We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Denzel Smalls. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Denzel below.

Denzel , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The idea came to me around ten years ago. I had just graduated with my undergraduate degree, fresh off a deployment, and I was stocking groceries at Walmart in Marietta, GA, for $7.20 an hour. I had never made so little money in my life. Even in high school, I had jobs that paid me substantially more, and I thought to myself, “This can’t be how people are living, paycheck to paycheck, day to day. There has to be more to life.”

Coincidentally, three good friends of mine were going through similar situations. Two of them couldn’t find jobs at all, and one was working at a shipping yard in Florida. I don’t know if it was telepathy or what, but we all called each other that day and decided to embark on learning all the aspects needed to start a business, focusing on what we were best at. Over the years, there were setbacks, mistakes, and hindrances, but overall, we all made it successfully. We are still learning and growing in our own right while also contributing to making Word of Mouth Productions a success.

Obviously, we are still learning and processing all the nuances of business. Nonetheless, it has been an incredible journey. One of my friends is now part owner of a gym, another does music production, and I still run Word of Mouth Productions and have begun a subsidiary under its umbrella as a consultant within the psychology aspect of business, as well as a certified life coach.

Denzel , 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?

Talent, skill, discipline, and motivation helped me reach heights most would only dream of. However, the recurring problem I kept encountering was the financial means to take advantage of these incredible opportunities before me. This was before Airbnb and Uber, so living somewhere temporarily with an unpaid internship was incredibly expensive. It left you with three options: come up with the capital to afford your accommodation, stay with a family member if you knew one in the area, or just give up on the opportunity. The last option was typically the case for me.

Additionally, I wasn’t too fond of the idea of coming up with incredible designs and concepts for a company or brand and only getting paid in “experience” while they made millions off my concepts. So, I began doing freelance work, which was fairly easy at the time because it was the beginning of smartphones, and social media for business purposes was beneficial.

During the process of creating art, a guy I went to school with saw one of my designs and said, “Hey, you can put that on a shirt.” That comment became a launch pad for ultimately creating a production company. Most people understand and value the company as e-commerce, which makes sense, but for me, merchandise is a small segment of a larger plan.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My journey of resilience began in the United States Air Force. The role demanded meticulous attention to detail and a steadfast commitment to excellence. Every day was a test of my resilience. Embracing each challenge, I viewed them as opportunities to learn and grow, never allowing the high-pressure environment to deter me from my goals.

During my tenure, I suffered injuries and had to pivot into something else, leading me back to a passion I had for storytelling since I was a child.

Transitioning from the military, I pursued my passion for psychology and the arts. I founded Word of Mouth Productions in Arizona and served as CEO. Balancing this entrepreneurial venture with my role as an Industrial Psychologist and Life Coach at Word of Mouth Consulting Group required immense resilience. I guided clients towards self-discovery and personal empowerment, drawing from my own experiences of overcoming adversity. My journey has been a testament to the power of resilience in achieving success and inspiring others.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My injuries were probably the biggest pivot I had to make. I had not intended to jump into the entrepreneurial space full-time until I was about 40. My plan was to work for a few companies for a while, learn industry trades and secrets, and then begin a consulting firm later on. But you know what they say about telling God your plans. The pivot forced me to jump into entrepreneurship sooner, and to be honest, I think personally, morally, and financially, I’m farther along than I would have been if I had worked for a company and begun the entrepreneurial lifestyle at a later date. I’m at the point where I’m helping seasoned business owners with things I’ve learned along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wordofmouthproduction.com
• Instagram: wordofmouthproductions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WordofMouthProduction
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denzel-smalls-345130228/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WordofMouthProduction

Image Credits

Denzel Smalls