: $50-500/month
• strategic plans: $500/plan

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.murdockllc.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amurdock_ii/
• Twitter: https://x.com/amurdock_ii
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepowerpreneur

Image Credits

@way.too.g on IG
https://www.occupyvisuals.com/