We recently connected with “Jimmy Ray” Whiteside II, Msc.D. and have shared our conversation below.

“Jimmy Ray”, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back at the decisions you made early in your career, particularly whether to join a firm or start your own, do you feel you made the right choice for that stage of your career?

I grew up in a violent homestead. My dad when he was around, not on the road working or in jail himself, in my youth abused alcohol and would beat my mom. There were many a nights my sister and I slept in the closet hiding from dad during his rage. We were so scared to leave the closet we would urinate and defecate on ourselves in terror. On my 12th birthday my dad nearly stabbed my mom to death when an argument arose during my birthday party. Fast forward….

In April 2004, I faced a potential 20-year prison sentence in Georgia after making some poor decisions following the loss of my first trucking business. Fortunately, I only served five years due to divine intervention. While in prison, I reflected, sought guidance from God, and vowed to help others upon my release. Starting afresh in 2009 in Savannah, Georgia, I struggled to find stability and employment due to my incarceration history. With the support of my sister Dawn, my wife Stephanie and faith, I embarked on multiple business ventures over the past 15 years, enduring failures and successes. Together, Stephanie and I have also initiated a prison ministry called Distinguished Group Ministries, fulfilling our promise to assist individuals behind bars and beyond. We not only preach and teach God’s Word in prisons. We also teach financial education in prisons. We help our captive audience (no pun intended) learn the basics from home budgeting to structuring business plans so they may start their own business when they’re released from prison.

The businesses we started where all to help others in our family and community to attain gainful employment. Most of the businesses were structured to coach others how to become entrepreneurs and how to start and grow their own business. Just to name a few businesses we started a trucking company, opened a few general retail stores, a travel company, an auto auction venue, insurance firms, financial services firms, we were involved with multiple network marketing organizations, to now being business coach practitioners, global channel partnership marketers and becoming a multi-book published author.

“Jimmy Ray”, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My journey towards becoming a business coach practitioner, prison minister, and global channel partnership marketer is driven by my innate desire to help individuals realize their full potential.

In my role as a Business Coach Practitioner based in Dallas, TX, I specialize in guiding individuals, including those in diverse circumstances such as incarcerated individuals, entrepreneurs, C-suite executives, and business owners, to uncover their purpose and thrive. Rather than solving problems for my clients, I focus on inspiring and empowering them to take charge of their own growth while maintaining accountability.

Recognizing the power of networking, I have leveraged global connections to establish channel partnerships, facilitating collaborations and deals among members of my network. This not only benefits my family and business but also supports the funding of our prison ministries.

While I believe in the value of referring individuals to enhance their success, I also advocate for fair compensation for the expertise and connections I bring to the table. By connecting individuals within my network who may not have crossed paths otherwise, I create mutually beneficial partnerships where I receive a portion of the proceeds. Fifty percent of these earnings are allocated to our prison ministries, aiding in family reunification, business start-ups, and community support initiatives. This symbiotic relationship fosters positive outcomes for all parties involved, creating multiple wins across the board.

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

In 2016, my hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina was home to several businesses, including retail stores and a trucking company that I operated. Despite their success, the stress of managing these businesses led to significant health issues, including a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. Recognizing the toll it was taking on my health, I made the difficult decision to close all five of my businesses, which resulted in substantial debt amounting to over $385,000.

Following the closure of the businesses, my wife and I relocated to Dallas, Texas for her job, affording me the opportunity to take a much-needed break to focus on my health and well-being. While the decision to close the businesses and accumulate debt was challenging, we are committed to repaying all debts incurred. Despite the ongoing financial obligations, we are determined to honor our responsibilities and eventually settle all outstanding debts, prioritizing integrity and financial responsibility.

The past few years have been financially tough. During Covid we became homeless and was living out of an Extended Stay in Farmers Branch, TX. It was while we were homeless that we began to focus more on the prison ministry and the coaching company. We had to do something to help others so we wouldn’t be focused on our current situations. So we poured ourselves into others instead of having pitty parties.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Also it was during Covid while being homeless that I began my writing and to date we’ve published 9 books and two more are scheduled to be released on Amazon,com before December 2024.

The titles being The Distinguished Book of Thought (Volumes I &II), Is Heaven Real? WHY? Hell No!, Dyslexic Empowerment Coaching via Kinesthetics, Getting Drunk With God, How To Stop The Wantrepreneur Drama So You Can Add The 000’s & Commas and A Disciple of Theology & A Disciple of Jesus Christ Are In A B.A.R. (Biblical Arena of Rhetoric / Volumes I & II).
With two more titles Shifted Spaces and Channel Partnership Manual; to be published on Amazon.com by December 2024.

Books that have had the most impact on me and formed my philosophy to help others to become the best versions of themselves that they were created by God to be are… of course the Holy Bible (GOD), 1984 (George Orwell), Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand), Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Robert T. Kiyosaki), Start With WHY? (Simon Sinek), Mapping Out The Millionaire Mystery (Co-authored by my personal financial advisors – Brent Kesler and Chris Naugle. I have their number on speed dial), When Helping Hurts (Steve Corbett and Brian Fikker) and let’s end this list with Up From Slavery (Booker T. Washington).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marketmax.center/
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jimmyraywhitesideii

Image Credits

Our printing company that we founded for prisoner’s to get their art and writings published.

Distinguished Group Publishing