Entrepreneur Tiffani Sims says her “ah ha” moment of realization that she was ready to launch her own business happened when she moved from Chicago to Charlotte and was raising her daughter by herself.
“I can’t dedicate my time in an office anymore, I need flexibility,” Sims told herself.
Sims knew she wanted to make money, but she also knew she wanted to be impactful and love what she was doing every day.
“I want to have an impact, not only in my community, I want to also have an impact in my child’s life, my family life, and to leave behind a legacy to let them know hard work does pay off.”
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Sims took a challenging situation and turned it into an opportunity: she pivoted to entrepreneurship. Sims launched Diversity Talent Scouts, a company that specializes in placing diverse professionals into leadership opportunities. She focuses on elevating women and people of color in engineering and IT professions.
Sims is now one of 31 small business owners being recognized by the City of Charlotte this month. Each year, the Small Business Administration (SBA) designates the first week in May as SBA National Small Business Week. In Charlotte, Mayor Vi Lyles has issued an official proclamation to declare May as Small Business Month, celebrating the entrepreneurs in the community all month long.
Sims loves the community of fellow entrepreneurs she has found in Charlotte. She is a participant in the city’s AMP Up! program as well as the Scale Up CLT program at the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance®, which both prepare minority business entrepreneurs for growth and expansion through business development services, mentoring, networking opportunities, targeting training, and access to large corporations for contract and procurement opportunities.
“I love Charlotte because it’s a melting pot,” Sims said. “It has a variety of cultures and people, and a community and network. The ability to bond with other entrepreneurs is so important in the Charlotte area.”
Sims says the road has not always been easy, but it has been rewarding, offering this advice to anyone who has started or is thinking about starting a business:
“Don’t give up. It’s hard, but life is hard. Know that obstacles will come, but you can overcome those obstacles. Just stay prepared. Prepare for the unexpected and just love what you do.”
