We were lucky to catch up with Marvin Ferguson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marvin , thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Marvleads consulting LLC was born from programs and training that I was already creating in the community. For example, Let’s Get Healthy Cleveland Inc is a non-profit I created in 2018 that provides clinical trainings and presentations to all residents of Northeast Ohio. One year before I did a program in the community focused on cardiovascular health and well-being. I was in love with the impact and feedback I received. Let’s Get Healthy Cleveland was born. The nonprofit taught me some very important lessons. Creating Programing, Leading board members and volunteers, putting together program designs, and writing grants were tools I used to launch Marvleads consulting LLC.

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

Born in Jamaica and raised in Northeast Ohio, Marvin has a unique worldview, which allows him to extend a progressive perspective to change-making in the community.

Marvin Ferguson is the dynamic speaker and workshop facilitator behind Marv Leads – a brand that’s committed to integrity-based practices that calls for vulnerability in leadership, awareness of implicit bias, and transformation of a black man’s mental health.Marvin is a Licensed Clinical Pharmacist working on the frontlines of opioid case management. In 2020, Marvin debuted his signature talk, Prescription Approved for Implicit Bias, as a TEDx Speaker, which led him to bring TEDx to the Northeast Ohio Community as the license holder of TEDx Balch Street and begin his journey as a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and trainer for healthcare professionals and students for organizations such as NEOMED and THE Ohio Pharmacist Association.

He’s the host of Ask a Pharmacist, a show on the Radio Free Entertainment Network that brings transparency to the public from healthcare professionals. He founded Let’s Get Healthy Cleveland, Inc., a nonprofit that provides clinical programs and community-based events that address the inequalities in healthcare. He also serves as Health Chair of the 100 Black Men of Greater Cleveland, Inc.

Among other passions and priorities in Marvin’s world, he founded I.M.O.N.B LLC Properties to assist with the housing disparities in the Northeast Ohio community, as well as started Bruce’s Jamaican Fusion Soul, a food truck that pays tribute to his late mother with a vibrant menu of Jamaican and American favorites. Marvin’s life experiences makes him passionate about DEI, Process Improvement, Speaking, and Opioid Safety programs.

Marvin is a family man at heart. He loves spending time with his beautiful daughter, enjoys putting his culinary skills to the test in his kitchen, and gets bit by the travel bug from time to time.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson I had to unlearn was taking shortcuts. Marvleads LLC has several daughter companies and nonprofits including Bruce’s Jamaican Fusion Soul, IMONB LLC properties, and Let’s Get Healthy Cleveland. I used to run the financials for IMONB LLC from my personal account. What an absolute mess come tax return time! Thank God I was never audited! The bank statements were far from clean, I forced myself to open up a separate business bank account that I faithfully used for expenses and income. Although it was a heavy lift up front and required some self-control, I am glad I made this a requirement for all my businesses.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

The best advice I have for managing a team and maintaining high morale is:

1) Understanding who your team is: What motivates them? What are their aspirations with the organization? What is their preferred methods of communication?

2) Communicate, Communicate, and Communicate. There is nothing worse that being the last person to get bad news. It sometimes is invaluable to have those hard conversations early with your staff so they don’t feel blindsided or left out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marvleads.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marvleads/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marv-leads/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@marv_leads