We recently connected with Curtis Valentine and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Curtis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

The saying “it takes 10 years to become an overnight success” definitely applies to Real Men Teach.

For years, I built a growing number of supporters of the my work to diversify the teaching corps in my school system. Over time, I was laser focused on growing an army of educators [and organizations and individuals who agree with the importance of diversity in teaching] and was able to do so because I was consistent in my mission but, even more importantly, aligned myself with individuals and organizations who shared my mission.

I gave more than I took, I made more deposits of time and resources to my partners without many withdrawals of time or resources from them.

When I started Real Men Teach, I had built up so much equity with friends, supporters, and partners to the point when I made my first solicitation of support the most common response was “absolutely, I was waiting for this!”

When I launched Real Men Teach, I made 100 individual requests [via text] by name…to my surprise, I got 100 commitments! My initial success was a byproduct of years of investment in my army of supporters who not only purchased but agreed to be ambassadors for the brand.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The more and more I learn about my own history and history of my ancestors, I become less and less of a believer that “I chose education” and more of a believer that “education chose me.” For years, I attributed my passion for creating a system of education that gives all students access to a quality, anti-racist, public education -regardless of race, zip code, or socio-economic background- to my own upbringing as a public school student who overcame growing up in a working class home with stutter and reading disability to graduate from Morehouse College and Harvard University.

I now know, while my parents are not college graduates, I am a descendant a long history of educators and progenitors of educational reform who were trained at some of the best colleges and universities in this country. I take that courage and ambitions of my ancestors into every room I enter. My dream is for everyone to have the same courage and ambition to break down self-imposed obstacles that block them from self-determination and self-actualization.

Real Men Teach is the wildest dreams of my ancestors, particularly men like John Chavis, Beverly Valentine, and William Valentine, who dreamed of a world where access to quality, anti-racist, public education was the standard and not condition on race or income. Real Men Teach solves for the disorganization and lack of trust amongst educators that inhibits the community building and village building required for systems change and narrative shifting we need in education.

I am most proud of how our brand has met the moment and led supporters to champion the brand to their network as their own. The brand no longer belongs solely to me, the brand has been picked up and become many things to many people.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The beauty of Real Men Teach is that it required little upfront capital. Real Men Teach is funded from proceeds generated from apparel produced using a print to order model. The single greatest cost was applying to trademark “Real Men Teach” to ensure sole ownership and control over usage of the brand. Ownership of a trademark can also lead to additional income from licenses and co-branding.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth is by far the best source of new clients for Real Men Teach. Not a day goes by that I don’t receive a referral for a future partnership from an existing client. Creating, growing, and maintaining a brand that consistently meets its mission and vision is not easy but will be the greatest form of business growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: realmenteach.com
• Instagram: @realmenteach
• Linkedin: Real Men Teach
• Twitter: @realmenteach2
• Other: Tiktok: @RealMenTeach